Here’s a frightening thought: Aulton Kohn on a good track.

The sophomore sprinter on the Syracuse track & field team says Cornell University’s track ‘is not the greatest,’ although he’s blazed to a first-place finish on the surface twice. Kohn can make it a third time this weekend when the Orange travels to Ithaca on Saturday for the Cornell 4 Way.

SU started the season at Cornell and returns for another meet after a strong showing at Penn State last Saturday. The event features a slew of New York schools, including Buffalo, Binghamton, Cornell and Colgate.

The distance team excelled in particular last weekend in State College, Pa. The distance medley quartet of senior Valerij Petrulevich, juniors Chris Muldoon and Craig Stivala and sophomore Matt Lawson finished first, setting a new SU record with a time of 9:58.07.

The Orange garnered several first-place finishes last month in Ithaca, although head coach Andrew Roberts expects better results this weekend.

‘We try not to look at any competition and draw a conclusion,’ Roberts said. ‘As a whole, we needed considerable time to put things together.’

Roberts said the sprinters have been focusing on improving the beginning of the race. The Orange has structured its training accordingly, and Kohn expects the results to follow. Kohn said the team has been doing more block work, strengthening the push off the block, thus starting faster and accelerating quicker.

Fast off the blocks or not, Kohn remains nonchalant about his flourishing at Cornell. The accounting major is confident that he will continue his success in Ithaca.

‘A track is a track,’ Kohn said. ‘The competition is good, but all I have to do is run like I’m supposed to.’

Many of Kohn’s accomplishments can be attributed to his stride frequency, which Roberts labels as one of the best in the country.

‘He can turnover as fast as anyone in the country,’ Roberts said. ‘It’s a characteristic that places him among the best.’

When Kohn was in high school in Beaufort, S.C., his coach assigned him to run middle distance as well as sprints. Kohn attributes that experience as the catalyst to his impressive stride frequency.

Kohn runs the 60-meter dash during the winter track season. He finished fifth in the indoor Big East Championships last season, running in 6.87 seconds. In comparison, his first-place finish last month at Cornell was in 6.81 seconds. Kohn is hoping his effort in the weight room and at practice can lift him to the top at the Big East Championships in February.

There is still some work to do between now and then, Roberts said.

‘He has to overcome his deficiencies and mature and grow up to be more a leader in his behavior,’ Roberts said.

In the meantime, Roberts is looking for improvement so he can achieve success come spring.

‘I don’t look at races and look at the finishes,’ Roberts said. ‘I look at where he has to be on a national and regional level. The expectations and goals are greater than the environment.’

Published on January 20, 2005 at 12:00 pm