Spring Break
The Daily OrangeTrack | Explosive Sosa takes hurdling prowess to MSG for weekend
By McGhee Cost
Posted: 1/31/08, 11:58 PM EST Section: Sports
For Ramon Sosa, last season was the definition of a breakout year.
After finishing no higher than fourth in any meet during his sophomore year and failing to place at the Big East Championship, Sosa broke through to a new level.
As a junior, the senior sprinter and hurdler got off to a fast start and didn't look back. He started with a win in the 110-meter hurdles at the Big Red Invitational. By the end of the season, he had won the Big East in the 110-meter hurdles and placed 14th at NCAA Regional.
The success has carried over into this year, but Sosa knows he still has work to do.
"I'm happy with my performance so far this season, but I need to get a lot faster to satisfy myself," Sosa said.
This weekend, Sosa will be on the track at Madison Square Garden, competing in the prestigious Millrose Games along with teammate Aulton Kohn. Sosa will compete in the 60-meter hurdles, and Kohn will compete in the 60m dash. Michael LeBlanc qualified for the meet, but will be unable to compete due to injury.
Syracuse University sprint and hurdle coach Dave Hegland describes the Millrose Games as a fun, showcase meet in which Sosa will get to face competition akin to that he'll see in Big East and national meets.
"I'm trying to win it," Sosa said. "I'm going to go out there and see just what I can do."
The distance runners will head to New Haven, Conn. to compete in the Giegengack Invitational. The rest of the team will remain on campus to host the Syracuse Invitational today and Saturday, as 13 teams will descend on Manley Field House.
Off the track, Hegland describes Sosa as a light-hearted, absent-minded and overall goofy person. But in terms of team morale, Hegland thinks it's good for his teammates.
"He's talented, very quick and very explosive," Hegland said with a smirk. "He's also good comic relief for the team."
But when the subject switches to track, the words become more what one would expect to hear in a description of a charismatic team leader and championship-winning athlete.
After finishing no higher than fourth in any meet during his sophomore year and failing to place at the Big East Championship, Sosa broke through to a new level.
As a junior, the senior sprinter and hurdler got off to a fast start and didn't look back. He started with a win in the 110-meter hurdles at the Big Red Invitational. By the end of the season, he had won the Big East in the 110-meter hurdles and placed 14th at NCAA Regional.
The success has carried over into this year, but Sosa knows he still has work to do.
"I'm happy with my performance so far this season, but I need to get a lot faster to satisfy myself," Sosa said.
This weekend, Sosa will be on the track at Madison Square Garden, competing in the prestigious Millrose Games along with teammate Aulton Kohn. Sosa will compete in the 60-meter hurdles, and Kohn will compete in the 60m dash. Michael LeBlanc qualified for the meet, but will be unable to compete due to injury.
Syracuse University sprint and hurdle coach Dave Hegland describes the Millrose Games as a fun, showcase meet in which Sosa will get to face competition akin to that he'll see in Big East and national meets.
"I'm trying to win it," Sosa said. "I'm going to go out there and see just what I can do."
The distance runners will head to New Haven, Conn. to compete in the Giegengack Invitational. The rest of the team will remain on campus to host the Syracuse Invitational today and Saturday, as 13 teams will descend on Manley Field House.
Off the track, Hegland describes Sosa as a light-hearted, absent-minded and overall goofy person. But in terms of team morale, Hegland thinks it's good for his teammates.
"He's talented, very quick and very explosive," Hegland said with a smirk. "He's also good comic relief for the team."
But when the subject switches to track, the words become more what one would expect to hear in a description of a charismatic team leader and championship-winning athlete.
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