SU's On-Field Performance Makes History
6/29/2009 2:38:39 PM | Men's Lacrosse
The Syracuse Athletics program had its best year in history with a school-record 330.0 points in the 2008-09 National Association of Collegiate Director's of Athletics (NACDA) Learfield Director's Cup. Six Orange teams scored points for advancing to post-season competition, including the men's lacrosse National Championship, field hockey in the Final Four, men's basketball in the Sweet 16, women's lacrosse in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals, women's cross country in the NCAA Championship, and men's track and field All-American distance runner Kyle Heath in the NCAA outdoor championship.
The Orange is 63rd out of 271 universities in the final standings.
“This accomplishment is historic,” said Director of Athletics Dr. Daryl Gross. “Our vision is to provide our student-athletes with a championship experience. The performance this year shows that vision coming to fruition. We are so proud of the accomplishments of our coaches and student-athletes. The program continues to improve significantly each year. In addition, we have so many teams that did not score that are on the cusp of making a national impact. The future of SU athletics is bright as we strive to consistently be one of the top 25 programs in the country."
The National Championship is the second in a row for head coach John Desko and the lacrosse team, and Syracuse's first back-to-back championships since 1990. The Orange tied the school record for wins for the second straight season with a 16-2 record. With the 2009 title, Syracuse became the first program to win back-to-back national titles since Princeton in the 1990's.
Head coach Ange Bradley's field hockey squad earned SU's first-ever No. 1 ranking and the first NCAA Championship semifinal appearance in school history. On Oct. 14, it was announced that for the first time in program history, the SU field hockey program was ranked No. 1 in the nation and became the first women's team at Syracuse to ever reach No. 1 in a national poll. In addition, the Orange was crowned the BIG EAST Champions after defeating Connecticut in the title game on Nov. 9. Syracuse finished the 2008 season with a 22-2 overall record, a 5-1 BIG EAST mark and ranked No. 3 in the STX/NFHCA Division I Coaches Poll.
The men's basketball team advanced to the Sweet 16 for the 18th time in 32 NCAA Tournament appearances. The season was highlighted by the six-overtime win against Connecticut at the BIG EAST Tournament, a contest which is a finalist for the 2009 ESPY Award in the “Best Game” category.
Head coach Gary Gait and the women's lacrosse team advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament for the third year in a row and finished with a 14-5 record. The 14 victories are the second-highest single-season win total in school history.
The women's cross country team, under the direction of head coach Chris Fox, competed at the NCAA Championship for the first time in school history. The Orange garnered its highest ranking in program history in 2008 and finished the season ranked No. 25.
Heath earned All-America honors in the steeplechase, and his result allowed Syracuse to break the school's all-time points record in the NACDA Director's Cup standings. With his performance at the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Championship, he also earned the Men's Northeast Division Track Athlete of the Year Award. It is the second consecutive All-America honor for Heath, who became Syracuse's first male two-time track All-American since 1990-1991.
