The Lehigh Mountain Hawks are the athletic teams representing Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The Mountain Hawks participate in NCAA Division I competition as a member of the Patriot League. In football, Lehigh competes in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), still frequently known by its former designation of Division I-AA. Lehigh's athletic teams were known as the Engineers up until the 1995-1996 academic year. Contrary to popular belief, this name was a reference to the Lehigh Railroad, not to the school's academic engineering program. Until 1995, the team used a logo of a train locomotive with an "L" on the front. In November 1995, the school introduced the Mountain Hawk as a mascot replacing the "L train", citing Lehigh's lack of a character to personify its sports teams. The following year, the teams name itself was thus changed by a vote of the Student Senate to the Mountain Hawks, though many alumni and students still object. In November 2008, just before the 144th game against Lafayette, the mascot was given the name Clutch. The name was chosen after a long contest of name suggestions and voting. Lehigh is especially known for its football rivalry with Lafayette College, the most frequently-played matchup in college football history.

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Baseball and softball

Lehigh has very successful programs in both baseball (men) and softball (women), having won both Patriot League titles in 2006 and advancing to the NCAA play-offs.

Basketball

Lehigh is also competitive in men's and women's basketball. Both teams play in Stabler Arena. The men's team won the Patriot League in 2004 and was third in 2006 with an 11-3 record. Former Coach Billy Taylor was Patriot League coach of the year in 2003-2004.

The women's team struggled and was 5-9 in Patriot League play in 2006.

Lehigh men's team struggled to 7-7, 12-19 overall record. They lost in the Quarterfinal Final Round to Army 47-46. On August 7, 2007 their coach Billy Taylor was hired by Ball State and on August 10, 2007 assistant Brett Reed was made new coach.

Football

The varsity football team is a Division I FCS team that has enjoyed success in the past decade. In 2006, The Mountain Hawks were Patriot League Co-champions with Lafayette College, giving the Lehigh Football an unprecedented eight Patriot League titles, including six in the last nine seasons. The team defeated arch rival Lafayette College Leopards 31-15 in 2008. Lehigh won the Division II national championship in 1977.

Football games are well-attended at Lehigh's Goodman Stadium which has been voted the best place to watch a Patriot League football game for the past six years. Tailgate parties are a big part of the experience, attracting many students and alumni who attend the games.

Soccer

Both the men's and women's teams are highly competitive. The 2006 Men's team had a 15-2-3 overall record and became the first Patriot League team to go a perfect 7-0 in league play. They advanced to the third round of the NCAA play-offs before losing to the number one seed.

The Women's team was Patriot League co-champion in 2005 and is coached by Manny Oudin.

Wrestling

Lehigh's wrestling team competes in the EIWA. Lehigh has a strong tradition in wrestling, and often wins the league and places in the top 10 at the NCAA championships. Lehigh is considered one of the best private schools in the country for wrestling, having had 26 national NCAA individual champions and 121 All Americans. Its last national champion was Troy Letters.

Lehigh graduates coach wrestling at many institutions including Jason Kutz (1998), head wrestling coach at East Stroudsburg University; Chris Ayres (1999), head wrestling coach at Princeton University; Cory Cooperman (2006), assistant wrestling coach at Cornell University; Troy Letters (2006) and Derek Zinck (2006), assistant wrestling coaches at Princeton University.

In 2006, the Lehigh wrestling team marked their fifth straight EIWA championship. The current head coach is Pat Santoro and the team's home in Grace Hall is often referred to as "The Snakepit".

Lacrosse

Lehigh's lacrosse team competes in the seven team Patriot League. The Mountain Hawks have a strong tradition in lacrosse, though they have not appeared in any of the present NCAA championships since its formation in 1971. Lehigh has accumulated seven national lacrosse titles under the former USILA national title format and strongly contributed to the growth of lacrosse in Pennsylvania. ^[1]