Cross Country Gears up for A-10s with Princeton Invitational
Both the men and women challenged a highly competitive field in their final regular season race before the Atlantic 10 Championship.
The men’s team finished 10th of 21 schools running at Princeton. (Courtesy of Fordham Athletics)
Fordham Cross Country ran their final regular season race this past Saturday, Oct. 16, at the Princeton Invitational in New Jersey. This was the final warmup before the Atlantic 10 Championship begins Oct. 30.
The Rams had strong finishes in a highly competitive field with the men’s team placing 10th and the women finishing 14th out of the 21 teams. The men placed second among A-10 competition, a positive sign leading up to the championship. The women also competed well, finishing fourth among A-10 teams.
Senior Brandon Hall was the men’s top finisher once again, taking home 19th overall in 24:55.0. Hall was followed by sophomore Steven Zucca, who placed 51st (25:34.6), freshman Rodolfo Sanchez in 80th (25:55.7) and junior Colin Flood in 88th (25:58.8). Fordham’s top fivewas rounded out by redshirt senior Chris Strzelinski, who finished 103rd in 26:07.7.
Strzelinski said that the team’s strong running contributed to their high finish. “We packed in very well between Colin, Rodolfo and I, ran together essentially the whole race,” Strzelinski said. “After the first mile marker as a team, we were in 20th, and we all picked up about 100 places over the next four miles.”
Bridget Alex led the women’s team once again, placing 51st overall in 23:13.4. Freshman Madeleine Ryan was the team’s second finisher at 76th overall in 23:43.4. Ryan was also named A-10 Rookie of the Week. Nicoleta Papavasilakis (95th – 24:06.6 ), Taylor Mascetta (104th – 24:18.9) and Germaine Harbaugh (110th – 24:22.0) completed the Rams’ top five.
Strzelinski says that depth makes this year’s team unique. “Realistically, I think we can podium,” he said. “It’s a very fluid 3–6, a very strong pack. If we can get out faster than we did at Princeton, I think we have a very good chance to place high in the A-10’s.”
The University of Dayton is hosting the A-10’s on Friday, Oct. 30, in Cedarville, Ohio. The men’s and women’s teams will look to secure strong finishes against their conference rivals.
“A-10’s really gets you excited to compete,” Strzelinski says. “I think our team will be fresh and ready to do our best.”
