'Cuse Welcomes Newcomers to XC/Track Programs
8/14/2019 10:06:00 AM | Cross Country
The Syracuse cross country and track programs welcome 12 newcomers for the 2019-20 seasons.
Entering his second season at the helm of the program, Head Coach Brien Bell's incoming class features standout freshmen from four states and Canada as well as a talented haul of transfers – including an All-American, an NCAA Division III Champion and an NJAC Champion.
MEET THE NEWCOMERS
Women
Phoebe Aguiar / Gr. / Mid-Distance / Prarie Village, Kan. / Shawnee Mission East / Macalester College
Aguiar, an NCAA Champion, comes to Syracuse as a graduate student, enrolled in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. She spent the past four years at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she was the 2019 national champion in the 800-meters. In addition, she earned three All-American awards in the event (2018 outdoors, 2019 indoors and outdoors). Her personal best times are 56.21 in the 400, 1:31.68 in the 800, and 2:07.22 in the 800.
Shaleah Colaire / Fr. / Sprints/Hurdles / Pickering, Ontario / St. Mary's Catholic
Colaire is a 2019 graduate of St. Mary's Catholic in Pickering, Ontario. She enters Syracuse on the heels of a breakthrough senior season which saw her win the 100-meter hurdles (30") at the OFSAA Provincial Championships in a personal-best time of 13.52 seconds. Colaire is also a talented long sprinter and hurdler, with personal bests of 56.15 (400m) and 1:00.60 (400m hurdles). She is expected to make an immediate contribution in the sprints, hurdlers, and relays for the Orange.Â
Aja Davis / Fr. / Sprints / Ardmore, Pa. / Lower Merion High School
A high school All-American from Ardmore, Pennsylvania, Davis is a 2019 graduate of Lower Merion High School. Her résumé boasts a sixth place finish in the 60-meters at the 2019 New Balance National Indoor meet in a personal best of 7.44 seconds. Prior to her breakthrough on the national scene, Davis was the third-place finisher at the 2019 PTFCA Indoor State Championships. Davis joins the Orange with personal bests of 6.91 (55m) and 12.02 (100m), and looks to bolster a sprint squad that broke the SU 4x100-meter relay school record at the both the ACC and NCAA Preliminary meets.
Justus Holden-Betts / Fr. / Distance / Baldwinsville, N.Y. / C.W. Baker High School
One of the top area runners for the past four years, Holden-Betts comes to Syracuse as the school record holder in eight different events at C.W. Baker High School. Specializing in the steeplechase during the spring, she placed 11th as a senior in the 2000m steeplechase at outdoor nationals her senior year. Her best finish in the fall came in 2017, where she placed 15th in the New York (NYSPHSAA) Cross Country Championships. A versatile athlete, she also placed at the state outdoor track and field meet in the 400-meter hurdles as a senior. Holden-Betts holds PRs of 1:04.74 in the 400 hurdles, 7:05 in the 2000 m steeplechase, 4:53 in the 1500 and 10:30 in the 3000.
