By Emmanuel Berbari

Coming off a 2017 season that saw Fordham Track and Field fall shy of some of its overall goals, the next step is in sight as the teams embark on another spring season.

The men’s team, spearheaded by the likes of seniors Thomas Slattery, Louis Santelli and Fritz Heinrich, as well as sophomore Ryan Kutch and others, will look to bounce back from a campaign that featured an Atlantic 10 finish short of the top three.

“We were frustrated [since] we were so close,” said Slattery, who achieved numerous feats in the fall, including an individual five-mile title at the Metropolitan Championships, the best A-10 Championship finish in school history and All-Conference honors. “But we were pleased that we made it so far to where we were only a few points out of contention.”
Santelli, who made noise by setting a school record in the 1,000-meter run last week, is an obvious number two to complement Slattery, but there are other under-the-radar performers who could help this Fordham team achieve its ultimate goal.
“[Fritz Heinrich] is a new addition to our distance group whose training has been yielding fast times, and [Jack Keegan] is a freshman who is poised to help us out in relays with consistent sub-50 legs in the 4×4,” said Slattery.

On the women’s side, junior Mary Kate Kenny joined Santelli in the record books when she beat out her previous school mark in the 60-meter dash a week ago. Sophomores Katarzyna Krzyzanowski and Sydney Snow, senior Stephanie Leo and junior Angelina Grebe, fresh off a stellar respective Cross Country seasons and promising results last year, round out what figures to be a formidable core.

“I expect us as a team to have a stronger finish at the A-10 Championship,” said Grebe. “There are a lot of strong athletes on the team who I expect to make an impact in the upcoming weeks.”

The women’s team shares similar goals, and a competitive drive is aiding its push.

“I think that the atmosphere on this year’s team is slightly more positive and goal-oriented,” said Grebe. “We have a lot of ladies who have incredible potential, and coupled with the hard work they have been putting in I am excited to see how the season plays out.”

Slattery notes that head coach Tom Dewey, who is in his 37th season at the helm, has been pleased with the team’s progress, with the group growing disappointed with times that would have resulted in contentment two or three years ago.

“In my four years here I have never seen our team this close and focused with the right, matured talent,” said Slattery. “We have made sure that everyone knows our goal: to get third as a team [at A-10s], which would be our best finish in close to 10 years.”

On both sides, positive attitudes, developed team chemistry and a few nationally-recognized performers have put the Rams within striking distance of a wildly successful campaign.