Amanda Vestri, Syracuse men’s team earn NCAA cross-country invites

After the longest cross-country season so far the Syracuse Orange men’s team and women’s standout Amanda Vestri are their way to the NCAA Championships. The runners will compete in Stillwater, Oklahoma next Monday March 15th. Both races will be broadcast live on ESPNU and WatchESPN starting at 12:30 pm.

Vestri had an outstanding year, finishing 2nd at the ACC Championships in the Fall and 7th at the FSU Winter XC Classic in addition to her 5k win at the ACC Indoor Championships. As an individual qualifier Amanda will be able to focus on her race and run for All-America honors. It will be interesting to see the impact that this week’s NCAA Indoor Championships will on this meet and some of the runners who will be competing at both.

The Syracuse men didn’t have the results they have been used to this year but the team will be heading to their 12th-straight NCAA meet.

Syracuse made their at-large case on Friday when they won the FSU Winter Last Chance meet beating the Michigan Wolverines and Florida State Seminoles. The Orange showed off the pack running that has been the program staple with Joe Dragon leading the way in second place. He was followed by JP Trojan (4th), Silas Derfel (7th), Alex Comerford (8th), and Matthew Scrape (9th).

This is a good opportunity for Syracuse to build momentum heading into the 2021 outdoor and cross-country seasons. Confidence is important for distance runners and after a tough stretch a good performance in Stillwater can provide the training motivation needed.

Remember to catch all the action next Monday afternoon on ESPNU and WatchESPN starting at 12:30 pm with the women’s 6k race followed by the men’s 10k.