Tito Medrano was named a Second Team All-American last season
Photo by: Stephen Parker
Catch Up With The Men's Distance Runners
5/21/2012 12:02:31 PM | Track and Field
The Syracuse track and field team will bring a wealth of experience to the NCAA East Preliminary Round this weekend in Jacksonville, Fla., and none more so than the Orange lineup for the 10,000-meter run. Seniors Tito Medrano and Pat Dupont, owners of the team's top-two times in the event this season, will be joined by junior Robert Molke in Thursday's race.
Medrano set a personal best in the 10000-meter run this season at the Stanford Invitational, finishing with a time of 29:07.73. After taking fifth at last season's Preliminary Round, Medrano took 12th (29:25.49) in the 10,000 at last year's NCAA Championship en route to a Second Team-All-American selection.
The Lafayette, Ind. native finished in the top-five in the 10,000-meter run in each of the past three outdoor BIG EAST Championships, including back-to-back victories in 2010 and 2011 before a fifth place finish this season (33:12.16).
Dupont (Fairpont, N.Y.) has set personal best in the 10,000-meter (29:14.83), 5000-meter (14:26.45) and 3000-meter steeplechase (8:49.40) events during his senior campaign. He captured the gold in the 3000-meter steeplechase, placed third in the 5000 at the BIG EAST Outdoor Championship, and enters this weekend with the region's ninth fastest time in the 10,000-meters.
Dupont will be making his third appearance at the East Preliminaries in past four seasons, and his first in the 10,000-meter run. In 2011, he took seventh in the 3000-meter steeplechase (9:01.88), and finished 15th (9:14.52) in the same event during his freshman campaign.
Molke currently ranks 26th in the east in the 10,000-meters entering this weekend's competition with a personal best time set at the Sam Howell Invitational (29:35.72) in the opening weekend of the season. The Westwood, N.J. native finished second overall at the BIG EAST Outdoor Championship with a time of 33:07.07, and will be making his first appearance at the NCAA East Preliminary Round.
Also slated to compete for the SU distance team is junior Joseph Whelan in the 3000-meter steeplechase. Whelan's top time of the season came at the Larry Ellis Invitational in a race that saw him finish 15th overall with a time of 8:58.50. Whelan finished sixth at the conference championship, and qualified for the preliminary round for the first time in his career this season.
Martin Hehir, the team's fastest runner in the 5000-meters, rounds out the field for the Orange men's distance team. The Washingtonville, N.Y. native has the team's top time by nearly five seconds this season at 14:01.60 (Stanford Invitational), and placed fourth overall at the BIG EAST Championship (14:27.17).
The top-12 finishers in the 10,000-meter run will advance to the National Final in Des Moines, Iowa. In the 3,000-meter steeplechase, the top three finishers from each heat, plus the next three fastest times will also advance to Des Moines and the National Semifinal, while the top five finishers in each heat of the 5000-meter run, plus the next two fastest times will advance. North Florida is the host of this weekend's championship events, and will provide live stats and a webcast of all events throughout the three-day meet.
Medrano set a personal best in the 10000-meter run this season at the Stanford Invitational, finishing with a time of 29:07.73. After taking fifth at last season's Preliminary Round, Medrano took 12th (29:25.49) in the 10,000 at last year's NCAA Championship en route to a Second Team-All-American selection.
The Lafayette, Ind. native finished in the top-five in the 10,000-meter run in each of the past three outdoor BIG EAST Championships, including back-to-back victories in 2010 and 2011 before a fifth place finish this season (33:12.16).
Dupont (Fairpont, N.Y.) has set personal best in the 10,000-meter (29:14.83), 5000-meter (14:26.45) and 3000-meter steeplechase (8:49.40) events during his senior campaign. He captured the gold in the 3000-meter steeplechase, placed third in the 5000 at the BIG EAST Outdoor Championship, and enters this weekend with the region's ninth fastest time in the 10,000-meters.
Dupont will be making his third appearance at the East Preliminaries in past four seasons, and his first in the 10,000-meter run. In 2011, he took seventh in the 3000-meter steeplechase (9:01.88), and finished 15th (9:14.52) in the same event during his freshman campaign.
Molke currently ranks 26th in the east in the 10,000-meters entering this weekend's competition with a personal best time set at the Sam Howell Invitational (29:35.72) in the opening weekend of the season. The Westwood, N.J. native finished second overall at the BIG EAST Outdoor Championship with a time of 33:07.07, and will be making his first appearance at the NCAA East Preliminary Round.
Also slated to compete for the SU distance team is junior Joseph Whelan in the 3000-meter steeplechase. Whelan's top time of the season came at the Larry Ellis Invitational in a race that saw him finish 15th overall with a time of 8:58.50. Whelan finished sixth at the conference championship, and qualified for the preliminary round for the first time in his career this season.
Martin Hehir, the team's fastest runner in the 5000-meters, rounds out the field for the Orange men's distance team. The Washingtonville, N.Y. native has the team's top time by nearly five seconds this season at 14:01.60 (Stanford Invitational), and placed fourth overall at the BIG EAST Championship (14:27.17).
The top-12 finishers in the 10,000-meter run will advance to the National Final in Des Moines, Iowa. In the 3,000-meter steeplechase, the top three finishers from each heat, plus the next three fastest times will also advance to Des Moines and the National Semifinal, while the top five finishers in each heat of the 5000-meter run, plus the next two fastest times will advance. North Florida is the host of this weekend's championship events, and will provide live stats and a webcast of all events throughout the three-day meet.
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