PAST RANKINGS THIS SEASON
Preseason (9/11)
Week 1 (9/20)
Week 2 (9/28)
Week 3 (10/5)
Week 4 (10/12)-- No changes
Week 5 (10/19)
Week 6 (10/26)-- No changes
Week 7 (11/2)
Week 8 (11/9)-- No changes
Week 9 (11/16)
Week 10 (12/5)
25. Illinois Fighting Illini
24. Villanova Wildcats
23. Eastern Michigan Eagles
22. Iowa State Cyclones
21. Oklahoma State Cowboys
20. Tulsa Golden Hurricanes
19. Michigan State Spartans
18. Boise State Broncos
17. Washington State Cougars
16. Indiana Hoosiers
15. Washington Huskies
14. Eastern Kentucky Colonials
13. BYU Cougars
12. Wisconsin Badgers
11. Furman Paladins
10. Virginia Cavaliers
9. Colorado State Rams
8. Norther Arizona Lumberjacks
7. Arkansas Razorbacks
6. Colorado Buffaloes
5. Iona Gaels
1. Syracuse Orangemen
Flotrack’s #1: Stanford Cardinals
Flotrack's Ranking of Syracuse: 2nd
Coach: Chris Fox
Flotrack's Ranking of Syracuse: 2nd
Coach: Chris Fox
Notable Departures: Martin Hehir, Dan Lennon, Joe Kush
Notable Additions: Iliass Aouani (transfer via Lamar), Adam Visokay (transfer via Virginia), Dominic Hockenbury, Aidan Tooker, Adam Palamer (transfer via Tulsa)
Projected Scoring Five: Justyn Knight (JR) [ET#4], Colin Bennie [ET#10], Philo Germano (JR) [ET#30], Joel Hubbard (SR) [ET#46], Iliass Aouani (SO)
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After patiently waiting for the other 24 teams to have their moment, the Syrcause Orangemen take the top spot in our Etrain Top 25 rankings. The defending champions may have lost Martin Hehir, but some would argue that they'll be even better than last year.
The 2015 season was filled with high expectations for Syracuse. Fans around the country knew they were deep and talented, but their success seemed to always be overshadowed by how well Colorado was doing.
The first meet of the season would start at the Spiked Shoe Invite. Despite Knight and Hehir not running, we got to see a sneak peak of what the team was capable of after Colin Bennie grabbed an unexpected win. We would have to wait until Beantown to see the entire Syracuse squad. When they did finally make an appearance, the result was Syracuse dominating the field by taking spots 1, 3, 4, 7, and 10.
But the teams in those fields weren't nearly as competitive as what they would see Wisconsin. Top-tier programs from around the nation gathered and looked to take down the heavily favored Orangemen...but they couldn't. Cuse once again dominated the field with Knight, Hehir, and Bennie placing 2nd, 4th, and 6th. The breakout race from Bennie helped Syracuse secure a winning score of 101 points (2nd was BYU at 186 points).
The post-season was quickly approaching and although Syracuse was favored to win the ACC and Southeast titles, they knew they would need to improve the fifth scoring spot.
Enter Philo Germano.
Syracuse cruised through ACC's and had a pleasant surprise from Germano who placed 15th overall. It was a great performance, but I wasn't sold on the once race wonder. That doubt, however, was quickly erased once Germano put up another 15th place finish at regionals. With the rise of another scorer, many thought that Syracuse at least had SOME shot at upsetting Colorado.
The final score for the 2016 XC National championship at Tom Sawyer park read Syracuse 82, Colorado 91. For the first time in 64 years, the Syracuse Orangemen had won a national cross country title. Knight, Hehir, and Bennie all placed in the top 10, but the real breakthrough came from Germano and Hubbard who placed 39th and 47th respectively. The upset was complete.
Now, instead of being the underdog, Syracuse gets to feel what it's like to be the favorite. They return a heavy portion of their national championship team with the exception of Hehir. Still, it doesn't seem like there is really any team in the nation that can handle the overwhelming firepower that Syracuse has.
Justyn Knight has had a quick rise to being one of the best in the nation. He placed 4th at nationals last year and even got the rare honor of defeating Galen Rupp in a 5k this past spring. Knight will team up with Colin Bennie who is ready to show that he's more than just a great number two to Knight. Together, these two will make for one of the best 1-2 punches in the nation.
The third spot, although not as strong as Hehir, will probably be Philo Germano who was so incredibly clutch last fall. Germano proved his worth when it mattered and continued to do so during the winter and spring track seasons. Joel Hubbard won't be that far behind him as he will most likely be the fourth scorer on this team. He barely missed All-American last fall and there's a good chance he'll be able to get that honor this season. He is the only senior among this scoring five and despite being only the fourth scorer, his experience will be a big help for the younger guys that will make up the depth of this team.
The fifth scorer I have will most likely be the transfer Iliass Aouani (from Lamar). The former Lamar Cardinal has run in some of the biggest meets in the nation, but ran in a very uncompetitive region and conference. Although, he ran in an uncompetitive part of the south, he was 2nd at the South Central region last year and recently just earned a convincing win at Spiked Shoe by defeating Germano and Hubbard in the process. Aouani is the real deal and actually gives Syracuse a lot more security at the number five position than they had in 2015.
