By Emmanuel Berbari
Fordham Men’s and Women’s Cross Country capped off the 2017 campaign at Van Cortlandt Park last Saturday, competing in ECAC/IC4A championships and placing seventh and ninth, respectively.
Senior Thomas Slattery and sophomore Ryan Kutch earned All-East Team honors on the men’s side, finishing the 8K course in stellar times. Slattery finished seventh in 25:25.9, while Kutch placed ninth in 25:33.7.
With the performance, Kutch put the finishing touches on a remarkable sophomore season in which he built on his 2016 “Most Outstanding Rookie Performer” and First-Team All Atlantic 10 honors. Slattery, on the other hand, completed one of the program’s most storied cross country careers on a high note.
Senior Brian Cook (42nd – 26:18.6), junior Sean Phillips (75th – 6:47.8) and freshman Giancarlo Cipri (111th – 27:24.8) also finished with impressive marks for the men of Fordham.
The women raced in the 5K and, collectively, with an average time of 18:50.30, registered one of the fastest team times in school history.
Junior Angelina Grebe set the pace for the women’s team, crossing the finish line 13th in 18:19.2. Sophomore Sydney Snow (33rd in 18:35.2), senior Stephanie Leo (42nd in 18:48.2), sophomore Abigail Taylor (62nd in 19:11.2) and junior Laurel Fisher (71st in 19:17.6) also found themselves in the mix.
Rewarded for their top-40 finishes, Grebe and Snow earned spots on the All-East Team.
The coach’s races followed up the championships, with freshman Maeve O’Connor crossing first for the Rams (12th in 20:19.7). Also cementing themselves into the fold were freshman Germaine Harbaugh (23rd in 20:45.3), juniors Elizabeth Morisseau (24th in 20:45.8) and Kieran Hanrahan (31st in 20:56.3), sophomore Olivia Gaudet (36th in 21:04.2), freshmen Bridget White (47th in 21:39.2), Julia Herms (56th in 22:02.1) and Kate Schulten (59th in 22:21.6), and junior Maiya Larsen (60th in 22:27.2).
On the men’s side, freshman Christopher Strzelinski finished first for the Rams, placing an impressive second in the 8K in 26:54.7. Freshman Patrick Donahue (16th in 27:38.7), sophomores Patrick Norako (23rd in 28:18.6) and Marc Guberti (30th in 28:59.3), freshman Will Whelan (37th in 29:53.7) and senior Phil Robbins (43rd in 30:32.6) also ran noteworthy times.
The events finished what was a memorable season for Fordham cross country. While neither side made much headway in team competitions, the women finished strong as a cohesive unit—with strong performances at A-10s and ECAC/IC4A—and the men paying witness to numerous feats of Slattery and the emergence of Kutch.
With loads of talented youth on either side, the program has a tremendous deal to be excited about heading into track and field and next year’s cross country schedule.
