By Alexandria Sedlak
The men’s cross country team finished first at the Metropolitan Championship. Courtesy of Aaron Mays
On Friday, Oct. 9, the Fordham Men’s and Women’s Cross Country teams competed in the Metropolitan Cross Country Championship. The day was a success for Fordham as the women’s team finished second overall and the men’s team grabbed the first place title.
The women’s team stood out in the meet as the only squad with six runners to finish in the top 25. The first Ram to finish was sophomore Stephanie Leo, taking 10th place with a time of 19:31.2. Leo finished just before her teammate, freshman Kate McCormack, who claimed 11th place with a time of 19:32.4. Senior Rachel Picard came in 13th place, clocking in at 19:36.0, while sophomore Brynna Harum took 19th place with a time of 19:46.0. The final two Rams to cross the finish line in the top 25 were junior Brianne Roche and freshman Angelina Grebe, who took 22nd with a time of 19:50.9 and 23rd with a time of 19:51.9, respectively.
Aside from the second place team finish, some runners posted personal bests. Leo, Picard, Harum and Roche all improved their times since the Fordham Fiasco in September, while Leo and Picard improved their final standings overall.
Fordham’s men’s team, who claimed the Metropolitan Championship individual and team title during the 2014 season, defended both of their titles this year. Graduate student Jonathan Annelli was the first Ram to finish and was also first runner overall to finish. He turned in an impressive run, finishing eight seconds in front of second place with a time of 26:28.8. Second place was taken by another Ram, senior Mike Turi, who finished with a time of 26:36.5. Sophomore Thomas Slattery came in fourth place, with a time of 26:45.9. Senior Quincy O’Connor, last year’s Metropolitan Championship winner, clocked in at 26:56.6, placing him in eighth. Sophomore Nik O’Brien followed, with a time of 27:04.3 placing him in 12th. Sophomore Louis Santelli rounded out the top 25 with a finishing time of 27:36.1. The team’s average finish time was 26:47, which was 30 seconds faster than New York University’s second place average finish time of 27:13.
The 2015 Metropolitan Cross Country Championship was certainly a momentous day for the Rams’ cross country program. Not only did individual athletes turn in great performances, but both the women’s and the men’s teams finished in the same position in the meet as last year. The team has resumed practice since competing almost two weeks ago and will return to action on Halloween, competing in the Atlantic 10 Championship in Richmond, Virginia.
Following the conference meet, the team looks to compete in the NCAA District Regional in Boston and the ECAC/IC4A Championshp at nearby Van Cortlandt Park on Nov. 13 and Nov. 21.
