Orange Spotlight: February 9, 2009

The Orange offered a glimpse into the spring season as the women's softball team knocked the dirt of its cleats for the season opening weekend in New Mexico, winning two out of three games against the Lobos. The men's lacrosse team hosted Harvard at the Carrier Dome for the final scrimmage of the season, defeating the Crimson, 10-7, to kick start the Laxapalooza festivities. The women's tennis team continues to impress as the Orange initiated BIG EAST action on the road at Cincinnati and West Virginia, winning both contests (6-1, 5-2, respectively) to remain perfect on the season (5-0). The men's and women's track & field team covered its home base at Manley Field House to host the two-day Syracuse Invitational while the remainder of the squad ventured out to New York City, Boston and Maryland. The men's basketball team suffered a 102-85 loss to No. 17/16 Villanova at the Wachovia Center on Saturday afternoon while the women were handed their fourth straight home defeat by South Florida, 88-79, on Sunday night.

Track & Field

Highlighting Syracuse's blanketing of the East Coast were two freshmen distance runners in Pat Dupont and Tito Medrano. The first-year combo took part at the 2009 USA Cross Country Championship in Derwood, Md. The top six finishers of the 8K "selection event" would be given the chance to represent the United States at the 2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championship in Amman, Jordan. On March 28, Dupont and Medrano will bring a hint of Orange overseas as the two finished fifth and sixth, respectively, with times of 24:39 and 24:42. Syracuse staged its second event of the indoor season in the Syracuse Invitational, chalking up five first-place finishes, four second-place showings and nine third-place performances. In the field, the women's long jump podium was plastered with a 1-2-3 Orange finish as sophomore Uhunoma Osazuwa set a personal-best with a first-place, ECAC-qualifying just of 5.83m. Sophomore Alison Levchak finished up right behind her classmate in second with a vault of 5.34m while senior Kayla Carter rounded out the top three with a leap of 5.32m. Sophomore Kelsey Ruebor also claimed the women's pentathlon crown on Friday. At the New Balance Collegiate in Manhattan, sophomore Flings Owusu-Agyapong broke her own record in the 60-meter dash at the second-straight meet with a new standard and NCAA-Provisional mark of 7.38. The Toronto, Ontario native broke her old record of 7.42 from Penn State in the prelims by shaving one-hundredth of a second with a time of 7.41 last week. Senior hurdler Ramon Sosa returned to prime form, eclipsing his own record in the 60-meter hurdles he set at last year's NCAA Championship. Sosa's old benchmark of 7.78 was outdone on Friday night at the Armory with a second-place, NCAA-Provisional time of 7.75. Senior Skyy Simmons locked up an IC4A bid in the 500-meter with a sixth-place time of 1:03.60. Determined Junior Brad Miller and senior Kyle Heath were two of 10 privileged athletes to run with the nation's elite at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in Boston. Miller, Syracuse's indoor mile record holder (4:00.19), and Heath, the previous runner to set the mile standard, competed in the collegiate stratum of the mile run. Heath turned out an NCAA-Provisional fifth-place time of 4:02.92 while Miller came in 10th with an IC4A-eligible clip of 4:13.79.

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Last Week

February 6-7 – Syracuse Invitational (No Team Score)

February 6-7 – New Balance Collegiate (No Team Score)

February 7 – 2009 USA Cross Country Championship (No Team Score)

February 7 – Reebok Boston Indoor Games (No Team Score)

This Week

February 13 – Binghamton Triangular

2008-09 Indoor Track & Field Schedule

Women's Ice Hockey

The women's ice hockey team did not compete this weekend, but will return to the sheet in Fairfield, Conn. against Sacred Heart on Friday and Saturday. The following weekend, the Orange closes out its regular season slate at home against St. Anselm. Friday night's game will be contested at Tennity Ice Pavilion while Saturday's battle will commence downtown at the Onondaga County War Memorial.

