Entering her second season on the Orange cross country team under her second head coach, sophomore Elizabeth Cufari keeps with business as usual. On a team without any seniors, Cufari has provided the team with both production and leadership.

‘When she was a freshman last year, she was No. 1 on our team and she is No. 1 on our team right now by a lot,’ Syracuse co-captain Kelly Pimm said.

Under new head coach Chris Fox, Cufari hopes to continue being a consistent contributor for the Orange. This weekend she will lead SU to the Buffalo Open.

Cufari led the Orange to a second-place finish by posting the second best individual time at the Binghamton Invitational on Sept. 10. She finished 13th last week at the Cowboy Jamboree at Oklahoma State. As the cross country team enters a new era under Fox, Cufari is leading the team’s transition.

‘It’s kind of like going from a coach that plays man-to-man (defense in basketball) to a coach that plays zone,’ Fox said. ‘Of all the people here, she’s adjusted as well as anybody.’

Cufari, a former soccer player, is used to adjusting to new philosophies after changing to cross country in her sophomore year of high school. Originally, she switched to cross country so she could train year-round and improve her track times.

At Syracuse, the sport has grown on Cufari. While hesitant about running cross country in high school, Cufari is now fond of it. She said she enjoys the increased training in college and credits it with helping her achieve early success.

‘We’re consistently running more miles every week and the workouts are different than in high school, but when I came here last year I was ready for the change,’ Cufari said.

Cufari became a leader for the Orange almost immediately by posting good times and setting the bar for her teammates.

‘We are a lot better than last year,’ Pimm said. ‘Everyone that comes here is willing to work hard, especially Liz.’

Cufari recognizes her team looks up to her accomplishments, but doesn’t let it affect her when she runs. She continues to be, as her new coach describes her, ‘very aggressive and relentless,’ leading the team with few words.

Said Fox: ‘She’s a natural leader, not even by talking, but by example.’

Published on October 6, 2005 at 12:00 pm