Syracuse Cross Country Punch Their Tickets to NCAA’s

Both teams will travel to Tallahassee for the NCAA Cross Country Championship next weekend

The Orange competed in Boston at the NCAA Northeast Regional Friday with both programs securing automatic qualifying spots for next week’s championship.

The men finished first as a team, scoring 51 points, 17 ahead of runner-up, Harvard. The women finished second to Harvard, scoring 81 points, just 10 behind Harvard’s 71-point win.

This was the first time the men competed in a 10k event this season. Both regional and national championships are 10k long races, rather than 8k.

Senior Aidan Tooker (30:15) led the Orange to their first-place win, crossing the line third overall. Senior Joe Dragon was right behind him, finishing sixth in 30:22.

Senior JP Trojan (30:24/8th), sophomore Matthew Scrape (30:47/13th) and freshman Alex Comerford (30:59/21st) rounded out the scoring five for ‘Cuse.

Senior Brody Smith (31:40/43rd) and sophomore Noah Beveridge (32:26/84th) were Syracuse’s other runners in the race.

On the women’s side, senior Amanda Vestri continues to dominant this season by winning the women’s 6k race in a time of 20:05, 23 seconds faster than the next finisher.

Senior Annie Boos (21:05/12th), junior Abigail Spiers (21:08/17th), junior Holly Bent (21:17/25th) and freshman Savannah Roark (21:18/26th) rounded out the top five for the Orange.

Freshman Sydney Nowicki (21:45) and sophomore Sophia Jacobs-Townsle (22:00) were Syracuse’s other runners finishing 45th and 63rd respectively.

Both Orange teams will compete one last time this season on Saturday, Nov. 20 for the NCAA Cross Country Championship in Tallahassee, FL.

This will be the men’s 26th appearance at NCAA’s, while the women will be making their ninth appearance.

Most recently, the men won the NCAA Cross Country Championship in 2015 and former Orange runner, now Olympian, Justyn Knight, won the meet in 2017.