Syracuse... Dude...

back to the drawing board

One rep too many on that goddang hill.

Yeah i don't understand the whole thing about BYU choking. Ranked #2 going in, finished 3rd. That doesn't seem all that unimpressive.

Syracuse, geez. Ranked 3rd finished 13th and without Knight they would have been worse than 25th.

With Knight graduating, dare I say that Syracuse's short time as an elite program is about to vanish? Not saying they'll stop qualifying for NCAAs but it seems like over the long run they're more of a 15th in the country kind of program and not a perennial top 5.

NCAA finishes since 2009:

2009: 14

2010: 14

2011: 14

2012: 15

2013: 10

2014: 5

2015: 1

2016: 3

2017: 13

Don't worry. In 2020 their comeback will be solid when they recruit me.

Bring the doubts. It’s just motivation to them. They’ll be back.

Could also be that the implict emphasis this year was for JK to get the W, rather than team placing. Esp as JK was peaked in August and probably on a shortened training cycle?

Guessing.

An individual win raises the profile of the program as much if not more than a top 5 finish.

Went for it wrote:

Bring the doubts. It’s just motivation to them. They’ll be back.

What good is this "Haters are gonna hate..." comment? Are you saying they didn't choke? Are you saying they wouldn't be motivated to do better if some message board didn't bring attention to it?

Not a good day at all. With Germano and Bennie done also looks like it is time to rebuild. It will be interesting to see if Fox stays with recruiting in the Northeast or starts recruiting foreigners.

Fox & SU got really lucky with some of the ways their non-"studs" out of HS (Germano, Bennie, Hehir, etc.) developed and how fantastic Knight has performed at NCAAs since his freshman year. During this time, they've also had quite a few studs fizzle or minimally contribute.

Without a low stick like Knight, I do think they will struggle to be a top-10 team consistently, but should have little problem continuing to qualify for nationals with all of the resources ($$$) they put into recruiting 9:00-9:10 north-easterners.

On the plus side, Knight's graduation does likely free up a full scholarship, so Fox will be able to go out and try to get that replacement low stick. Knight was certainly a pick up who didn't commit until February of his senior year of HS, so there's a chance Fox will be able to fill the stable again.

They did blow it this year and may be done being a national contender for a few years, but they did accomplish what 99% of teams can't and will never be able to do. Win the team NCAA championship and the individual championship. Albeit not in the same year but in the same recruiting cycle.

I'm sure they have a slew of young talented runners itching to get their moment. And with all that scholarship money Syracuse will find another knight or martin hehir and they'll be back.

money talks wrote:

They did blow it this year and may be done being a national contender for a few years, but they did accomplish what 99% of teams can't and will never be able to do. Win the team NCAA championship and the individual championship. Albeit not in the same year but in the same recruiting cycle.

I'm sure they have a slew of young talented runners itching to get their moment. And with all that scholarship money Syracuse will find another knight or martin hehir and they'll be back.

Agreed. Those freshmen and sophomores having been learning from Knight, Bennie, and Germano for the past 1-3 years (when you factor in redshirt seasons). Give it another two years and this team is back in the national title conversation.

THINK EASIER, THINK PROGRESSIVE wrote:

money talks wrote:

They did blow it this year and may be done being a national contender for a few years, but they did accomplish what 99% of teams can't and will never be able to do. Win the team NCAA championship and the individual championship. Albeit not in the same year but in the same recruiting cycle.

I'm sure they have a slew of young talented runners itching to get their moment. And with all that scholarship money Syracuse will find another knight or martin hehir and they'll be back.

Agreed. Those freshmen and sophomores having been learning from Knight, Bennie, and Germano for the past 1-3 years (when you factor in redshirt seasons). Give it another two years and this team is back in the national title conversation.

That's one problem that was revealed in all the behind the scenes stuff.

The coaches don't do much to teach kids how to be great. They set a standard and expect kids to adapt to it. They got lucky that Hehir led the way in actually teaching and showing the runners what to do, because the coaches weren't doing it. That mich is said in the letsrun article and flotrack videos.

The coaches got them to 15th-10th. Unique individuals got them 1st and 3rd. Unless the coaches reshape their approach, they will continue to get 15th-10th

Don't worry. Cuse will be in title contention for the next 5 years and beyond. Money is freed up and they are getting 5 studs. They have a ton of talent returning from this years squad and red shirts. They had an off day at nationals but don't sleep on the boys in orange.

FWIW, I do think that Tooker made a big jump this year, but definitely trailed off at regionals and, of course, NCAAs. If all goes well, he'll be stronger and even better next year (hopefully for the whole season), and I could definitely see him pulling off a 12-25 place finish. It's not the 1-4 of Knight, but still encouraging.

Thank god! I was worried about their programs future for a moment there. Glad to know an 18 minute guy will be there to save the program!

Where were SU's standout freshman recruits? Red-shirted?

Great fans though. They were all over.

Some of their girls were nearly last place, and those dudes in speed suits were going all out cheering for them.

Went for it wrote:

Bring the doubts. It’s just motivation to them. They’ll be back.

13th place in and of itself should be the motivation. Give me a break.

FelonDJT wrote:

An individual win raises the profile of the program as much if not more than a top 5 finish.

This could make for an interesting analysis. Which is better for the following years, individual podium or team podium? Pat Tiernan won last year and Villanova failed to field a full team this year so my data point of 1 doesn't look good. Then again it's only been one year, and maybe Villanova will win next year or two years from now.