Ryan Corcoran knows the tradition, and he wants a taste of it.

The Syracuse sophomore knows this weekend could be his shot at landing a spot on Syracuse’s 800-yard free relay team, which has placed second twice and third once in the past three years at the Big East Championships.

‘This is a chance I have to show coach that I can be a part of that relay,’ Corcoran said. ‘That’s definitely our strongest race and something I want to be a part of.’

This weekend is a great place to start. The Orange Invitational will begin today at 5:30 p.m. and continue Saturday at 9:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Syracuse, Marist and Army will hold swimming events at Nottingham High School’s 50-meter Max Newman Pool, while diving events will be conducted at SU’s Webster Pool.

The value of the meet is not explicit. No scores will be tallied. Instead, the meet’s true worth may not be felt until February.

The invitation is designed for experimentation. Instead of number crunching specific athletes at certain events to maximize his team’s point potential, SU head coach Lou Walker can toy with relay combinations. He can test drive athletes in different events. Such freedom is a rare luxury.

‘It’s an opportunity to look at some kids in different events where you wouldn’t have that opportunity if you’re trying to win a dual meet in the heat of the battle,’ Walker said.

Corcoran is a prime example. He is usually utilized in the 50-yard free and 100-yard free, both of which he won last week at Colgate. Corcoran isn’t sure whether he’ll be in the 800-yard free relay yet, but he knows exactly where he must make a statement.

‘Since this is a three-session invite, I’ll be able to race in the 200,’ said Corcoran, implying that it’s the same distance he’d swim in the 800-yard relay. ‘I’ll probably swim the 200 free at Nike Cup and Big Easts, but I want to earn a spot on that relay.’

The atmosphere of the meet itself also has long-term benefits. Like the Big East Championships, the Orange Invitational will bleed into a second day. This two-day simulation is key for an athlete’s psyche.

‘We built the season with a purpose and a focus,’ Walker said. ‘In the Big East Conference meet, you swim preliminaries in the morning, come back in the evening and swim the finals. The next day, you get up and have the prelims for that day’s events and so on. We have a duplication of that this weekend.’

Walker insists that analyzing swimmers on an individual basis is the core of progress. The Orange Invitational was scheduled to briefly eliminate a win-lose mentality. It’s not you against him or her. It’s you against yourself.

‘Say your best 100 free time is 43 seconds and my best is 48 seconds,’ Walker said. ‘Anything can happen, but realistically, I can’t solely base whether or not I did well on whether or not I beat you. Sometimes you’ll see a kid who maybe didn’t win the race but he’s feeling good about his performance, and that’s great. It’s a two-way street, too. You may win the event, but I’m not pleased with how you did.’

The timing of the Orange Invitational is also a strategic move. A fast start to any sports season instills confidence and activates momentum, but also carries a dose of kryptonite – peaking too soon. Implementing a progress gauge meet this soon keeps the season in perspective.

‘This is a good time for this type of meet,’ junior Peter Gollands said. ‘We have two big meets coming up in Pittsburgh and the Nike Cup, and it will be good to practice in a championship-meet format.’

Corcoran speculated Alex Taraskin, Matt Brock, and Boldizsar Kiss as the early frontrunners for spots on Syracuse’s 800-yard free relay, which lost Luk Boral and Wes Matson to graduation.

‘There’s really only one spot open,’ he said. ‘It’s me and a couple new guys that are fighting for it. It’s early in the season, but we can definitely look ahead and say that is going to be a good race for us.’

Looking ahead is usually taboo in sports. Not here.

‘You’re one of three things: the favorite, the underdog or it’s a toss-up,’ Walker said. ‘When you get down to the nuts and bolts, that’s the reality. A meet like this helps us figure out who the favorites and underdogs are so you can look forward.’

Published on October 18, 2007 at 12:00 pm