Coming to the end of its most successful season in years, the Syracuse cross country team spent much of last week looking ahead to the Big East Championships on Oct. 27. Most of the competitors had already been selected based on their performance this season.

But there were two slots still open on the women’s side. Friday’s Reif Memorial hosted by Cornell, a B-team meet, was the time to find out who deserved to fill them. Senior Amanda Hicks and freshman Stefanie Slekis earned those spots by finishing first and second, respectively, for SU, and will be running at the Big East.

‘That was one of the two reasons we ran the meet,’ SU head coach Chris Fox said. ‘There were two spots open, (Hicks and Slekis) worked hard, and they took them.’

The other reason was more about development for the future than the rest of the 2006 campaign. The cross country team is young, already relying on freshmen and sophomores for a lot of its success. Even more young players are expected to have an effect next year.

Coaches schedule B-team meets to give runners who have worked hard in practice an opportunity to prove themselves in a real competition. Team scores were not kept Friday, but Fox will use individual scores to assess other runners who may be part of the A-team next season.

‘We really wanted to give people a chance to run who don’t usually get a chance to race,’ Fox said. ‘For some young people this was the first or second time to run, and they got to see what college running is all about.’

Most of SU’s top finishers Friday will be on the team next year. Freshman Lynne Mundy finished fourth for the women at 18:34. Junior Meghan Rowcliffe was right behind her at 18:51.

On the men’s side, the Orange had four runners in the top 20, three of whom will be returning in 2007. Senior Chris McDonald led the way for SU finishing in 10th at 27:43. Sophomore Robert Cary came in 15th at 28:02, while junior Ben Torvik and senior Geoff Nelson finished 18th and 19th, respectively.

‘Every meet is important, even if it is not a big one,’ McDonald said. ‘It helps team morale in general, making everyone feel part of the team. It’s a chance for everyone to show themselves and all the hard work they’ve done throughout the year.’

But this meet was about much more than just friendly competition with two spots for the Big East available. With so much depth on the team, many runners had a legitimate chance at claiming them.

Because team scores were not recorded, the women knew going into the race they were not competing against other schools, but competing against each other.

‘We did want to beat each other, but the competition just makes everyone better,’ Slekis said. ‘It’s tough to know they are working just as hard as you are and want it just as bad, so it can be rough to be the one making it when your friend can’t go. We’re all getting better and it’s nice to know when I have a bad day someone else will step up and have a good day.’

The next three weeks will decide the fate of the team. After the Big East, the Orange has a week off before traveling to Van Cortlandt Park in Bronx, N.Y., for NCAA Regionals. The top two teams qualify for the NCAA Championships on Nov. 26 at Indiana State. SU is currently ranked fifth in the region.

Even though the Reif Memorial meet may not have any effect on the team’s future this year, running at Cornell was important for team on the rise.

‘These kids have put in a real good fall and have not been able to race much, so this event was really good for them,’ Fox said. ‘If you think this year is exciting, just wait until next year.’

Published on October 23, 2006 at 12:00 pm