Of course, there are plenty of other talented individuals that could step up. Griffing Molino, TJ Hornberger, and Kevin James are all redshirt freshman ready to prove their worth after running unattached all last year. Recruits like Aidan Tooker and Dominic Hockenbury could also make appearances in a Syracuse uniform, but they will most likely be redshirted. Even Adam Visokay, a graduate transfer student from Virginia, brings an incredible amount of experience to the younger guys that make up the depth of the Orangemen.
There is no team more complete than Syracuse. The Orangemen have the best low-sticks in the nation, the best depth in the nation, the best mix of youth and experience in the nation, and the understanding of what it takes to win a national championship. There really isn't a lot to dislike about this team. They just have to be ready to carry the massive target on their backs.
After patiently waiting for the other 24 teams to have their moment, the Syrcause Orangemen take the top spot in our Etrain Top 25 rankings. The defending champions may have lost Martin Hehir, but some would argue that they'll be even better than last year.
The 2015 season was filled with high expectations for Syracuse. Fans around the country knew they were deep and talented, but their success seemed to always be overshadowed by how well Colorado was doing.
The first meet of the season would start at the Spiked Shoe Invite. Despite Knight and Hehir not running, we got to see a sneak peak of what the team was capable of after Colin Bennie grabbed an unexpected win. We would have to wait until Beantown to see the entire Syracuse squad. When they did finally make an appearance, the result was Syracuse dominating the field by taking spots 1, 3, 4, 7, and 10.
But the teams in those fields weren't nearly as competitive as what they would see Wisconsin. Top-tier programs from around the nation gathered and looked to take down the heavily favored Orangemen...but they couldn't. Cuse once again dominated the field with Knight, Hehir, and Bennie placing 2nd, 4th, and 6th. The breakout race from Bennie helped Syracuse secure a winning score of 101 points (2nd was BYU at 186 points).
The post-season was quickly approaching and although Syracuse was favored to win the ACC and Southeast titles, they knew they would need to improve the fifth scoring spot.
Enter Philo Germano.
Syracuse cruised through ACC's and had a pleasant surprise from Germano who placed 15th overall. It was a great performance, but I wasn't sold on the once race wonder. That doubt, however, was quickly erased once Germano put up another 15th place finish at regionals. With the rise of another scorer, many thought that Syracuse at least had SOME shot at upsetting Colorado.
The final score for the 2016 XC National championship at Tom Sawyer park read Syracuse 82, Colorado 91. For the first time in 64 years, the Syracuse Orangemen had won a national cross country title. Knight, Hehir, and Bennie all placed in the top 10, but the real breakthrough came from Germano and Hubbard who placed 39th and 47th respectively. The upset was complete.
Now, instead of being the underdog, Syracuse gets to feel what it's like to be the favorite. They return a heavy portion of their national championship team with the exception of Hehir. Still, it doesn't seem like there is really any team in the nation that can handle the overwhelming firepower that Syracuse has.
Justyn Knight has had a quick rise to being one of the best in the nation. He placed 4th at nationals last year and even got the rare honor of defeating Galen Rupp in a 5k this past spring. Knight will team up with Colin Bennie who is ready to show that he's more than just a great number two to Knight. Together, these two will make for one of the best 1-2 punches in the nation.
The third spot, although not as strong as Hehir, will probably be Philo Germano who was so incredibly clutch last fall. Germano proved his worth when it mattered and continued to do so during the winter and spring track seasons. Joel Hubbard won't be that far behind him as he will most likely be the fourth scorer on this team. He barely missed All-American last fall and there's a good chance he'll be able to get that honor this season. He is the only senior among this scoring five and despite being only the fourth scorer, his experience will be a big help for the younger guys that will make up the depth of this team.
The fifth scorer I have will most likely be the transfer Iliass Aouani (from Lamar). The former Lamar Cardinal has run in some of the biggest meets in the nation, but ran in a very uncompetitive region and conference. Although, he ran in an uncompetitive part of the south, he was 2nd at the South Central region last year and recently just earned a convincing win at Spiked Shoe by defeating Germano and Hubbard in the process. Aouani is the real deal and actually gives Syracuse a lot more security at the number five position than they had in 2015.
Of course, there are plenty of other talented individuals that could step up. Griffing Molino, TJ Hornberger, and Kevin James are all redshirt freshman ready to prove their worth after running unattached all last year. Recruits like Aidan Tooker and Dominic Hockenbury could also make appearances in a Syracuse uniform, but they will most likely be redshirted. Even Adam Visokay, a graduate transfer student from Virginia, brings an incredible amount of experience to the younger guys that make up the depth of the Orangemen.
There is no team more complete than Syracuse. The Orangemen have the best low-sticks in the nation, the best depth in the nation, the best mix of youth and experience in the nation, and the understanding of what it takes to win a national championship. There really isn't a lot to dislike about this team. They just have to be ready to carry the massive target on their backs.
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