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Last Week

No Game Scheduled

This Week

February 13 – at Sacred Heart (7 pm)

February 14 – at Sacred Heart (2 pm)

2008-09 Women's Ice Hockey Schedule

Women's Tennis

The women's tennis team did not let a little road trip get in the way of perfection as the Orange steamrolled its first two BIG EAST tests at Cincinnati and West Virginia this weekend. Against the Bearcats, In the Orange's conference opener, the SU doubles duet charged out of the gates and took it to the Bearcats by sweeping all three doubles matches to claim the first point. The No. 1 pairing of sophomore Christina Tan and newcomer Emily Harman dominated Ksenia Slynko and Valeriya Dandik with an 8-4 victory to initiate the conference opener. In solo action, Tan earned her 2009 debut at the No. 1 singles position. Tan heeded the call of duty, grinding out a 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 come-from-behind victory against Slynko. Tan is now 3-1 in singles action. Harman kept her untarnished solo record of 4-0 intact at the No. 2 singles slot with a 7-5, 6-1 triumph against Rowen. Freshman Alessondra Parra won her match at the No. 3 slot with a 3-5, 6-3, 6-3 comeback triumph. Parra is also 4-0 in solo action this season. Junior Ashley Spicer climbed up the ladder to the No. 4 rank on Friday and held true to form with a 6-2, 6-1 victory against to remain undefeated (4-0) this season. On Saturday against Mountaineers, Syracuse lost its first doubles point of the season but swept all six singles matches. Syracuse rallied around individual action as Tan won her second straight match at the No. 1 singles spot with a 6-1, 6-3 victory. Harman served up a 6-3, 6-2 win at the No. 2 spot while Parra continued to govern her side of the clay with a 6-2, 6-2 win at the No. 3. Spicer knocked off her foe at the No. 4 match by a final count of 6-2, 7-5 to keep her undefeated clip intact while sophomore Simone Kalhorn rebounded from a Friday defeat and won in convincing fashion with a 7-5, 6-3 coup at the No. 5 game. Junior Chelsea Jones went the distance in the No. 6 match against Cardenas, dropping the first game 5-7, but recuperated in the next two games, 6-2, 11-9. Sophomore Jacquelynn Tang took part in two exhibition matches and help up her end of the bargain in keeping the Orange's solo slate clean with a win against Catie Wickline, 8-4, and Blaskovicova, 8-2.

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Last Week

February 6 – at Cincinnati

February 7 – at West Virginia

Next Week

February 13 – vs. Buffalo (1 pm)

2009 Women's Tennis Schedule

Softball

The Orange softball squad dug into the batter's box for the first time this season, making the long journey for a three-game excursion against New Mexico. Syracuse came away victorious in the final two games by scores of 12-6 and 9-8 respectively. In the season opener on Friday night, SU suffered a 5-4 loss while freshmen Stephanie Watts and Gaby Torzilli hit their first collegiate homeruns. Watts put together a 2-for-4 at the dish with a triple and two RBI, while Torzilli was 1-for-3 with one RBI. Freshman Jenna Caira started her first game and last five innings for the Orange while junior Brittany Gardner came in to relieve her for the final three frames. On Saturday, SU locked up its first victory of the season come-from-behind fashion as the Orange scored nine runs in the final three innings to secure the 12-6 triumph. Watts had another strong game going 3-for-4 with two RBI and one stolen base. Other top performers on offense include freshman Kelly Saco and sophomore Hallie Gibbs. Both posted a 3-for-4 day at the plate with two RBI. Torzilli was also 3-for-4 for the Orange with a double, while senior Lindsay Wasek went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a triple. Freshman hurler Jenna Caira notched her first career win in the circle. On Sunday, Syracuse was trailing 8-4 at the top of the sixth, but the Orange rallied with five runs in the final two innings for its second win of the year, 9-8. Watts continued to shine in her weekend debut by belting her third home run in as many games. She was 2-for-4 for three runs and two RBI. Senior catcher Amy Kelley was 3-for-4 with two RBI while Gibbs was 2-for-4 with her second home run of the season. Sophomore Angie Sagnelli recorded her first win, picking up the victory in relief fashion.