The Fordham men’s and women’s cross country teams competed in their last meet of the season on the morning of Saturday, Nov. 21. They ran in the ECAC and IC4A Cross Country Championships at Van Cortlandt Park. It was a highly successful concluding meet, as both teams finished in fifth place. The men’s team, the two-time defending champion, finished fifth among 22 schools, while the women’s team placed fifth among 16 schools.
The day started with the men’s and women’s coaches races. For the men, only freshman Jerome Vessichio competed in the 8k race. He finished 16th out of the 35 runners, coming in with a time of 28:39.6. The women had a larger representation, with freshman Kieran Hanrahan finishing in third for the Rams with a time of 20:08.0. Freshman Laurel Fisher came in sixth with a time of 20:35.6. She was followed by sophomore Clare Bollnow, who placed ninth with a time of 20:40.3. Junior Josephine Jacob-Dolan crossed the finish line at 21:04.2, putting her in 17th place. Next came senior Tara Cangialosi, who finished in 19th with a time of 21:09.7. Freshman Maiya Larsen was the last Ram to be in the top 25, with a time of 21:11.3 putting her in 21st place.
The last event of the day was the University Division Championships. The women’s ECAC University Division Championship was first. Graduate student Brianna Tevnan was the first Ram to finish, with a time of 18:49.3 placing her in 13th. Freshman Angelina Grebe was next to finish, coming in 23rd with a time of 19:07.2. Fellow classmate Kate McCormack followed her, with a time of 19:08.3 placing her in 26th. Finally, sophomore Brynna Harum was the last from Fordham to finish in the top 30 out of the 163 runners, with a time of 19:11.3 putting her in 28th place.
For the men, last year’s winner, senior Mike Turi, finished in fourth place with a time of 25:57.3. Next came sophomore Nik O’Brien, who placed ninth with a time of 26:06.2. Graduate student Jonathan Annelli finished in 15th with a time of 26:12.9. Junior Jake Duckworth, the last Ram to be in the top 30, ran a time of 26:42.0, which put him in 29th place.
Overall, it was a successful weekend for both teams and a great way to end the cross country season. Junior Brianne Roche reflected on the final meet of the season.
“Racing on our home course, at Van Cortlandt Park, was a nice way to end the season,” she said. “We were all familiar with the course, and we went into the race confidently, aiming to run together and push each other towards new PRs. Everyone finished on a good note, and after some down time over Thanksgiving break, we are looking forward to the start of the indoor season.”
Although the season is over, that does not mean the team will stop practicing. With the great season they had, they are looking to have an even better indoor season.
“This season went great,” freshman Kate McCormack said. “I am excited to see what we can do in track!”
The Indoor Track and Field season begins on Dec. 4, with the Fordham Season Opener at the Vincent T. Lombardi Center.
