Injuries, bumps and bruises are just things the Syracuse cross country team has to deal with on a regular basis.

So while Forrest Misenti was disheartened by the fact that he suffered another injury, he is determined not to let it be detrimental to his 2011 season.

For Misenti, the 2011 season begins this weekend in the junior’s first race of the season.

‘I’ve been hampered with injuries for a while, and I’m getting back into normal mileage for myself, so I just want to get the feel for things this weekend,’ Misenti said. ‘Like coach said yesterday after we worked out, I just need to get the taste of racing back in my mouth.’

Misenti and some of the other Orange harriers are in the process of working back up to where he left off last year, prior to injury. Twenty men and 20 women will represent Syracuse this weekend at the Colgate Invitational in Hamilton, N.Y. Some of the runners are top performers for the Orange and are using the meet to prepare for the season ahead, while others are coming off injury and approaching the meet as another hard workout and not necessarily a big race.

Redshirt senior Rebekah MacKay was the top performer on the women’s side at the Harry Lang Invitational on Sept. 3 for SU, placing second. But even she is another runner looking to get back into the swing of things after an injury.

‘There were five of us that went to the last meet and we used it as almost like a workout,’ MacKay said. ‘This one is just to kind of get our nerves out for the next meet, which is more important.’

Associate head coach Brien Bell described this weekend’s meet as the first early season rust-buster for the majority of the team.

And although this meet doesn’t matter as far as Big East rankings or getting to nationals, the harriers are using it to develop their racing mindset for more important meets that are fast approaching.

‘When you race, you get a certain level of callousness,’ Bell said. ‘Since we will be getting into the harder portion of our season towards the end of the month and through the middle of October, this is the first opportunity to go through the motions of racing.’

With a lot of depth on the team this year, MacKay said she is still very hopeful that she will contribute to the team at bigger meets.

The fifth-year senior actually won the women’s side of the Colgate Invitational in 2009 with a time of 21:43. After redshirting last season, she is looking forward to having a chance to score well in Hamilton again.

‘I’m working hard to be top 5, to score, for every meet,’ MacKay said.

Misenti has a common goal this season ? to place well in nationals. It’s a goal that he said has talked about since he was a freshman at SU.

The junior said Syracuse has the potential to be a podium team this year.

‘I know what I’m capable of and what I can do as long as I stay healthy,’ Misenti said. ‘So I’m really looking forward to racing and helping out the team.’

Two weeks ago both the men and women’s teams placed first at the Harry Lang Invitational, which was also held at Colgate University.

As always, hopes are to win every race on both the men’s and women’s side, but getting back into the swing of things and getting the nerves out are what the majority of the runners are focused on for this weekend.

‘We would like to control the race and run up front,’ Bell said. ‘Hopefully we will run pretty fast, but make it feel pretty easy.’

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Published on September 14, 2011 at 12:00 pm