Syracuse track hits trifecta of meets last weekend

The Syracuse Orange track and field teams headed out last weekend to try and solidify positions in next week’s ACC Outdoor Championships and to give athletes options in the NCAA East Regional at the end of May.

First up for Syracuse was The Penn Relays at Franklin Field in Philadelphia. The big crowds were certainly a boost for hurdler Jaheem Hayles who took 2nd in the 110 hurdles in a season-best of 13.57. Hayles now has the 2nd-fastest time in the ACC and he’s going to have a good chance of getting to the NCAA Championships if he can keep this up. In the 400m hurdles Xayvion Perkins finished 7th in 52.71 which gives him the 10th-fastest ACC time this season.

For the Orange women at Penn, Kahniya James had a season-best 11.6 in the 100m dash. Shaleah Colaire was 10th in the 400m hurdles and continues to rank in the top 10 in the ACC in both hurdles events. The 4x100m team of Kaleia Arrington, Janelle Pottinger, James and Colaire finished in 6th place at Penn.

The Syracuse distance runners went to Virginia and West Virginia to compete. While younger runners were able to get another race in a low-key environment in West Virginia, some of the top Orange runners went to Virginia seeking faster times. Annie Boos’ 10:08 in the 3000m steeplechase in Virginia gives her the 2nd-fastest ACC time in the event. Savannah Roark won the 5000m at the meet while Nathan Henderson won the men’s 1500m run.

Now the teams prepare to head to Clemson next week rested and ready to go. While Syracuse won’t contend for team titles there are individual honors on the line and several athletes are on the cusp of earning trips to the NCAA East Regional. We’ll keep you updated as these athletes push to get to Eugene for the NCAA Championships.