Get to know your Orange Runners: Emma Wilson and Aidan Tooker

We’ve come to the end of this year’s “Get to Know Your Orange Runner” series and I hope you’ve enjoyed getting to know some of the Syracuse Orange runners we’ll be talking about this year. I want to thank Margo Malone and Martin Hehir for providing us with some insight into the athletes and thanks also go out to those who took the time to read, comment, and share the profiles. So, let’s finish up with two Freshmen that we’ll be hearing a lot about in the next few years: Emma Wilson and Aidan Tooker

The Record

Name: Emma Wilson

Year: Freshman

Hometown: Romeo, Michigan

High School: Romeo

2015 Performances:

15th place at Foot Locker National Championship

9th place at Nike Cross Nationals Midwest Region

5th place at Michigan State XC Meet

3rd place in 3,200m run at Michigan State Outdoor Track Meet

Margo Malone says:

Emma comes out of high school with impressive performances. She is consistent and races with no fear. She is a great addition to the team and could be a key scorer for the Orange.

Kevin’s Preview:

Emma has started her Syracuse career on the right foot with a 2nd-place finish at Colgate followed by a 16th place finish at Penn State. Along with Davison and Altmayer, Emma is part of a talented freshmen class for the Orange women. The fact that this trio is pushing the returning runners should help the women’s team continue to improve throughout the season. Many thought this might be a rebuilding season for the Orange, but it might be more of a reload instead.

The Daily Gazette

Name: Aidan Tooker

Year: Freshman

Hometown: Saratoga Springs, NY

High School: Saratoga Springs

2015 Performances

2nd place in Class A at NY State XC Meet

1st place NY State Federation Meet

37th place at Nike Cross Nationals in 2015

Ran a 4:09 mile in 2015, 4th fastest indoor mile of all-time in NY

Martin Hehir Says:

Fresh out of high school, Aidan is one of the nation's best recruits and has been at Syracuse along with the rest of the freshman this summer to get a head start in training as well as classes. He is really excited to jump into the fold of college running and will be a good leader in the years to come.

Kevin’s Preview:

Aidan turned in a 4th place finish at the Colgate meet while running unattached along with his fellow freshmen Joe Dragon and Dom Hockenbury. It looks as though the freshmen on the men’s side will redshirt this fall as it’s a formula that has proven very successful during Coach Fox’s tenure. This allows runners like Aidan the opportunity to adjust to the training required to succeed in college. Even though he might not race again this season, Aidan’s performances in the mile in high school would suggest he’ll be able to make an impact on the track in the middle distance events this year. He’ll also be looked to as a key contributor in cross-country beginning next Fall.

If you missed any of the previous previews, you can catch up here:

Sydney Leiher and Justyn Knight

Shannon Malone and Colin Bennie

Mary Malone and Joel Hubbard

Stephanie Bitcon and Philo Germano

Paige Stoner and Adam Palamar

Madeleine Davison and Iliass Aouani

McKenzie Altmayer and Adam Visokay

Alexandra Cooper and Kevin James

Stay tuned to Nunes Magician for continued coverage of the Syracuse Orange cross-country teams.