BIG EAST Championships On The Line For SU

BIG EAST Championship Central | Men's Course Map | Women's Course Map

The Syracuse men's and women's cross country teams make their way to Louisville, Ky. on Saturday for the 2011 BIG EAST Championships. The men's 8k and women's 6k races will take place at the E.P. “Tom” Sawyer State Park, will competition beginning at 11:00 a.m.

This year's BIG EAST Championships features some of the nation's strongest teams. The women will be going into the championship on Saturday ranked ninth in the nation, and will be competing against three other top-10 teams in Villanova (fourth), Georgetown (sixth), and Providence (seventh). The men's team, which has struggled during the first half of the season, look forward to changing directions this weekend and are in search of their third straight conference title.

Since head coach Chris Fox accepted the head coach job in August of 2005, the Syracuse cross country teams have seen steady improvement in the BIG EAST Championships:

Men's and Women's Big East Team Finishes Since 2005:

Year	Men	Women
2010	1st	3rd
2009	1st	3rd
2008	5th	5th
2007	5th	4th
2006	5th	7th
2005	10th	7th

Fox's coaching has had a major impact on the teams' success since he has arrived, and the teams look to continue to raise the bar. The men will look to defend their titles this weekend, as the women look to claim their first.

SU In The Polls:
It was a repeat week in the USTFCCCA polls this week as the nation's teams head into conferences. Syracuse women remain ranked ninth in the nation and second in the northeast region. The Syracuse men remain outside the top-30 nationally and fourth in the northeast region.

The Orange This Season:
The women have had their most successful start to a season in recent history. They finished first in the Colgate Invite, third at the Paul Short Invite, and an impressive sixth at the competitive Wisconsin Invite. The women have been led by senior Lauren Penney and junior Sarah Pagano. In the most recent Wisconsin Invite, freshmen Shaylyn Tuite was Syracuse's second runner and was the fastest freshmen in the very competitive women's race that day.

The Syracuse men have had a rough start to the season. They finished first at the Colgate Invite, fifth at the Paul Short Invite, and 22nd at the Wisconsin Invite. However, the men plan for a successful championship season starting this weekend. Senior All-American, Pat Dupont, has led the Orange in every race this season. Fellow senior and All-American, Tito Medrano, has been improving all season, and will bring along the rest of the team for a successful start to the 2011 championship season.

Syracuse University Athletics

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