Staff Reports

Syracuse crew coach Bill Sanford, who has headed the program for 34 years, announced he will retire at this season’s end.

Sanford, 63, has steered the crew program to No. 19 in the country this season. Sanford was elected to the New York State Assembly in February and had split time between Albany and coaching at SU.

His daughter Kristen serves as head coach of the rowing team, which won all five races against Massachusetts and Villanova on Saturday at Onondaga Lake. The No. 10 Orangewomen won the Orange Plus Cup for the third straight year, crossing the finish line 15.1 seconds ahead of second-place UMass.

The rowers next compete Sunday at the Eastern Sprints in Camden, N.J., on the Cooper River. The crew team, which placed third at the Georgetown Invitational on April 28, next travels to Hanover, N.H., to challenge Dartmouth for the Packard Cup on Saturday.

Track and field

The record — a 31-year-old seemingly unbeatable shot put throw of 58 feet, 1 inch — was not simply broken.

Tim Adrian shattered it.

Adrian launched the shot put 58 feet, 11. 5 inches to win the event at the Big East Championships in Storrs, Conn., on Friday. With the win, Adrian qualified for the NCAA Championships, which will be held May 29 in Baton Rouge, La. Adrian also placed second in the discus.

The Syracuse men placed ninth at the conference championship, and the women took 10th.

For the Orangewomen, freshman Jenna Grimaldi set a new school record in the high jump, clearing a bar set at 5 foot, 10.75 inches. The previous record was 5 foot, 10 inches, set in 1987. Fellow freshman Johvonne Hernandez placed second in the shot put and third in the hammer throw. Aprelle Watkins finished third in triple jump.

Select members of the men’s and women’s squads will compete in the James Madison Invitational in Harrisonburg, Va., tomorrow and Saturday.

Compiled by Asst. Sports Editor Pete Iorizzo

Published on May 8, 2002 at 12:00 pm