Orange Spotlight: March 16, 2009
3/16/2009 10:05:19 AM | Softball, Tennis, Track and Field
Syracuse spawned a national media frenzy this past week with the 'Broadway Show' the #18/20 Orange men's basketball team put on in its historic six-overtime victory, 127-117, against Connecticut in the quarterfinal round of the BIG EAST Tournament. The Orange prevailed against West Virginia, 74-69, in the semifinal round at Madison Square Garden but was eventually stopped short by a strong Louisville squad, 76-66, in the championship showdown. SU's BIG EAST championship appearance was the Orange's conference-best 14th time in the title game. Sophomore guard Jonny Flynn showed the world his resiliency by battling through one of the most epic college basketball games in history with his 67-minute performance was awarded with the David R. Gavitt Trophy as the tournament's most outstanding player. The "extra" effort put up by Syracuse in the conference tournament propelled the squad into a three seed in the NCAA Tournament. Syracuse will begin its national championship quest on Friday, March 20, at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Fla. For information regarding tickets, click here. The Orange is up against 14th-seeded Stephen F. Austin (24-7), the winners of the Southland Conference Championship. The winner will face either Arizona State (24-9) or Temple (22-11) in second-round play on Sunday in Miami. The second-ranked men's and sixth-ranked women's lacrosse teams continued their strong starts with a pair of victories by defeating No. 6 Johns Hopkins and Connecticut, 14-11 and 13-8, respectively. The track & field team sent 60-meter hurdlers in senior Ramon Sosa and sophomore Jarret Eaton to the 2009 Division I NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championship in College Station, Texas this weekend, but neither individual qualified for the finals. SU tennis took in some rays on its spring break trip in Florida, but the Orange lost both of its matches against No. 52 Florida International and conference foe South Florida, 7-0 and 6-1, respectively. The softball team had its three-day, Winthrop/Adidas Invitational wiped out due to rain.
Track & Field
Two Orange sprinters, senior Ramon Sosa and sophomore transfer Jarret Eaton competed with 566 other Division I track & field athletes at the 2009 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championship hosted by Texas A & M.
Sosa and Eaton were 2-of-14 members who took part in the 60-meter hurdles preliminary race, but the Orange pair did not qualify for Saturday's final as Eaton was clocked at 7.92 and Sosa did not finish the race.
SU has next week off before preparing for the 2009 outdoor season. Syracuse will paint all corners of the country Orange in its first weekend outside when head coach Chris Fox splits up his squad to compete at the Florida State Relays in Tallahassee, Fla., the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif. and the Army Dick Shea Invitational in West Point, N.Y. from March 26-28.
Click here for more on Track & Field
Last Week
March 14 & 15 – NCAA Indoor Championship (No Team Score)
This Week
No Competition Scheduled – Outdoor Season Starts in Two Weeks
2008-09 Indoor Track & Field Schedule
Women's Tennis
Syracuse faced its first nationally-ranked conference opponent of the season when the Orange stormed Miami for a bout with No. 52 Florida International on Thursday. Despite getting swept, 7-0, the No. 1 doubles pairing of freshman Emily Harman and sophomore Christina Tan claimed Syracuse's lone victory of the day, 6-4, 7-5 against Mariana Muci and Maria Pazo, 8-4.
SU's top combo extended their doubles record to a team best, 11-2, in the team's match at South Florida on Sunday. The Orange lost, 6-1, but Harman and Tan ousted their opponent at the top spot in doubles play once again. Junior Chelsea Jones secured her team-best ninth singles victory of the season with a 3-6, 6-4, 10-8 win against Ashley Schumaker in the No. 6 match for SU's only point on Sunday.
The Orange returns home to the Drumlins Tennis Center to play its second-of-eight BIG EAST matches when it hosts Connecticut on Friday, March 20 at 11:00 a.m. Syracuse closes out its 2009 home schedule against Providence on Sunday, March 22 at 9:00 a.m.
Click here for more on women's tennis
Last Week
March 12 – at No. 52 Florida International – L, 7-0
March 15 – at South Florida – L, 6-1
Next Week
March 20 – vs. Connecticut (11 a.m.)
March 22 – vs. Providence (9 a.m.)
2009 Women's Tennis Schedule
Softball
All three days of play at the Winthrop/Adidas Invitational were cancelled due to weather.
After rain most of Friday, the field conditions at the Winthrop Softball Complex were ruled unplayable and the decision was made to cancel all games for Friday and Saturday. The teams woke to more poor weather on Sunday morning and after examining the fields, the remaining games were called off.
The Orange will be back in action at Seton Hall on Saturday, March 21. The noon doubleheader with the Pirates is the BIG EAST Conference opener for SU. Syracuse (10-8) is 5-3 in conference openers and 1-0 in conference openers against Seton Hall after having secured a 14-4 victory in 2006.
Click here for more on softball
Last Week
March 13 – vs. North Florida (Adidas Invitational at Winthrop University) - (Cancelled)
March 13 – vs. Winthrop Florida (Adidas Invitational at Winthrop University) – (Cancelled)
March 14 – vs. Illinois Florida (Adidas Invitational Tournament at Winthrop University) – (Cancelled)
March 15 – vs. UNCW Florida (Adidas Invitational at Winthrop University) – (Cancelled)
Next Week
March 21 – at Seton Hall (DH) (Noon)
March 24 – at Buffalo (DH) (3:00 p.m.)
March 27 – vs. Pittsburgh (DH) (2:00 p.m.)
March 29 – at Connecticut (DH) (Noon)
2009 Softball Schedule
