Syracuse University
Penn State National
Orange Peaking For Championship Season
10/16/2010 9:02:24 PM | Cross Country
Men's Results
Women's Results
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Syracuse University cross country teams are doing just what they planned this season. The men and women are starting to turn in some of their best performances with just two week to go until the BIG EAST Championship. The men's team finished first at the Penn State National meet today, while the women finished on the heels of the nation's top team in Villanova.
Junior Tito Medrano led all SU runners across the finish line in sixth place overall with a time of 25:32. Senior Steve Weeks followed just one second later for the Orange. Rounding out Syracuse's top-10 finishers was sophomore Forrest Misenti at 25:38. The men's race featured 263 runners from 26 other institutions from Division I, II and III.
On the women's side, senior Katie Hursey finished sixth out of 291 harriers from 30 other schools from all over the east coast. Her time of 20:53 was just 27 seconds shy of Villanova's Shelia Reid, who led all competitors. Junior Natalie Busby earned a ninth-place finish with a time of 21:03.
“Our men ran their best race of the year and seem ready for some great championship season running,” said head coach Chris Fox.
"The women mixed it up with the number one team in the nation (Villanova) and now seem ready for great things."
Both teams have been ranked first in the Northeast Region since the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) preseason poll. The men are tabbed 14th in the nation and remain the highest ranked team in the BIG EAST. The women are holding onto their highest national ranking in program history at No. 7.
The Orange will have one more tune up to prepare for the BIG EAST Championship at the John Reif Memorial meet at Cornell on Friday, October 22. Syracuse will host its first BIG EAST Championship in program history on October 30 at Jamesville Beach Park. The men have their eye on repeating as champions, while the women look to improve on their program-best third-place finish in 2009.
