SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Syracuse cross country head coach Chris Fox has been named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Northeast Region's women's and men's coach of the year. After only four years at the helm of the Syracuse program, Fox will be awarded the Chick Hislop Award for his achievements during the 2009 season.

Fox assumed the cross country head coaching position in 2005 with intentions of transforming the Orange into national contenders. In just two years, the men cracked the national rankings in 2007 for the first time in program history, landing at No. 26 in the USTFCCCA poll. This year, the men went from being unranked to No. 11 after winning the Wisconsin adidas Invitational, where it beat out two top 10 teams. The women reached its highest ranking when it was No. 10 on October 12.

Fox continued to build on his success when he led the Orange to the BIG EAST Championship, where the men captured its first championship win in program history by outpacing Georgetown for the league's title, 55-61. Before this year, the team's highest conference finish was in 1980, when the squad placed third. The women also earned a program-best finish at the conference championship. Prior to the women's third place finish, the squad's best result came in 2007, when it finished fourth.

Following the BIG EAST Championship, Fox watched his Orange score the NCAA Northeast Regional team title for the first time in school history. The championship women's team included junior Katie Hursey, who became SU's first individual women's champion. His men's regional team consisted of three underclassmen, who improved on last year's fifth-place finish. Two days later, the Orange men and women were named the No. 9 and No. 12 teams in the nation, respectively, as they prepare for Nationals on Monday, November 23 in Terre Haute, Ind.