Junior Jeff Scull and the Orange have their eyes set on the BIG EAST Championship.
Orange Takes Flight for Shot at BIG EAST Crown
10/24/2007 3:59:34 PM | Cross Country
SYRACUSE - The 2007 Syracuse men and women’s cross country season has marked another step towards developing a national foundation under the guidance of third-year head coach Chris Fox. After a breakthrough 2006 campaign, Fox and company set high standards for two teams competing against some of the country’s best.
“We tailored our schedules differently this season because of higher expectations,” said Fox. “The teams have taken several steps this season towards where we want to be as a cross country program. Our schedules were put in place to help that progression.”
The Orange men have been a fixture in the 2007 United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association’s (USTFCCCA) national poll with a season-high ranking of 26. The SU women began a three-week run in the polls after receiving national votes on September 25.
After competing in two highly-touted events at the women’s National Open in State College, Pa., and the men’s Pre-Nationals Invitational in Terre Haute, Ind., the Orange has its sights set on Louisville, KY. and E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park, the site of the 2007 BIG EAST Championship.
“The BIG EAST is important, especially as far as qualifying for Nationals,” said junior Jeff Scull, who finished 16th and one tick shy of an All-BIG EAST honor with a time of 24:16 in 2006. “We develop rivalries with some teams throughout the year and this is where it all comes together.”
The Orange men matched a program-record fifth-place finish at last year’s BIG EAST Championship in Boston, Mass. In the last 20 years, Syracuse had only ranked in the top five performances once.
Jay Koloseus, who finished second for the Orange and 29th overall, tallied the third-highest time (24:32) among all rookies. Chris Muldoon, Dan Busby and Kyle Heath completed five times for Syracuse in the top 35. Muldoon (24:32) finished 30th, Busby (24:34) placed 34th and Heath (24:36) totaled a 35th-place ranking.
The SU women, led by Nana Sang-Bender’s ninth-place finish and All-BIG EAST accolade, finished seventh overall at last year’s championship. Sang-Bender joined teammate Liz Cufari, who received the distinction following the 2005 championship, as the first SU females to earn all-conference honors since 1983.
“There’s definitely a different approach this year with everyone being healthy,” said Cufari. “This weekend will be a big step for us and we need to run well.”
Cufari finished second for the Orange and 33rd overall with a time of 22:07. Amanda Hicks (22:27) and Jenna Bieri (22:32) placed 44th and 47th, respectively.
Following the BIG EAST Championship, the Orange men and women will have two weeks to prepare for the NCAA Regionals held on November 10 at Boston College.
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