When the cross-country season began the Syracuse Orange were ranked 12th in the country, 4th among ACC teams. Without a “star” at the front of their back, the Orange were expected to be a solid team without
major expectations.
On Saturday in Columbia, Missouri the 4th ranked Orange went out and executed an outstanding 10k race to take 4th and earn their first podium finish since 2016. Oklahoma State dominated the field to win the title, but Syracuse finished the season exceeding expectations.
Without a runner in the lead pack, Syracuse focused on a strategy of grouping their runners closely together. 2k into the race, the Orange were in 19th place with a team score of 491 but they kept chipping away. By the 5k mark, Syracuse was up in 9th place with 295 points and in the final 5k they showed their strength.
Led by Sam Lawler and Peter Walsdorf, Syracuse worked their way up to 4th with 1k to go in the 10k race with 247 points. As other teams dropped back, the Orange kept pushing forward and were able to hold onto 4th finishing with 217 points to land behind Oklahoma State, New Mexico and Iowa State. Lawler was 31st in a time of 29:00 and he was followed by Walsdorf (37th in 29:03), Assaf Harrari (48th in 29:12), Benne Anderson (53rd in 29:20), Matthew Neill (73rd in 29:27), Ben Gableman (100th in 29:34) and Louis Small (161st in 30:02).
The top three runners finished their Syracuse xc careers with an outstanding showing. It will be on the others to keep the program momentum pushing forward.
Syracuse sophomore Selma Anderson finished 97th in a time of 19:56 over the 6k Women’s Championship course. Anderson picked up 27 places over the final kilometer. It’s also a significant improvement from Selma’s 154th place finish at the 2024 NCAA Championships. Anderson ran her two fastest career 6k times in the last two meets and the Orange will need continued improvement as the women look to make it back in 2026.
