Cross Country/Track & Field Coaches - Syracuse University Athletics

Chris Fox - Head Coach
Auburn '83

Chris Fox assumed the cross country and track & field head coaching positions at Syracuse on August 30, 2005 with a vision – transformed the Orange into national contenders. In three seasons, Fox has celebrated two All–American performers in track & field and led the Orange men and women cross country teams to national prominence.

Track & Field Success
The Orange men and women’s track & field squads emerged onto the national scene in 2007 following the All-American performances by Jillian Drouin and Michael LeBlanc. Drouin became Syracuse’s first multi-event All-American after a third-place finish in the heptathlon. LeBlanc placed fourth in the 100m dash, ending a 20-year All-American drought in the event for the Orange.

With Fox at the helm, the Syracuse men and women’s track & field teams have displayed steady improvement. The Orange men finished 11th at the BIG EAST Outdoor Championship in 2006 before a fourth-place performance one year later. Additionally, the SU men fashioned a sixth-place finish at the IC4A Indoor Championship in 2007, an improvement of nine places from 2006.

The Syracuse women boasted fifth and third-place finishes at the BIG EAST Indoor and Outdoor Championships, respectively, under Fox in 2006. The Orange continued rolling, finishing sixth of 48 teams and fourth of 46 teams at the ECAC Indoor and Outdoor Championships, respectively, that same season.

A Foundation for Cross Country Prominence
The Syracuse men and women’s cross country teams enjoyed their most successful seasons under Fox in 2007. The Orange men cracked the national rankings on September 26 for the first time in program history, landing at No. 26 in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Poll. Additionally, the SU women earned votes in the USTFCCCA rankings.

Fox mentored six Orange student-athletes to Northeast All-Region honors in 2007, including junior Jeff Scull’s program-best ninth-place performance. As a result, Scull earned an individual automatic qualifying invitation to the Division I NCAA Championship. The Syracuse men and women harriers continued a climb to the top of the region’s elite, finishing third and fourth, respectively.

The Orange boasted three All-BIG EAST performers in 2007, including junior Nana Sang-Bender’s second honor in as many years. Sang-Bender powered the Syracuse women to a program-best fourth-place finish at the conference championship.

While 2007 will be remembered as a soaring year for the Orange, it was 2006 when the SU cross country programs took flight. Behind Scull’s 12th-place finish, the SU men, who received national votes for the first time in program history, improved five spots from a year prior with a fifth-place finish at the BIG EAST Championship. Sang-Bender’s all-conference effort propelled the women to a seventh-place performance.

Liz Cufari claimed All-BIG EAST accolades in 2005, the Orange’s first season with Fox. Cufari became the first Syracuse female student-athlete since Alicia Hauber in 1983 to garner all-conference distinction.

An Auburn Tiger
Before arriving at Syracuse, Fox spent four seasons as the head cross country coach and assistant track & field coach at his alma mater, Auburn.

In 2003, both the indoor and outdoor track and field teams finished second at the NCAA Championship. One year following, both a male and female cross country runner competed in the NCAA Championship, a first for the Auburn program. The men’s team also received a national ranking for the first time in over 20 years. Fox led the men’s track & field squad to a No. 11 national ranking in 2005.

At Auburn, Fox coached several student-athletes to national recognition. During his tenure, the Tigers produced two Academic All-Americans, two cross country All-Americans, 14 NCAA track and field All-Americans, two Southeast Conference (SEC) cross country individual champions, and three SEC track & field individual champions.

In 2004-05, Fox coached a 2004 Olympian and a 2005 World Championship qualifier in the men’s 800. He also served as the NCAA Regional Championship Meet Director in 2004.

Fox excelled as a student-athlete at Auburn. He holds the school record in the indoor (13:44.73) and outdoor (13:34.14) 5,000m run and is also among the top-five performers in the indoor 3,000m run and outdoor 10,000m run.

Early Coaching Success
After graduating from Auburn in 1983 with a degree in psychology, Fox served as the head cross country and distance coach at North Carolina for three seasons. He led the Tar Heels men’s cross country team to the 1985 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) title and a fifth-place performance at the NCAA Championship. For his efforts, Fox was named the ACC Coach of the Year.

From 1987 to 1994, Fox pursued a professional running career as a member of the Nike-Athletics West team. He also competed at the national and world level with Brooks Sports from 1995 to 1998. In those stints, Fox ran the mile in 3:59.10, the 5,000m in 13:21, the 10,000m in 27:53, and the marathon in 2:13.40.

Fox also spent one season at George Washington as the head coach of the cross country team in 1994-95 before competing for Brooks Sports.

Fox and his wife, Kristy, have one daughter, McKenzie.

Enoch Borozinski - Assistant Coach, Throws, Jumps, & Multi-Events
Nevada-Reno '95

Enoch Borozinski is in his fifth year as the field events coach with the SU track and field team.

In 2007, Borozinski mentored three members of the Orange to All-BIG EAST accolades at the indoor and outdoor championships, including Jillian Drouin’s first-place finish in the heptathlon. In addition, Drouin earned All-America distinction at the 2007 NCAA Outdoor Championships following a third-place finish in the heptathlon.

In his first three years, Borozinski has coached student-athletes to nine BIG EAST individual titles and set nine school records. In 2006, he helped lead one thrower, one jumper and a multi-event athlete to the NCAA Outdoor Championship in Sacramento.

Prior to arriving at Syracuse, Borozinski served as a graduate assistant at the University of Nevada-Reno from 1995 to 1997 and was a volunteer assistant at the University of Nevada Las Vegas from 1999 to 2002.

During his coaching career, Borozinski has mentored Ali McKnight, a two-time Olympic Trials competitor as well as the a two-time NCAA Division I All-American in the heptathlon. He has also coached Janel Chandler, the 1995 and 1997 Big West Conference Champion in the heptathlon.

