A new era has arrived for the Syracuse track and field team. After nine years with Andrew Roberts, the Orange welcomed Chris Fox to the team as head coach in an attempt to raise the program’s status to an elite level.

Fox, a former assistant coach at Auburn, coached the Orange cross-country team in the fall and has high aspirations for the future of the track and field program at Syracuse.

‘I don’t really know what went on (under Coach Roberts),’ he said. ‘We want to be a national-level program, and that hasn’t gone on here for a while.’

The Orange started the semester with a bang on Saturday, scoring three individual wins on the men’s side and one on the women’s side in the Penn State Open.

Juniors Aulton Kohn and Dan Pribula won in the 60-meter dash and the shot put respectively while sophomore Kyle Heath and senior Chris Muldoon finished first and second in the 3,000-meter run. For the women’s team, senior Sarah Bentley grabbed the first place finish in pole vault.

As the team transitions to a new coach, change continues to be the big word among the athletes. Senior high jumper Brien Flewelling spent the last three years with Roberts and sees the team trying to change its overall philosophy with Fox.

‘We’re trying to break some barriers,’ Flewelling said. ‘We’re no longer a group of throwers and jumpers and sprinters. We’re a track team all together.’

Like any team that tries to change philosophy, Fox said the Orange needs to change its mindset to achieve their goals.

‘We have to think like we’re a big time program,’ Fox said. ‘And we need to instill that culture here with our group.’

Fox has experience with a big program culture from his days in Auburn. With his help, the Tigers were ranked fourth in the country in indoor track and ninth in outdoor track in 2004. One year before, both teams finished second at the NCAA championships. Fox hopes to bring the same results to the Orange in the future.

In order to achieve the success it desires this year, the Orange must get contributions from all parts of the program. Fox stressed the team needs to continue recruiting exceptional athletes, but added there are several athletes who can compete for Big East titles this year.

Fox expects Kohn, Pribula and Muldoon to continue to build on their success and contend in the Big East while senior Johvonne Hernandez should be a big factor on the women’s side in the throwing events.

Syracuse definitely has some exceptional athletes at the top of the program, but in order to contend for a team title in the Big East, it needs support from all of its competitors.

‘Everyone else just needs to come through and keep picking up points,’ Fox said.

Published on January 17, 2006 at 12:00 pm