Tito Medrano just missed qualifying for the NCAA Outdoor Championship last year. Medrano finished 13th at regionals — one spot short of the 12th-place finish he needed.

‘I was pretty upset at myself. Not at the coaches. Just upset with myself. Thinking about what I could have done here and there to become better and better prepared,’ said Medrano, a junior. ‘With that idea in my head and memory still fresh, I’ve got nothing but motivation.’

This year, one spot short is not good enough. With the loss still fresh in Medrano’s mind, he and the rest of the Syracuse distance team is looking to wrap up its season on a high note at the Big East championship this weekend. The team is hoping for a strong showing in Villanova, Pa., to set the tone for the IC4A/ECAC the following weekend.

Twenty-two long-distance runners have qualified for the Big East and 18 long-distance runners have qualified for the IC4A/ECAC. Syracuse has a solid number of athletes qualified for the tournaments, especially considering its slow start to the season.

The Orange failed to reach top form early in the season as it struggled to transition from the indoor season to the outdoor one.

Senior Steve Weeks said no one was running up to his or her potential, calling the early-season slump ‘frustrating.’ He said the rough patch could have been a product of anything from running too far to not running far enough.

But since that stretch, the team has seemed to hit its stride. For Weeks, it all comes down to rolling with the punches.

‘That’s the part of the game,’ Weeks said. ‘You’ve got to figure it out and figure out what’s wrong and how to fix it. Everybody seems to be doing a really good job of that.’

And after most of the team had last weekend off from competition, the men’s team feels refreshed and ready for this weekend. In addressing his team before practice Monday afternoon, head coach Chris Fox said Saturday’s practice was one of SU’s best this season.

‘It was important to have the week off,’ Fox said. ‘It was important to have that good practice because we haven’t been quite as happy with how we’ve been running, and I think we turned a big corner by having the week off and having that good practice.’

While the men have had an up-and-down outdoor season, the women have shown more signs of consistency.

Junior Lauren Penney said the women’s team started the season strong. Many runners have set personal records.

The women’s team wants to continue that success at Big East, which serves as a tune-up for regionals. Penney said the team carries a championship mentality into Big Easts, with a focus on running strategically and focusing on placing.

Big East is just a steppingstone to what matters the most — regionals and the chance to compete in the NCAA Outdoor Championship.

‘It really comes down to that day,’ Penney said. ‘You have to be on that day at regionals in order to place in the top 12 and make it to nationals.’

Senior Katie Hursey said the Big East is more of a team meet, but regionals is focused more on individual performance.

Fox believes a fair amount of women’s long-distance runners can reach nationals. On the men’s side, Fox said Medrano and Pat Dupont have a very real shot as well.

‘Hopefully it’s the most distance runners we’ve ever taken to nationals,’ Fox said.

As for Medrano, he’s waited all year to get back to regionals, where victory was within reach a year ago. Fox said he’s noticed Medrano’s drive to make sure he doesn’t fall short again.

‘I think he’s been motivated all year because of that,’ Fox said. ‘I know he was really frustrated last year about missing it by one spot. He certainly is a guy that if things go right will make it.

‘Making nationals is a big deal for these guys.’

dgproppe@syr.edu

Published on May 2, 2011 at 12:00 pm