Fordham University Men’s Cross Country had a strong showing on Saturday morning at the Jasper Falls XC Invite, finishing third in a field of 13 teams. Their score of 78 points had them finishing behind only a dominant Stony Brook University squad with 24 points and Siena College with 63. 

The Rams were led by junior Nathan Bezuneh, whose time of 25:11:70 in the 8K course earned him fifth place in the event. Other top finishers included sophomores Sean Reidy and John Corrigan, who earned ninth and 11th place with times of 25:31:00 and 25:35:60, respectively. Sophomores Bradford Duchesne and Jack Boerger and junior Darren Croke also finished in the top 30 out of 100 runners.

On the women’s side, the Rams finished sixth out of 11 teams. Leading the group was Stony Brook, who had a 45-point performance, giving them the win in the men’s and women’s events. They were followed by Quinnipiac University (68), Rider University (97), Siena (97), Marist (122) and Fordham (164). The Fordham squad finished ahead of Fairfield University, Sacred Heart University, Merrimack College, Manhattan College and Felician University.

Leading the women was graduate student Katarina Birimac, who placed second overall in the 6K course with a time of 20:25:60. She finished only 1.4 seconds behind first-place runner Grace Weigele of Stony Brook. She was followed by freshman Sophia Oliva, who finished 30th, running a 22:41:40. Also for the Rams, freshman Lauren Raimy and sophomore Kate Meeks placed 33rd and 46th with times of 22:45:50 and 23:04:90, respectively. Freshman Madison Collins and sophomore Grace Kenny also placed within  the top 75 in the field of 100 runners.

In terms of what is ahead for XC, the Rams will have a few weeks off before their next meet on Oct. 5 in Bethlehem, Pa. for the Paul Short Run, hosted by Lehigh University.