Monday, November 24
Terre Haute, Ind.
TBA
Syracuse University
at
NCAA Championship
Junior Brad Busby and senior Nana Sang-Bender have keyed the Orange cross country team all season long. Their momentum did not stop at the Division I Cross Country Championship on Monday afternoon.
Orange Caps Season at 2008 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championship
11/24/2008 6:02:29 PM | Cross Country
TERRE HAUTE, IND. – Representing Syracuse University for the first time in program history as a team, the No. 25 ranked women's cross country lineup finished in 28th out of 31 teams at the 2008 Division I Cross Country Championship on Monday afternoon. The Orange women were led by senior Nana Sang-Bender in her final race for SU.
Juniors Dan Busby and Brad Miller, SU's two male representatives at the LaVern Gibson Championship Course, ran individually and garnered an 83rd and a 127th place finish out of 252 men in the 10K.
"I was proud to see our women running with the nation's elite," head coach Chris Fox said. "It was a big step for this program and with all of the young talent we have waiting in the wings, I'm excited about the future of this team. Dan (Busby) and Brad (Miller) also represented us well on Monday."
Sang-Bender, a 2008 All-BIG EAST and All-Northeast Regional member, finished up her prolific four-year with a time of 21:20 for 93rd place, bettering 159 other participants. The Syracuse, N.Y. product was named to the all-conference and all-region teams three times as a member of the Orange distance team.
Sophomore Catherine Desarle finished up strong second place showing for the Orange contingent with a time of 21:37 for 119th place. Junior Maegan Krifchin closed out the season in 21:45 for 137th. First-year harriers Lauren Penney and Lauryn MacFawn showed promise with their respective times of 21:49 and 21:59 for 145th and 164th, overall. Sophomore Rebekah MacKay navigated through the 6K course in 22:04 for a 170th place label while freshman Heather Stephens crossed the tape in 22:22 for 187th.
The Oregon Ducks' men repeated as national champions on Monday while the Washington Huskies' women claimed their first NCAA Championship in Terre Haute. Galen Rupp of Oregon paced the field of 252 for the individual men's title while Texas Tech's Sally Kipyego edged the rest of the field for the women's 6K crown.
Out of the nine runners that ran for Syracuse, six of them were 2008 Division I Northeast Region USTFCCCA All-Region Team members. On the women's side, Sang-Bender, Krifchin, Mackay and Penney joined 21 other female student-athletes from the Northeast Region to complete the list. Miller and Busby also warranted a place the 25-man All-Region Team. For Busby, it was the third time he's been named to the Northeast All-Region Team.
In last season's national championship run, senior Jeff Scull finished in122nd out of 250 runners on the same track.
Thirty-one teams were selected to participate in each respective championship. The top two, seven-person teams automatically qualified from each of the nine regions, for a total of 18 teams. Thirteen additional teams were selected at-large.
Thirty-eight individuals were selected to participate in each championship through an automatic qualifier and at-large selection process. All individual qualifiers finished in the top 25 in their region. The field is comprised of 252 total competitors.
Thirty-eight individuals were selected to participate in each championship through an automatic qualifier and at-large selection process. All individual qualifiers finished in the top 25 in their region. The field is comprised of 252 total competitors.
Monday afternoon's race ended the 2008 collegiate cross country chase, but the distance runners will continue to compete for SU as the first indoor track and field meet is just weeks away. The Orange will enter the Cornell Relays in Ithaca, N.Y. on Saturday, December 6, to initiate the 2008-09 track and field season.
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