After opening the season on Dec. 1, the Syracuse track and field team waited nearly six weeks until its next slated event- the Syracuse Welcome Back event at Manley Field House on Jan. 12.

One night before the event, Orange head coach Chris Fox received a proverbial welcome back for the next five years.

Fox agreed to a contract extension to coach both the cross country and track and field squads through 2013. The multi-year deal comes just before Fox was to kickoff his third season as head coach.

‘I’m here for as long as they’ll have me,’ Fox said. Syracuse Director of Athletics Daryl Gross ‘just talked about it about a week ago, and then he made it happen. It was his impetus.’

For Gross, the decision to lock up Fox, the previous ACC Coach of the Year at North Carolina in 1985, was a no-brainer.

Since arriving on the campus three years ago, Fox set a goal to make the Syracuse cross country teams one of the top in the nation and produce All-Americans in track and field. Fox believes the key to accomplishing the feat lies in recruiting, which is something he feels will be significantly helped by the extension.

‘Chris Fox has been extraordinary in his short time at Syracuse in bringing prestige to the cross country and track and field programs,’ Gross said in a Jan. 11 press release. ‘His leadership has brought some of the best athletes in the country to Syracuse. As the coach of six of our athletics department teams, he provides outstanding mentorship and coaching knowledge.’

The previously unheralded program is slowly starting to receive notoriety, and a steadfast improvement in both the men’s and women’s team has occurred. In Fox’s first season the women placed third in the Big East Outdoor Track and Field Championship and fifth in the conference’s indoor event. Last season the men’s team took fourth in the Big East Outdoor Championship, jumping up nine spots from its 11th-place finish in 2006.

This past season the men’s cross country team earned its first national ranking in program history, climbing as high as No. 26.

The Orange athletes have garnered individual awards as well. Last season Syracuse sent junior sprinter Michael LeBlanc and senior jumper Jillian Drouin to the NCAA Championships, where both went on to win All-American honors. Before Drouin, no member of the Syracuse track and field team ever took home such honors in a multi-event.

With the lockup of Fox’s future and with potential renovations of Manley Field House looming, the team is hoping to draw in more star recruits.

‘It certainly helps recruiting because the kids know you’re going to be here and they know the university is committed to our sport,’ Fox said. ‘It’s rather unique to get a five-year contract in track and field. I think it’s great because it gives us creditability to the best recruits in the country.’

When the news of Fox’s extension reached freshman distance runner Katie Hursey, she knew that her next four years would have stability. Hursey, also a member of the cross country team, knows how important coaching can be in a recruit’s decision.

‘Considering he’s the reason I came here, it’s very comforting,’ Hursey said. ‘I know other schools I was looking at, some of the coaches who would have recruited me weren’t even there after this year. So it’s pretty exciting and comforting.’

Regardless of Fox’s coaching knowledge, a large portion of his proficiency is derived from his experience. Fox brings to the program his own familiarity with the sport from his days as a collegiate distance runner at Auburn and later a professional runner.

Although Fox is 25 years removed from his undergraduate days, his school records in the 5,000-meter indoor and outdoor remain untouched.

Sophomore middle distance runner Maegan Krifchin has competed in multiple Big East Championship events since arriving at SU. The reason for Fox’s popularity amongst the team is that he treats them as individuals, Krifchin said.

‘We trust him,’ she said. ‘I never have any doubts in whatever he’s telling me because I know he believes that his training is the best for us. He always believes in what he can do to make you better.’

Despite what some may consider vast improvements in the program, the team has yet to reach Fox’s ultimate goal of being a top-10 team in cross country.

‘Now they think in terms of having an impact nationally, not just in the Big East,’ Fox said. ‘We think a little bit bigger than the Big East. It’s important to us, but we want to be a national level program.’

Published on January 18, 2008 at 12:00 pm