The Syracuse women’s cross-country team was stunned. A runner that was virtually unknown last year had just burst into the spotlight, finishing second in the race on a picturesque fall day in Hamilton, NY.

Sophomore Lauryn MacFawn finished first on the team and second overall at the Harry Lang Invitational at Colgate University on Sept. 5. Her time of 16:22 in the 4400m race was a drastic improvement over her freshman time of 17:00 a year ago.

While MacFawn’s improvement was impressive, it was the fact that she had just come off a serious injury that made the near-victory all the more unexpected. After sustaining a knee injury at the beginning of the spring track season, MacFawn had surgery in May of last year and has spent the summer recovering and ‘trying to get back into running.’

MacFawn said she made no major changes to her training and workout routines, but simply put forth much more effort to both recover from the injury, as well as get back in shape. Long summer days of rehabilitation and distance runs in the sweltering heat were the fundamental elements of her recovery.

Once back at school, blistering workouts with the team gave everyone the intimation that MacFawn was back, poised and ready to race. Her improved attitude to make a difference on the team was noticeable from the onset.

Despite this comeback, MacFawn insists her work ethic will not falter.

‘I’m still trying to work and get better, because there’s always room for improvement,’ MacFawn said.

Through her intense recovery regimen, and training in the summer and fall, she not only regained her stamina and endurance, but also pushed even further to a new and improved level of fitness.

During the race itself MacFawn said she felt pretty good, and pushed through her fatigue near the end.

‘It was my first race in a while,’ Macfawn said, ‘…but I think it went pretty well.’

Although she said she didn’t have any particular race strategy, MacFawn was motivated by teammate Stefanie Slekis, who finished right behind her in 3rd place.

‘Lauryn is doing great, having good workouts, and thankfully her knee isn’t bothering her,’ Slekis said.

She was very enthusiastic about MacFawn’s performance thus far, and extremely optimistic that their duo will be quite formidable throughout the rest of the season. The women’s team finished 3rd overall in the race, carried by MacFawn and Slekis.

Coach Chris Fox was also encouraged by the performance. He described MacFawn as ‘a very gifted runner, who does everything we ask of her, and wants to be great.’

MacFawn was recruited out of Allegheny High School in Maryland, and was a five-time Maryland 1A champion in cross-country and track.

Fox also has high expectations for MacFawn this season. He believes that even as a sophomore, ‘Lauryn has the potential to be in the top seven or even top five runners,’ Fox said.

The coach’s hopes for MacFawn this season are bold and put a lot of pressure on the young athlete. But if anything, they should serve as further motivation to succeed.

MacFawn’s future is surely promising, and with her commitment to improving and the confidence of both her teammates and coaches her potential seems almost boundless.

But MacFawn said that she still has work to do to reach that potential.

‘I’ve had a good start, but I still need to train hard and get better. I’m feeling pretty good right now and I hope it lasts because I want to do really well this season.’

rjmarvin@syr.edu

Published on October 8, 2009 at 12:00 pm

Contact Rob: rjmarvin@syr.edu