As a competitor for the University of Nevada-Reno, Borozinski was the 1994 NCAA Division I National Champion in the decathlon and was named the 1994 Big West Conference Male Track & Field Athlete of the Year. He also earned a bronze medal in the 1993 Olympic Festival in the event. After his collegiate career, Borozinski trained with Nike for two years under the guidance of Dave Rodda.

A Scottsdale, Arizona native, Borozinski earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education from the University of Nevada-Reno in 1995. In addition, he obtained his Nevada state teacher license and taught secondary education for the Clark County school district in Las Vegas from 2001 to 2003.

Borozinski holds a USATF Level II certification in both throws and jumps.

Borozinski and his wife Olga reside in Fayetteville with their three-year old son Vance and their English Mastiff, Oxo.

Brien Bell - Assistant Coach, Recruiting Coordinator, Middle Distance/Distance
La Salle '99

Brien Bell has helped guide the Orange cross country and track & field programs through student-athlete training and serving as the recruiting coordinator.

With head coach Chris Fox, Bell mentored the Syracuse cross country teams to a national level in 2007. The Orange men ranked as high as No. 26 and the SU women received votes for the first time in program history.

Under Bell’s guidance, eleven Syracuse student-athletes have garnered All-Northeast Region honors, while five have earned All-BIG EAST laurels. Liz Cufari’s all-conference performance in 2005 was the first in the program’s history since Alicia Hauber in 1983.

Before arriving at Syracuse, Bell spent five years as the assistant men’s and women’s track and field/cross country coach at La Salle University. He assisted the head coach in the training of student-athletes, served as the head recruiting coordinator, and completed other administrative and organizational work.

While Bell was with La Salle, the Explorers garnered many accolades. In cross country, La Salle totaled seven Atlantic 10 championships, including four with the men and three with the women. Bell coached five A-10 individual champions under Bell’s guidance. The team also produced 43 all-conference performers during his tenure and the men’s team earned a national ranking in 2004.

In indoor track, Bell helped produce an A-10 champion in 2003 for the men. The Explorers also had four Most Outstanding Performers and 36 conference champions.

In outdoor track, Bell coached two A-10 Most Outstanding Performers, 26 conference champions, 11 Junior National All-Americans, and an NCAA automatic qualifier in the men’s 10k in 2005.

Bell graduated from La Salle University in 1999 with a degree in history while competing all four years for the Explorers. He also earned his master’s at La Salle in 2004 in professional communication. Bell and his wife, Toni, reside in Syracuse.

Dave Hegland - Assistant Coach, Sprints and Hurdles
South Dakota State '02

Dave Hegland is in his fourth season with the Orange and second as the sprints and hurdles mentor. Hegland served as the program’s graduate assistant for two seasons prior from 2004-06.

Hegland led a host of Orange competitors to a number of accolades in 2006-07. Michael LeBlanc became the program’s first 100m dash All-American since 1986 after a fourth-place finish at the 2007 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Leblanc also captured the crown in the 55m dash with a championship-record performance at the IC4A Indoor Championships and the 100m dash at the BIG EAST Outdoor Championships.

Under Hegland, Leblanc, Aulton Kohn, Ramon Sosa and Marcus Vaughn earned All-BIG EAST honors in the 4x100 relay at the 2007 BIG EAST Outdoor Championships. Kohn posted the top time in the 200m dash, in addition to earning all-conference honors in the 100m dash, while Sosa won the 110m hurdles event. Sosa tallied the top time in the 110m hurdles one week later at the IC4A Outdoor Championships

During the 2005-06 season, Hegland assumed more responsibilities and served as the primary sprints and hurdles coach. He helped guide Kohn to the BIG EAST Championship in the 60m dash and the IC4A Championship in the 55m dash. Kohn broke the school record in the 200m dash, won the BIG EAST Championship, IC4A Championship and earned all-conference accolades in the 100m dash with Hegland’s assistance in 2005.

Hegland holds school records in the 60m hurdles and 110m hurdles as a student-athlete at South Dakota State. He earned Division II All-America accolades twice and was also named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America District VII team.

Hegland earned his bachelor’s in mathematics from South Dakota State in 2004 and is completing his master’s in cultural foundations of education at Syracuse.

John Butler - Graduate Assistant Coach

John Butler, a 2007 secondary education graduate from La Salle University, is in his first season as a graduate assistant with the Syracuse cross country and track & field programs.

Butler arrives at Syracuse after a successful career with the Explorers. The three-time All-Atlantic 10 Conference Champion and 10-time all-conference performer holds three La Salle school records, including the men’s indoor 3k with a time of 8:02.60. Butler was twice selected Mid-Atlantic All-Region in cross country and qualified for the NCAA Provisional in the indoor 3k.

Butler, a Mechanicsburg, Pa. native, is pursuing his master’s degree in social studies education.

Maureen McCandless - Graduate Assistant Coach

Maureen McCandless, a 2005 business marketing graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, is in her first season as a graduate assistant with the Syracuse cross country and track & field programs.

McCandless begins her coaching tenure with the Orange following a standout career with the Panthers. A three-time All-American in indoor (5000m), outdoor (5000m) and cross country, she owns eight Pittsburgh school records. McCandless captured two individual BIG EAST titles in the 3000m and 5000m and three team crowns at the 2005 indoor, and 2005 and 2006 outdoor championships. The Mid-Atlantic All-Region Champion was selected Mid-Atlantic Athlete of the Year in 2004.

McCandless, a native Bensalem, Pa., earned her master’s degree in Exercise Physiology from Pittsburgh in 2006 and is currently pursuing a professional running career.