Syracuse University
Florida State Relays
Orange Moves Outdoors
3/25/2009 3:24:35 PM | Track and Field
Schedule of Events:
Florida State Relays | Stanford Invitational
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – With a standout indoor season in the books, the Orange track & field team changes scenery and takes its competition to the outdoors. Syracuse can be spotted in both corners of the country as it splits up to open the outdoor season at the three-day Florida State Relays competition starting on March 26 and the Stanford Invitational starting on March 27.
Freshmen Pat Dupont and Tito Medrano qualified for at the 2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championship in Amman, Jordan on March 28 back on Feb. 7. The freshmen tandem marks two of six Americans to represent the Stars and Stripes in the Junior Men's race overseas.
2008-09 Indoor Rewind
The men's side enjoyed 15 first-place finishes, including an IC4A champion (sophomore Jarret Eaton – 55m hurdles) and two BIG EAST victors (seniors Ramon Sosa [60m hurdles] and Michael LeBlanc [60m dash] ). The Orange men also collected 19 second-place performances, including junior Jon Buice's record-setting point total of 5,399 in the heptathlon at the BIG EAST Championship, and 20 third-place showings.
The women's team found its way to the podium a good percentage of the time, as well. The Orange earned first place on 31 occasions, including two ECAC champions (sophomore Flings Owusu-Agyapong [60m dash] and junior Uhunoma Osazuwa [pentathlon]). Syracuse notched 21 second and third-place finishes, including sophomore Katie Hursey's record-breaking time in the mile of 4:48.49 for silver and Owusu-Agyapong's third-place performance in the 60-meter dash at the BIG EAST Championship.
In addition to the 127 combined top three showings over the span of 13 indoor competitions, the Orange also expunged 10 Syracuse records.
Junior Brad Miller broke the Syracuse University indoor mile record with a mark of 4:00.19 at the Boston University Terrier Invite, surpassing Kyle Heath's record of 4:01.68 from last season while Kyle Heath erased a 26-year old record, finishing the 3,000-meter race in 8:00.14 at the Alex Wilson Invite. Heath surpassed All-American Jim O'Connell's record of 8:04.80 set back in 1983. Sosa reset his own record in the 60-meter hurdles with a second-place showing at the New Balance Collegiate with an NCAA-Provisional time of 7.75, topping his mark of 7.78 he set at the NCAA Championship last year. Buice's 5,399 point performance at the BIG EAST Championship for second place is a new Orange indoor record while the distance medley relay team hit its stride at the conference championship with a time of 9:52.83. The team was comprised of senior Skyy Simmons, sophomore Steve Weeks, freshman Kris Kolewe and Heath.
Owusu-Agyapong sprinted her way into the SU annals by topping the 55 and 60-meter indoor records this season. The Toronto, Ontario native broke the 55-meter record in 7.00 second at Manley Field House on Jan. 16 and the 60-meter yardstick in 7.38 on Feb. 6. Sophomore Catherine DeSarle is the new 5,000-meter record holder after her 16:53.88 clip at the BIG EAST for 10th place. Second-year harrier Katie Hursey is the owner of the women's indoor mile record with her second-place mark of 4:48.49 at the IC4A. The women's distance medley relay accomplished the same feat as the men at the BIG EAST Championship, churning out a school record of 11:53.85. Seniors Stacie Boyle and Lauren McClenney, junior Maegan Krifchin and sophomore Liz McCarter were the four involved.
Last Time the Orange was Outside
Syracuse experienced a great deal of success in the 2008 outdoor campaign as five Orange were named to the 2008 U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Associations (USTFCCCA) Division I Outdoor Track and Field All-East Region Team. Graduate Jillian Drouin, Sosa and Heath joined seniors Jeff Scull and Bernard Bush on last year's squad.
The Orange also sent four representatives to last year's Division I Outdoor Track and Field NCAA Championships in Des Moines, Iowa. Drouin competed in the high jump and heptathlon, while Sosa made the grade for the 110-meter hurdles. Heath took part in the 3,000m steeplechase, while senior Kaity Lambracht participated in the heptathlon competition. Heath set the Syracuse school record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 8:38.03 to finish sixth, becoming SU's first distance runner All-American since Jim O'Connell in 1983. Drouin picked up 11th while Lambracht yielded 23rd in the heptathlon. Sosa garnered 14th place in the 110-meter hurdles.
Orange Who Will Open the Outdoor Season this Weekend
Florida State Relays (March 26-28)
MEN:
Decathlon – Mike Chitro, Eric Cleckner
110m-hurdles – Matthew Callanan
400-meter – Skyy Simmons
800-meter – Skyy Simmons
400-meter Relay (4 x 100) –Michael LeBlanc, Matthew Callanan, Jarret Eaton, and Victor Nwosu or Bernard Bush
Long Jump – Bernard Bush, Victor Nwosu
Triple Jump – Bernard Bush, Victor Nwosu
Shot put – Kwaku Boah
Discus – Kwaku Boah
Hammer – Kwaku Boah
WOMEN:
Heptathlon – Uhunoma Osazuwa, Kelsey Rubeor
Javelin – Lorraine Hill
100-meter – Flings Owusu-Agyapong, Lareea Chisolm, Ieva Staponkute
400-meter – Lauren McClenney
800-meter – Lauren McClenney
Long Jump – Ieva Staponkute, Melissa Romero
Triple Jump – Ieva Staponkute
High Jump – Melissa Romero
Stanford Invitational (March 27-28)
MEN:
Steeplechase – Curtis Bixler, Kyle Heath
5,000-meter – Steve Weeks, Griff Graves
WOMEN:
5,000-meter – Maegan Krifchin, Katie Hursey, Catherine DeSarle
2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championships (March 28)
Team USA 'Junior Men' Participants – Tito Medrano and Pat Dupont