Jordan Jacob / Gr. / Distance / Bismark, N.D./Century High School/Boise State
Jacob comes to Syracuse as a graduate student in the School of Education where she's pursuing a Master's Degree in Exercise Science. Jacob's experience should make an immediate impact on the Orange. A 2019 graduate of Boise State University, she finished up her career as a Bronco at the 2019 Mountain West Outdoor Track and Field Championships with a fifth place finish in the 10,000-meters and eighth place in the 5,000-meters. Jacob's best cross country finish came in 2018 at the Mountain West Championships where she helped Boise State to take second as a team with her 32nd place finish.  She holds PRs of 9:38 in the 3000 m, 16:28 in the 5000, and 34:36 in the 10,000.Â
Emily Nugent / Fr. / Distance / Asbury, N.J. / North Hunterdon High School
Nugent graduated from North Hunterdon HS in 2019 as one of the top ranked distance runners in New Jersey. In her senior year, she placed ninth at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions and third at the Group Championships, helping lead her team to championships in both events. She went on to place third at the Nike Cross Nationals Northeast Regional, qualifying her to the national championships where she placed 46th in a PR of 18:02. Emily's junior year on the track saw her run to PR's of 5:03 in the 1600 and 10:39 in the 3200, the latter performance earning her second place at the New Jersey Meet of Champions.Â
Dennisha Page / Fr. / Sprints / Camden, N.J. / Woodrow Wilson High School
One of the best all-around sprinters in New Jersey history, Page comes to Syracuse after an historic 2019 season. The multi-talented athlete from Woodrow Wilson High School ran to personal bests of 11.63 (100m), 23.66 (200m), and 54.41 (400m), in addition to covering 18'3" in the long jump. After finishing second in the 100-meter dash and third in the 200-meters as a junior at the 2018 NJSIAA Meet of Champions, Page came back to win both of those distances at the 2019 meet in addition to finishing third in the 400-meters. Page was also a triple winner at the New Jersey Group 3 Championships, winning all-three sprint events (100m, 200m, 400m). Her exploits led to Page being named the NJ.com Track Athlete of the Year.Â
Amanda Vestri / Jr. / Distance / Webster, N.Y. / Webster Thomas / Iowa State
Vestri comes to Syracuse as one of the top distance runners in the nation after competing for Iowa State University for her first two years as a collegian. An All-American, Team USA competitor and several times an All-Big 12 performer on the track and in cross country, Vestri qualified for the NCAA finals in the 10,000-meter run, where she placed 14th, earning her first All-America honors. A two-time NCAA qualifier in cross country, Vestri finished 160th and 90th in 2017 and 2018, respectively. She earned All-Midwest Regional Awards during both cross country seasons as well. Boasting impressive PRs of 9:26 in the 3000, 15:55 in the 5000, and 32:39 in the 10,000, Amanda comes to Syracuse primed to continue her ascent up the collegiate ranks and help guide the Orange back to the NCAA Cross Country Championships.
Men
Alex Comerford / Fr. / Distance / Otsego, Mich. / Otsego High School
Comerford is a 2019 graduate of Otsego High School in Otsego, Mich. He captured a pair of state championships in 2018 in the 3200 and the Michigan Division 2 Cross Country Championships. In addition to being one of the top runners in the state of Michigan for the past two years, Comerford also competed well on the national level, garnering an eighth place finish in the New Balance Indoor Nationals 5K his senior year. He comes to The Orange hoping to make an immediate impact on the program, holding PRs of 4:13 in the 1600, 9:00 in the 3200 and 14:55 for the 5K in cross country.Â
Tyler Garland / Jr. / Hurdles / Glassboro, N.J. / Deptford Township / Rowan University
Garland transfers to Orange after a successful stint at Rowan University. A Glassboro, N.J. native, Garland was the third-place finisher at the 2019 NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships. He holds personal bests of 14.28 (110 hurdles) and 54.09 (400m hurdles). He looks to compete on the ACC level after finishing as the 2019 NJAC champion in the 110m hurdles and NJAC runner-up in the 60-meter hurdles during the indoor season.Â
Kevin Robertson / Fr. / Distance / Ottawa, Ont. / Bell
Continuing the tradition of outstanding Canadian distance runners hoping to make their mark in the Syracuse cross country program, Robertson comes to 'Cuse from Bell High School in Ottawa, Ontario. Robertson emerged as one of the top U20 runners in Canada late in his senior year at the OFSAA Championships, with a victory in the 2000 meter steeplechase and a fourth-place finish in the 3000-meters. In his first attempt at the 3000-meter steeplechase, Robertson became the Canadian U20 National Champion with a winning mark of 9:13. Kevin's personal best times are 3:55 in the 1500, 8:36 in the 3000, and 5:47 in the 2000 m steeplechase.
Naseem Smith / Fr. / Hurdles / Deptford, N.J. / Deptford High School
Smith is a 2019 graduate of Deptford High School. He comes to Syracuse with a personal best of 13.95 seconds in the 110m hurdles, and looks to continue the strong Orange tradition of success in that event. Smith was the third-place finisher at the 2019 NJSIAA State Meet of Champions after winning his first state title at the NJSIAA Group meet. He also had a breakthrough season during the 2019 indoor campaign, racing to a fourth-place finish in the Emerging Elite Section of the New Balance National Indoor meet.Â
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Entering his second season at the helm of the program, Head Coach Brien Bell's incoming class features standout freshmen from four states and Canada as well as a talented haul of transfers – including an All-American, an NCAA Division III Champion and an NJAC Champion.
