Championship Squads to Be Honored in 2025 Anniversary Celebrations

National Champions, conference winners and College Cup qualifying squads are set to be honored all fall, with special anniversary celebrations at various Syracuse Athletics games.

It's been 10 years since the Syracuse field hockey and men's cross country teams won NCAA Championships in the span of 28 hours. Both teams will be honored the same weekend this year, to celebrate the anniversary of their achievements a decade ago.

Both teams will be in the JMA Wireless Dome on Sept. 27 for Syracuse's football game against Duke. The field hockey team also will be celebrated the day prior at J.S. Coyne Stadium when the current squad also takes on the Blue Devils. This celebration will coincide with Alyssa Manley's jersey retirement ceremony, which was previously announced.

Additionally, the 2015 men's soccer team, which reached the program's first College Cup, and 1985 BIG EAST Champion soccer team will be celebrated this fall as well. Those teams will be honored during the football game against Colgate (Sept. 12), and the following day when the men's soccer team hosts Stanford. The weekend will serve as alumni weekend for both soccer programs and culminate in Sunday's women's soccer game vs. Florida State.

The 2015 men's cross country team set the tone for an incredible year of success for the Orange. Led by Justyn Knight's fourth-place finish overall, Syracuse put three runners inside the top-10 (Colin Bennie – eighth, Martin Hehir – ninth) and all-five scorers inside the top-50 to deliver Syracuse its first cross country national championship in 64 years. Behind the trio of Knight, Bennie and Hehir, Philo Germano also earned All-America status in 39th place, and Joel Hubbard (47th) completed SU's scoring. Dan Lennon (65th) and Joe Kush (139th) rounded out the seven entered runners in the field.

The Orange were led by head coach Chris Fox and Associate Head Coach Brien Bell – who took the reigns of the program in 2019 and currently serves as the head coach. The duo built Syracuse into one of the nation's premier cross country destinations. Bell has won the USTFCCCA Northeast Region Men's Coach of the Year award in three of the past-four seasons. The men's cross country team enters the 2025 season riding the nation's fourth-longest active streak of consecutive NCAA Championship appearances at 16.

The day after cross country won its title, the 2015 Syracuse field hockey squad won the program's first NCAA title. The Orange went 21-1 on the season, including an unbeaten regular season. After wins over UMass (4-2) and Princeton (5-0) at J.S. Coyne Stadium in the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament, 'Cuse defeated UConn 3-1 in the national semifinal to reach the title game against North Carolina.

On a snowy Sunday in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Emma Russell struck first just over eight minutes into play. Alma Fenne then gave Syracuse a 2-0 lead less than 10 minutes later, which they would take into the break. After Carolina scored twice in the second half to even things in the 56th minute, Zoe Wilson put the Orange back on top for good just three minutes later. Emma Lamison then delivered the exclamation point in the 64th minute to secure a 4-2 win for the Orange.

The fall 2015 success rolled into December, with the men's soccer team having a historic season. Ian McIntyre's squad had already won the program's first ACC Championship that season and continued on a roll through the NCAA Tournament. The team defeated Dartmouth (2-1), Seattle (3-1) and Boston College (1-0) in three-straight home matches to reach the program's first College Cup on Dec. 11 in Kansas City.

When taking on fellow ACC foe Clemson in the national semifinal, neither team found the back of the net through regulation or two overtimes. Clemson advanced to the national title game after winning the shootout 4-1. Syracuse's season concluded with a 16-5-4 record. Julian Buescher was a semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy for the national player of the year. He also earned NSCAA All-America Second Team honors as well as All-ACC First Team accolades. Buescher, who signed a Generation adidas contract after the season, was the 11th overall selection in the MLS Draft by DC United.

McIntyre wouldn't wait long before leading his team back to the sport's final weekend, as his 2022 team would go on to win the program's first NCAA title just seven years later.

The 1985 men's soccer team started a new era for the program, with Tim Hankinson taking over as the 12th head coach in program history. Syracuse won its second conference tournament title in four years in 1985. The Orange went 12-6-4 overall and 2-1-1 in conference play. In the BIG EAST Tournament, Syracuse did not allow a goal, defeating Pittsburgh (2-0) in the semifinals before outlasting Connecticut (1-0) in the title game. Ken Vieira (31 points), Mark DiMonte (18 points) and Greg Kolodziey (12 points) were the team's top three scorers. Defensively, Rick Fatscher manned the goal area. He made 119 saves and set the school record for saves per game (8.5). He still ranks second in the Syracuse record book with 367 career saves.

Additional team celebrations for winter and spring sports will be announced at a later date, once their team's schedules have been finalized.

Syracuse University Athletics

Championship Squads to Be Honored in 2025 Anniversary Celebrations

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