As the Syracuse track and field team entered the Binghamton Triangular, it was a time for final preparations as well as rest. Many of the team’s more experienced members were not present – resting with the Big East Championship looming next weekend – leaving an opening for younger members to fill larger rolls.

The results weren’t flattering for the Orange, as SU placed last in the team competition behind its other two competitors, Binghamton and Albany. The men’s team tallied only 60 total points compared to Binghamton’s 137 and Albany’s 132. The women’s team also finished in last with 109 points – 10 points off first place Binghamton.

In most races the Orange was not at full strength. In certain events, it didn’t even enter competitors.

‘We were going into Binghamton looking at it as a practice or a warm-up type thing for the Big East,’ senior Jillian Drouin said. ‘I already had my qualifying marks, and it was mostly just getting in more practice and a little extra work going into the Big East weekend.’

During the next month, the indoor portion of the track and field season will consist solely of championships. Members of the Orange will participate in the Big East Championships, ECAC/IC4A Championships and the NCAA Indoor Championships.

Despite the thin squad, the experienced SU athletes who did compete managed to achieve some decent results. Drouin continued to post qualifying times in the high jump as the indoor season winds down. However, it was evident the team portion of the competition took a back seat to focusing on the championships.

For graduate student Sheron Mark, qualifying results have become the status quo. In both the long jump and triple jump Mark’s tallies have made her eligible for the Big East and ECAC Championships four times.

Yet Mark has hit her peak at the perfect time following an injury. At the Triangular she posted a season-best 12.57-meters in the triple jump and 5.97-meters in the high jump.

‘I took a little time off because of the injury,’ Mark said. ‘I kind knew it was coming. But I am trying to pick it up where I left off. I feel good right now.’

With members like Mark and Drouin set for graduation, the Triangular provided newer members of the team with the opportunity to gain valuable experience, even the though the team results suffered.

Freshman Catherine DeSarle continued to impress, posting a Big East qualifying time of 5:06.45 in the mile run, to grab a first-place finish. The previous week at the Cornell Open, DeSarle also placed first in the 3,000-meter run.

‘We look for her to be an outstanding runner in the next two years,’ head coach Chris Fox said. ‘She’s kind of exceeded some expectations this indoor season. She’s run a really good mile and 3K. We like Catherine a lot, and we think as she gains experience she’s going to be a really good college runner.’

Sophomore Monica Ridgeway threw her way into the Big East championships with a 12.97-meter toss in the shot put. Ridgeway’s performance marked the first time the entire indoor season that a female qualified for the conference championships for throwing. Sophomore Maegan Krifchin grabbed first in the 800-meter run and qualified for the Big East with a time of 2:15.61.

Efforts from the inexperienced members of the team allowed the women’s team to finish only 10 points away from taking the team title, whereas the men finished way off the pace.

Still, both the players and Fox remained unconcerned with any of the weekend’s results. For Syracuse, the focus still remains squarely on the Big East Championships.

‘It wasn’t important,’ Fox said of the Triangular. ‘It was just a tune up. We took young kids and some kids that hadn’t qualified. Maybe a couple others like Sharon Mark and a few others just to get a little prep work in. That was about a third of our team that was there.’

hscrowle@syr.edu

Published on February 18, 2008 at 12:00 pm