MEET THE NEWCOMERS
Women
Phoebe Aguiar / Gr. / Mid-Distance / Prarie Village, Kan. / Shawnee Mission East / Macalester College
Aguiar, an NCAA Champion, comes to Syracuse as a graduate student, enrolled in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. She spent the past four years at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she was the 2019 national champion in the 800-meters. In addition, she earned three All-American awards in the event (2018 outdoors, 2019 indoors and outdoors). Her personal best times are 56.21 in the 400, 1:31.68 in the 800, and 2:07.22 in the 800.
Shaleah Colaire / Fr. / Sprints/Hurdles / Pickering, Ontario / St. Mary's Catholic
Colaire is a 2019 graduate of St. Mary's Catholic in Pickering, Ontario. She enters Syracuse on the heels of a breakthrough senior season which saw her win the 100-meter hurdles (30") at the OFSAA Provincial Championships in a personal-best time of 13.52 seconds. Colaire is also a talented long sprinter and hurdler, with personal bests of 56.15 (400m) and 1:00.60 (400m hurdles). She is expected to make an immediate contribution in the sprints, hurdlers, and relays for the Orange.Â
Aja Davis / Fr. / Sprints / Ardmore, Pa. / Lower Merion High School
A high school All-American from Ardmore, Pennsylvania, Davis is a 2019 graduate of Lower Merion High School. Her résumé boasts a sixth place finish in the 60-meters at the 2019 New Balance National Indoor meet in a personal best of 7.44 seconds. Prior to her breakthrough on the national scene, Davis was the third-place finisher at the 2019 PTFCA Indoor State Championships. Davis joins the Orange with personal bests of 6.91 (55m) and 12.02 (100m), and looks to bolster a sprint squad that broke the SU 4x100-meter relay school record at the both the ACC and NCAA Preliminary meets.
Justus Holden-Betts / Fr. / Distance / Baldwinsville, N.Y. / C.W. Baker High School
One of the top area runners for the past four years, Holden-Betts comes to Syracuse as the school record holder in eight different events at C.W. Baker High School. Specializing in the steeplechase during the spring, she placed 11th as a senior in the 2000m steeplechase at outdoor nationals her senior year. Her best finish in the fall came in 2017, where she placed 15th in the New York (NYSPHSAA) Cross Country Championships. A versatile athlete, she also placed at the state outdoor track and field meet in the 400-meter hurdles as a senior. Holden-Betts holds PRs of 1:04.74 in the 400 hurdles, 7:05 in the 2000 m steeplechase, 4:53 in the 1500 and 10:30 in the 3000.
Jordan Jacob / Gr. / Distance / Bismark, N.D./Century High School/Boise State
Jacob comes to Syracuse as a graduate student in the School of Education where she's pursuing a Master's Degree in Exercise Science. Jacob's experience should make an immediate impact on the Orange. A 2019 graduate of Boise State University, she finished up her career as a Bronco at the 2019 Mountain West Outdoor Track and Field Championships with a fifth place finish in the 10,000-meters and eighth place in the 5,000-meters. Jacob's best cross country finish came in 2018 at the Mountain West Championships where she helped Boise State to take second as a team with her 32nd place finish.  She holds PRs of 9:38 in the 3000 m, 16:28 in the 5000, and 34:36 in the 10,000.Â
Emily Nugent / Fr. / Distance / Asbury, N.J. / North Hunterdon High School
Nugent graduated from North Hunterdon HS in 2019 as one of the top ranked distance runners in New Jersey. In her senior year, she placed ninth at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions and third at the Group Championships, helping lead her team to championships in both events. She went on to place third at the Nike Cross Nationals Northeast Regional, qualifying her to the national championships where she placed 46th in a PR of 18:02. Emily's junior year on the track saw her run to PR's of 5:03 in the 1600 and 10:39 in the 3200, the latter performance earning her second place at the New Jersey Meet of Champions.Â
Dennisha Page / Fr. / Sprints / Camden, N.J. / Woodrow Wilson High School
