Juniors Dan Busby and Maegan Krifchin will be key components for the Orange this Friday, October 31, at the BIG EAST Championship. Busby is a BIG EAST Athlete of the Week while Krifchin has led SU twice this season.
Distance Runners Dialed In for BIG EAST Championship on Friday at Van Cortlandt Park
10/29/2008 1:11:44 PM | Cross Country
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – This Friday, October 31, the Syracuse men and women's cross country teams look to start off the postseason schedule in a similar fashion as the previous five races. SU takes on the entire conference at the BIG EAST Championship in Bronx, N.Y. at Van Cortlandt Park. The men's race is set to go off at 10:30 a.m. on an 8K course while the women's gun will sound at 11:00 a.m., initiating a 6K race.
Leading up to the conference culmination, both the Syracuse men and women's harriers have finished in first-place three times in 2008.
In SU's first race of the season, both sides dominated the competition at the Harry Lang Invitational hosted by Colgate University. The Orange claimed the top three individual spots and four in the top five in each of its respective races. Teamwise, the Orange placed 25 points ahead of its nearest competitor, Colgate, while the women clipped the Raiders by 11 points. Junior Curtis Bixler and freshman Lauryn MacFawn appeared first at the finish line as the two turned in times of 19:05 (6K) and 17:00.00(4,200-meter), respectively.
The following week, Syracuse replicated its act at the Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational in University Park, Pa.
Junior Dan Busby’s first-place performance of 25:58 on the 5.2 mile course led the Orange to a perfect 15-point sweep of the men's remaining top five slots. SU’s women were directed by junior Maegan Krifchin’s second-place effort of 21:39 (6K).
Syracuse remained in Pennsylvania for its next event at the Paul Short Invitational hosted by Lehigh University. The Orange continued its torrent pace with junior Brad Miller’s individual fifth-place finish of 23:58 (8K). Miller's run guided SU to a second-place team finish out of 45 of the region's top teams. The women claimed fifth-place out of 43 teams as Krifchin led the Orange for the second race in a row with a 19th place time of 20:54 (6K).
At the Pre-Nationals competition in Terre Haute, Ind., the men and women's distance team tested the site of the NCAA Cross Country Championship at Indiana State University. The women came out ahead of 28 other teams in 11th place with senior Nana Sang-Bender leading the charge for the Orange as a result of her team-leading time of 21:16 (6K). Miller piloted the Orange to a 15th place finish out of 41 teams for the second straight competition, placing 17th out of 276 runners with a time of 24:02 in the 8K trial.
Last week as a tune-up for the BIG EAST Championship, the Orange was back to its winning ways at the John Reif Memorial hosted by Cornell University. Although there was no team-winner awarded, sophomore Katie Hursey emerged victorious in the women's 5K run, bolting past 54 other runners in a time of 18:44. Freshman Forrest Misenti followed up Hursey's dash by traversing the five-mile race in a winning clip of 26:15.
Earlier this season, each squad was ranked nationally in the top 30. On October 14, the women's team cracked the national rankings for the first time in program history. The United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) released its fourth national poll of the season and tabbed the women 30th in the country. The men’s harriers tied its highest national ranking ever at 26th this season. The Orange earned its highest preseason ranking of 28th to start the season, but after a good showing at the Paul Short, SU climbed to the 26th spot.
"The BIG EAST Championship is always a very important race for our runners," head coach Chris Fox said. "We've had a very successful season so far, but we are going to have to work extra hard this Friday if we want both our men and women to finish in the top three at the conference final. Unfortunately, within these last few weeks, we have had a couple injuries that will have to be overcome by our other runners, especially on the men's side. I expect a good finish from our men if they compete at their highest level."
Last season, senior Jeff Scull led the Orange men to a fifth-place overall finish at the 2007 BIG EAST Championship at E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park. Scull eventually went on to represent Syracuse at the 2007 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championship after finishing ninth overall at the NCAA Northeast Regional that same year.
"I expect a good showing from our women, as well," Fox said. "They have proven themselves time and time again through the course of the season, but in order to finish in the top five, everyone is going to have to work as one to accomplish that goal."
Senior Nana Sang-Bender keyed the Syracuse women to a program-best fourth-place overall finish at the 2007 BIG EAST Championship. Sang-Bender received All-BIG EAST honors for the second straight year after a time of 20:42.10 yielded a team-best fifth-place finish. Sang-Bender became the first SU female since Alicia Hauber in 1982 and 1983 to earn all-conference honors in consecutive BIG EAST Championships.
Once the BIG EAST Championship comes to a conclusion, Syracuse will have two weeks to prepare for the NCAA Regional Championship on Saturday, November 15 at the same track in the Bronx.
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