Both Griff Graves and Rebekah MacKay stood in the winner’s circle at the Colgate Invitational Sept. 19.

Graves, with a time of 25:06, had achieved first place in the men’s portion of the event, and MacKay, 21:43, was the fastest woman of the day.

Each represented Syracuse in competition and in victory that day. Neither, however, called Syracuse their home.

Though both of them have different out-of-state roots, both MacKay and Graves found their way to Syracuse and are achieving great success for the Orange this season.

A child of Tom Graves, the former Auburn cross country teammate of Syracuse head coach Chris Fox, Griff was born in Alabama but has also lived in Florida, Wyoming, Montana and Georgia – sandwiched between two other stints in Alabama – before completing high school in Virginia.

‘We just moved a lot because of him (his father, now an education administrator) looking for job opportunities and trying to become the best he can be,’ Graves said.

But before he would get settled, the younger Graves would have to make one more move – this time to Syracuse.

‘Knowing that coach Fox and my dad were on the same page training-wise helped me decide to come here, and just know that I’d be a part of a great team for years to come,’ Graves said.

But above all, Graves praised and cited Fox’s practice of recruiting primarily American distance runners in an effort to progress distance running in this country.

‘Most universities these days who want great programs go straight to recruiting East Africans, recruiting Irish runners, New Zealand runners,’ he said. ‘They go to recruiting nations that have already developed great runners instead of using the talent we have in this nation and progressing that. I think that’s what sets coach Fox apart from all the other coaches.

‘American distance running is really progressing over the past few years, and I just wanted to be a part of it.’

Though his mark on the field of American distance running as a whole has yet to be determined, Graves has already established himself as one of the vital components of Syracuse’s program.

As a freshman last season, Graves placed fifth in the annual Spiked Shoe Invitational and 38th at the Big East Championships.

Unlike Graves, MacKay, a junior out of Massachusetts, settled in Boston as a toddler after spending the first few years of her life in Colorado. Whereas Graves views Syracuse as ‘just another stop,’ MacKay views it as a new beginning.

‘I thought it would be nice to start my own thing a little further away,’ she said. ‘I had always liked going away to summer camp or traveling. I think it’s really interesting to try new places.’

MacKay was initially attracted to Syracuse because of Fox and the intimate atmosphere between athlete and coach that formed as a result of his influence.

‘That was a big thing, (being able to) start in a program that is growing,’ she said. ‘…The growth of the team has a lot to do with personal relationships like with coaches. They really care about us.’

Despite the difference in roots, MacKay has been just the contributor Graves has. She placed 42nd at the National Open as a freshman two years ago and 22nd at the North East Regional last season. But her most significant accomplishment is one for the record books.

Last season, MacKay was part of the first team in Syracuse cross country history to reach the NCAA National Championships.

‘She was in the top seven of that group and had some great races last year to help us get to Nationals,’ Fox said. ‘This year, she’s come in and stepped it up a little more and now, she’s our No. 1 girl.’

Fox, in addition to developing the in- and out-of-state talent that comes through the program, also recruits the athletes he coaches. To him, geography has no limits.

‘Initially, you are drawn to anybody because they can make a three-pointer or run a really fast mile or whatever it is in your sport,’ Fox said. ‘It’s important to us to get the best kids from New York, but we recruit kids from the whole country.’

pcgeorge@syr.edu

Published on September 30, 2009 at 12:00 pm