One of the best all-around sprinters in New Jersey history, Page comes to Syracuse after an historic 2019 season. The multi-talented athlete from Woodrow Wilson High School ran to personal bests of 11.63 (100m), 23.66 (200m), and 54.41 (400m), in addition to covering 18'3" in the long jump. After finishing second in the 100-meter dash and third in the 200-meters as a junior at the 2018 NJSIAA Meet of Champions, Page came back to win both of those distances at the 2019 meet in addition to finishing third in the 400-meters. Page was also a triple winner at the New Jersey Group 3 Championships, winning all-three sprint events (100m, 200m, 400m). Her exploits led to Page being named the NJ.com Track Athlete of the Year.Â
Amanda Vestri / Jr. / Distance / Webster, N.Y. / Webster Thomas / Iowa State
Vestri comes to Syracuse as one of the top distance runners in the nation after competing for Iowa State University for her first two years as a collegian. An All-American, Team USA competitor and several times an All-Big 12 performer on the track and in cross country, Vestri qualified for the NCAA finals in the 10,000-meter run, where she placed 14th, earning her first All-America honors. A two-time NCAA qualifier in cross country, Vestri finished 160th and 90th in 2017 and 2018, respectively. She earned All-Midwest Regional Awards during both cross country seasons as well. Boasting impressive PRs of 9:26 in the 3000, 15:55 in the 5000, and 32:39 in the 10,000, Amanda comes to Syracuse primed to continue her ascent up the collegiate ranks and help guide the Orange back to the NCAA Cross Country Championships.
Men
Alex Comerford / Fr. / Distance / Otsego, Mich. / Otsego High School
Comerford is a 2019 graduate of Otsego High School in Otsego, Mich. He captured a pair of state championships in 2018 in the 3200 and the Michigan Division 2 Cross Country Championships. In addition to being one of the top runners in the state of Michigan for the past two years, Comerford also competed well on the national level, garnering an eighth place finish in the New Balance Indoor Nationals 5K his senior year. He comes to The Orange hoping to make an immediate impact on the program, holding PRs of 4:13 in the 1600, 9:00 in the 3200 and 14:55 for the 5K in cross country.Â
Tyler Garland / Jr. / Hurdles / Glassboro, N.J. / Deptford Township / Rowan University
Garland transfers to Orange after a successful stint at Rowan University. A Glassboro, N.J. native, Garland was the third-place finisher at the 2019 NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships. He holds personal bests of 14.28 (110 hurdles) and 54.09 (400m hurdles). He looks to compete on the ACC level after finishing as the 2019 NJAC champion in the 110m hurdles and NJAC runner-up in the 60-meter hurdles during the indoor season.Â
Kevin Robertson / Fr. / Distance / Ottawa, Ont. / Bell
Continuing the tradition of outstanding Canadian distance runners hoping to make their mark in the Syracuse cross country program, Robertson comes to 'Cuse from Bell High School in Ottawa, Ontario. Robertson emerged as one of the top U20 runners in Canada late in his senior year at the OFSAA Championships, with a victory in the 2000 meter steeplechase and a fourth-place finish in the 3000-meters. In his first attempt at the 3000-meter steeplechase, Robertson became the Canadian U20 National Champion with a winning mark of 9:13. Kevin's personal best times are 3:55 in the 1500, 8:36 in the 3000, and 5:47 in the 2000 m steeplechase.
Naseem Smith / Fr. / Hurdles / Deptford, N.J. / Deptford High School
Smith is a 2019 graduate of Deptford High School. He comes to Syracuse with a personal best of 13.95 seconds in the 110m hurdles, and looks to continue the strong Orange tradition of success in that event. Smith was the third-place finisher at the 2019 NJSIAA State Meet of Champions after winning his first state title at the NJSIAA Group meet. He also had a breakthrough season during the 2019 indoor campaign, racing to a fourth-place finish in the Emerging Elite Section of the New Balance National Indoor meet.Â
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Players Mentioned
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