Fordham Cross Country concluded its season at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx on Saturday at the IC4A/ECAC Championship. The men’s and women’s teams each finished 8th overall in their races. Each had memorable individual performances that contributed to a strong conclusion for the Rams.

23 schools lost the opportunity to compete last season after a year without the Eastern College Athletic Conference. The ECAC and the Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America came back strong this year to close the season. 

It was the weekend before the upcoming Thanksgiving break, the weather was cold and the competition was fierce. Schools that attended the meet included Columbia University, Colgate University, Stony Brook University and Marist University. Despite the weather, fans showed out to support runners in their last race of the season. The Fordham faithful was seen in the stands and in the fields as the home meet was hosted by the Rams.

The men’s race came first, and sophomore Steven Zucca was Fordham’s first finisher. He took 14th overall, finishing the 8k course in 25:59. Zucca dominated the courses he ran in a long and successful season. With this finish, Zucca and his teammates will look forward to the week off before they begin competing in the track and field meets. 

Other finishers on the men’s side of competition included junior Ryan Fahey and freshman Rodolfo Sanchez, the next two Rams across the line, finishing in 64th and 66th with times of 27:21 and 27:22, respectively. Junior Samuel Wilcox came next for the men finishing in a closing time of 27:52 and placing 82nd overall. Lastly, sophomore Justin Lombardi placed 91st in his closing time of 28:15. 

The women’s 5k race was next in the IC4A competition. Senior Bridget Alex was Fordham’s top finisher once again this year, placing 31st in 19:15. She was followed by graduate student Germaine Harbaugh who placed 42nd with her finishing time of 19:34. Junior Taylor Mascetta and sophomore Maddy Kopec were the next two finishers placing 51st and 54th in times of 19:49 and 19:52, respectively. Freshman Madeleine Ryan rounded out the top five placing 72nd in a time of 20:26, and sophomore Caroline McDonagh finished closely behind placing 75th in her closing time of 20:29.

In talking about her last cross country meet of the season, Alex said, “It was definitely bittersweet. If the 5k at VCP didn’t hurt so bad, I would’ve been more sad that it was over. At the same time, I was really happy with my season and I’ll definitely miss running XC!”

With the official end of the Fordham Cross Country season, the Rams will look toward competing in the indoor track and field season. The cross country roster will look lighter with this week off of competition, as they transition their training toward flat track racing. The track season debuts on Saturday, Dec. 4 at OceanBreeze complex on Staten Island.