The No. 3 Syracuse field hockey team solidified a tie for the Big East regular season crown, beating Rutgers, 7-1, in Piscataway, N.J., to conclude its regular season.
Lindsey Conrad got things rolling for the Orange when she bounced in a goal 2:37 into the first half. It was the first of three for the sophomore forward.
Shannon Taylor then ripped one by the goalie for the first of her two goals in the contest. The senior also tacked on an assist on Conrad's second goal that gave the Orange a 4-0 lead.
Rutgers finally got on the board in the 31st minute. Melissa Bowman took the rebound and put it by Syracuse goalkeeper Heather Hess to cut the lead to 5-1. Conrad's final goal gave her a hat trick and SU the final 7-1 score.
The Orange held a 19-8 shot advantage. Hess had to make three saves in the win.
Syracuse will be seeded first in the conference tournament. The tournament champion receives an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The Orange will play next at 11 a.m. Saturday.
Volleyball splits road trip
The Syracuse volleyball split two matches on the road this weekend. The Orange began the weekend on a bad note in South Bend, Ind., falling to Notre Dame, 3-2. It rebounded the next day in Chicago against DePaul to win, 3-2.
The Irish jumped out to an early lead Saturday, taking the first set, 25-12. Things turned for the Orange in the second set with a 28-26 decision.
The two teams traded close victories in the third and fourth sets to set up a deciding fifth frame. The set wasn't close, as the Irish cruised to a 15-7 win. Morton led the team with 25 kills. Lefebvre was second but only had 11. She also finished with 12 digs.
A day later the Orange bounced back in another five-set match against DePaul. This time around, Syracuse dominated the final stanza, cruising to a 15-7 win in the fifth and deciding set. Sarah Morton led the attack with 12 kills. April Quigley controlled things offensively, tallying 30 assists. Defensively Noemie Lefebvre had 22 digs.
Cross country squads each place fifth
Junior Brad Miller and senior Nana Sang-Bender anchored the SU men and women at the Big East championships this past weekend. Miller placed fourth overall out of 114 runners with a time of 24:37 in the 8K race and the Sang-Bender (20:59 in the 6K course) finished in 14th place out of 137 competitors. Both the men's and women's teams placed fifth at the Big East meet.
Sang-Bender led Syracuse's performers at the Big East title meet for the third-straight year and became the first Syracuse woman to earn all-conference honors in consecutive Big East championships since Alicia Hauber in 1982-83.
Junior Dan Busby finished 19th for the Orange with a time of 25:08, while freshmen Pat Dupont (33rd), Griff Graves (38th) and Steve Weeks (43rd) were in a tight heap at 25:31, 25:39 and 25:50, respectively.
For the women, junior Maegan Krifchin was 19th overall at 21:13 in the 6K race - 14 seconds behind Sang-Bender. Freshmen Heather Stephens (26th) and Lauren Penney (30th) timed in at 21:16 and 21:31, respectively.
Next up for Syracuse are the NCAA Northeast Regional Championships Nov. 15.
Swimming teams lose to Boston
The Syracuse swimming and diving men's and women's teams each lost to Boston University Saturday on the road. The men fell 139-92, while the women lost, 134-107.
The Orange women (0-2) captured first in five events, while the men took six. Sophomore Natalie Mazzetta earned a pair of wins, the 1,000-yard freestyle (10:26.52) and the 200-yard butterfly (2:06.4). Also, senior Catrina Roth won the 200-yard backstroke (2:06.1) and Dani Stein touched first in the 200-yard breaststroke (2:24.29).
For the men (1-1), junior Boldiszar Kiss doubled-up with wins in 200-yard IM (1:55.15) and 200-yard butterfly (1:51.83). Senior Matt Gerlach won the 1,000-yard freestyle at 9:49.24, while Turkey natives Berk Kahraman (1:53.05) and Arda Isiksalan (1:55.32) went 1-2 in the 200-yard backstroke.
The men's and women's team have a lengthy break until their next meet. SU will next travel to the Gamecock Invitational Nov. 20-22 in Columbia, S.C.
Men's, Women's rowing both take 1st
The Syracuse men's and women's rowing teams each earned a pair of first place finishes at the Syracuse Invitational on Onondaga Lake Saturday.
The men's team was paced by the varsity four, which squeaked by Cornell in the "A" flight race, finishing ahead of the Big Red by one second. The Orange's freshman eight also took first, beating second-place Cornell by 38 seconds.
The SU women's squad also had a solid outing, getting first place finishes from its varsity eight and novice eight squads. The varsity eight won easily, beating second-place Buffalo by 35 seconds.
SU also got received third-place finishes from its varsity eight "B" boat, its novice eight "B" boat, and varsity four "A" boat.
Both the Syracuse men's and women's will conclude their fall seasons in Boston, Mass at the Foot of Charles. The women will compete on Nov. 15, while the men will race Nov. 22.
-Compiled by asst. sports editors Michael Bonner and Tyler Dunne.
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