Syracuse Cross Country Gears Up for Fall Season
8/28/2003 12:50:44 PM | Cross Country, Track and Field
“This year is going to be really exciting because there are so many new faces on the women’s side, and this is the first time since I’ve been here that I feel we have true cross-country teams, both in terms of numbers and in talent,” Harshorn said.
Syracuse returns its top seven runners from 2002 on the men’s side and the men’s roster has grown from 15 student-athletes in 2002 to 20 this season, including eight newcomers. On the other hand, 10 of the 19 Orangewomen will be competing in cross country on the college level for the first time.
Senior John Bitok, the defending IC4A Championship Division winner, and junior Tim Scarpinato, have been the Orangemen’s top two runners the last two seasons, but both suffered injuries training this off-season and will not compete right away, Hartshorn said. Their absence will force junior Brian McNeil and sophomore Chris Muldoon into the top two spots on the men’s side. McNeil had an outstanding freshman season in 2001, when he was one of Syracuse’s top two finishers in every race. He claimed fifth at Gardener Webb last fall, but struggled the rest of the season.
“Brian didn’t perform as well as he would’ve liked last year, but he had an outstanding track season in the spring and reported this fall in terrific shape,” Hartshorn said.
Muldoon was part of SU’s top seven his entire freshman season and earned team Rookie of the Year honor in 2002. He posted back-to-back top five finishes in the Orange Classic and at Gardener Webb. He also qualified for the USATF Junior Nationals in the 5,000 meters this spring and finished 18th.
Rounding out the next three spots will be freshman David Wishart, sophomore John Graham and senior Nathan Rath. Graham was SU’s fourth-best finisher at the BIG EAST Championships in 2002, and he and Rath were in the top seven for most of last season.
Competing for the remaining two positions in the top seven will be graduate student Karl Baum and three freshman, Geoff Nelson, Shawn Pollard, and Matt Lawson.
Although four members of last year’s top seven return in 2003, the Orangewomen graduated their top three runners from last season: Aleccia Boland, Zelma Jackson, and Maria Varela.
Hartshorn will rely on a crop of newcomers on women’s side to step in immediately and score, and she’s confident they will rise to the challenge.
“I think we’ve filled a lot of holes and brought in some women, who were solid high school runners and came to Syracuse in excellent shape."
Juniors Leah Folmsbee, Christine Ramsey, and senior Lauren Rich will move into the top three spots this season. Folmsbee is in the best shape of her career and Rich is finally healthy after a rash of injuries shortened her first three seasons, Hartshorn said.
Ramsey is a former member of SU’s women’s lacrosse team and was last year’s women’s cross-country Rookie of the Year. She posted some impressive times last season and was SU’s second finisher in the CCSU Blue Devil Invitational. Ramsey also recorded the team’s fourth-best mark in the BIG EAST Championships.
“Christine is one of the most competitive athletes I’ve ever coached and could make a huge impact in her second season. She trains hard and she competes hard day in and day out,” Hartshorn said.
Gabby Charbonneau is the Orangewomen’s top returning sophomore and is expected be in the top seven.
Candace Ince, a freshman from Trinidad, ran some impressive 800 and 1500 times in high school and will compete for the fifth or sixth spot, Hartshorn said.
The remaining two spots in the top seven are up for grabs, and Hartshorn expects that newcomers Emily Everding, Amanda Hicks, Ericka Mitton, Shelly Perkins, and Kelly Pimm, Katie Simon, and Kathryn Reintjes will all be in mix battling for those positions.
“I’m not really sure what to expect on the women’s side,” Hartshorn said. “Lauren Rich is the only senior on the women’s roster, so we’ll have to take it one day at a time and see what happens.”
