Fordham Cross Country competed at the 2023 Metropolitan Championship in Newark, N.J. this past weekend.
The women’s side finished fourth in a field of 10 teams, and while the men’s unit did not have enough runners to earn a team score, there were a few individual standouts who performed respectably.
St. John’s University won the women’s team circuit, and Hofstra University graduate student Jordyn McDonnell took home the individual crown with a speedy time of 17:09.48.
Fordham’s women were led by senior Marin Bogulski. The Orchard Park native took home 16th place in a field of 82 runners with a final time of 18:36.03.
Seniors Clodagh McGroary and Maddy Kopec were the next Rams to complete the 6K. McGroary finished 23rd in 19:06.91, while Kopec placed 24th with a time of 19:07.57.
Freshmen Sarah Zahaykevich and Meredith Gotzman rounded out the scoring group and were not far behind. They finished 27th and 30th with times of 19:11.70 and 19:18.97 respectively.
There were also a flurry of other runners who competed for the Rams.
Sophomore Quincy Biddle took home 34th in 19:27.18.
Freshman Cate Roche finished 36th with a mark of 19:29.37. Junior Madeleine Ryan was 43rd with a time of 19:42.12.
Freshman Brenna Sears placed 46th in 19:47.78. Freshman Megan McCann was 47th with a time of 19:50.15. Graduate students Alexandra Thomas and Mary Kathryn Underwood were 51st and 54th with final times of 19:56.20 and 20:10.75. Freshman Grace Kenny was the final Fordham runner to cross. She took 61st place in 20:29.16.
On the men’s side, Columbia enjoyed a clean sweep. The Lions won the men’s circuit, and sophomore Matt Gatune took home 1st place with a time of 24:43.99.
The Rams were led by sophomore Darren Croke. The Bronx product completed the 8K in 26:23.33, good enough for 26th place. Freshman John Corrigan was not far behind. The Ohio native placed 33rd in 26:38.42.
Sophomore Nicolas Grabarz and freshman Jake Frayler were the final Rams to finish. Grabarz took home 37th place in 26:43.20, and Frayler was 61st overall in 28:30.07. Additionally, freshman Tadael Mihret started the contest as Fordham’s fifth runner but was not able to finish the course.
Fordham was certainly hoping for a more complete showing at this year’s Metropolitan Championship. Both the men’s and women’s teams placed first in their respective fields at last year’s event, and enjoyed strong performances from a mix of runners.
Cross Country will hope for a more complete showing on Friday, Oct. 13 when they compete in the ECAC/IC4A Championship at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx.
