Syracuse cross-country: NCAA Championships preview

Tomorrow morning the Syracuse Orange cross-country squads will compete for NCAA Championships in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

Neither Syracuse squad is considered to be a title contender, but the conditions are supposed to be windy and cold which can cause some strange results. Both races can be seen live on ESPNU. The women start things off at 10:20 am with their 6k and it should be close battles in both the individual and team competitions. Savannah Roark has emerged the leader of the Orange and she’ll be looking to grab All-America honors. Can the other Syracuse runners keep in contact with her tomorrow? If so, the Orange could push for a spot in the top 15 which would cap a strong season for the women.

NC State is looking to defend their title but will face strong challenges from New Mexico, Notre Dame and host Oklahoma State.

The men’s 10k is scheduled for 11:10 and Syracuse has a chance at a top 10 finish here. The Orange might not have a top 20 individual finisher but they have a deep group who should be able to run together. If they can keep their group somewhere in the top 75, it’ll be a strong finish to a season that has gotten better at the end. This course is considered one of the toughest and the Orange strength on the hills could help them finish higher than expected.

Stanford is the favorite in the men’s race but Northern Arizona, BYU and Oklahoma State. We certainly recommend tuning in to see some very competitive racing and we’ll recap the races next week. Go Orange!