Spring Break
The Daily OrangeTrack | Difficult stretch of postseason meets looms for Syracuse's top athletes
By McGhee Cost
Posted: 5/7/08, 7:58 PM EST Section: Sports
The Orange will begin its stringent new schedule with the IC4A and ECAC championships in two weeks. Events at these meets are difficult to qualify for, and recording a victory in an event there is no small feat. Veterans on the team expect to finish highly, while younger athletes will be competing mostly for experience.
For the team's upperclassmen, the real challenge comes at the NCAA regional championships May 30-31 in Tallahassee, Fla. It is at this meet athletes can qualify for the NCAA national championships. Kohn, Sosa, Drouin and Heath have all set goals to win at the national meet and attempt to become All-Americans, the highest collegiate honor in the country.
While some have achieved this distinction already - both Drouin and the currently injured Michael LeBlanc did it last year - it is still the motivating force behind all of the events the Orange competes in.
"Every year, the winning gets better and better," Kohn said. "New people come in, and it feels good to know that you're still on top."
These athletes also have an even loftier goal on their plates after their time at SU is over, after the conclusion of this year's meets. Many hope to qualify for the national teams of their respective countries and compete in the Olympic Games this summer.
"I'm running really well right now, and I'm hoping it carries over into the rest of the championship season," Heath said. "But the big goal is the Olympic trials and trying to be successful there."
Though many athletes are proceeding into bigger and more difficult meets, the majority of the team is finished for the season. They will train during the summer, but some will not compete again until the winter. They will also have to cope with the loss of such dominant competitors as Drouin and Heath.
Fox isn't worried, though. His prospects for next season are bright.
"We've made a lot of progress this year," Fox said. "Next year looks like it will be a good year for us."
mpcost@syr.edu
For the team's upperclassmen, the real challenge comes at the NCAA regional championships May 30-31 in Tallahassee, Fla. It is at this meet athletes can qualify for the NCAA national championships. Kohn, Sosa, Drouin and Heath have all set goals to win at the national meet and attempt to become All-Americans, the highest collegiate honor in the country.
While some have achieved this distinction already - both Drouin and the currently injured Michael LeBlanc did it last year - it is still the motivating force behind all of the events the Orange competes in.
"Every year, the winning gets better and better," Kohn said. "New people come in, and it feels good to know that you're still on top."
These athletes also have an even loftier goal on their plates after their time at SU is over, after the conclusion of this year's meets. Many hope to qualify for the national teams of their respective countries and compete in the Olympic Games this summer.
"I'm running really well right now, and I'm hoping it carries over into the rest of the championship season," Heath said. "But the big goal is the Olympic trials and trying to be successful there."
Though many athletes are proceeding into bigger and more difficult meets, the majority of the team is finished for the season. They will train during the summer, but some will not compete again until the winter. They will also have to cope with the loss of such dominant competitors as Drouin and Heath.
Fox isn't worried, though. His prospects for next season are bright.
"We've made a lot of progress this year," Fox said. "Next year looks like it will be a good year for us."
mpcost@syr.edu
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