All-BIG EAST honoree Dan Busby looks to guide the Orange to the NCAA Championships.
Defining Weekend: Orange Cross Country Eyes NCAA Championships
11/9/2007 9:33:27 AM | Cross Country
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Syracuse men and women’s cross country teams resume action and begin their pursuit of qualifying for the NCAA Championships on Saturday, November 10 at the Northeast Regional in Boston, Mass. The top two teams and four individuals from each of the nine regional championships qualify for nationals on Monday, November 19 in Terre Haute, Ind.
“It’s a defining weekend for our program,” said third-year Syracuse head coach Chris Fox. “Our goal all season has been to reach nationals. And now that we are on the door step, it’s time to take advantage of the opportunity.”
After the regional results are tallied and 18 teams have punched their tickets to Indiana, 13 at-large teams will be added to the national championship field by the NCAA Division I Track & Field Committee on Sunday. Two at-large individuals will round-out the field of 255 competitors.
The Orange men, led by junior Jeff Scull, are coming off a fifth-place finish at the BIG EAST Championship. Scull finished 11th with a time of 24:05.25 and earned All-BIG EAST recognition. Sophomore Dan Busby joined Scull on the all-conference squad after placing 14th with a time of 24:09.70.
The Syracuse men harriers opened the 2007 season ranked third in the Northeast Region and have thrice been listed in the top 30 of the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) national poll. The Orange’s highest ranking was 26th on September 25. Syracuse heads to Boston ranked in the three-spot behind early-season regional favorites Iona and Providence, respectively.
The Orange women will look to build off the momentum gained after tallying a program-best fourth-place finish at the conference championship. Junior Nana Sang-Bender repeated as an All-BIG EAST performer for the second straight season with a team-best fifth-place tally and time of 20:42.10. Sang-Bender became the first SU female since Alicia Hauber in 1982 and 1983 to earn all-conference laurels at consecutive championships.
The SU women have scaled the Northeast Region standings at a rapid pace after opening the season ranked ninth. Syracuse cracked the USTFCCCA national poll for the first time in program history after receiving votes on September 25. The Orange enters Saturday’s competition ranked fifth in the region trailing Providence, Boston College, Columbia and Stony Brook.
Under the current championship format in place, the Syracuse men and women harriers will be vying for the programs’ first appearance at the NCAA Championships on Saturday. The Orange men last competed for the crown in 1974 after capturing the national championship in 1951.
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