By Andrew Posadas

Fordham Track and Field pulled double-duty over the weekend, participating in two separate invitationals. As the majority of the squad ventured east into Long Island, five select Rams took the trip down I-95 to race in the Garden State.

Being in two places at once may seem unrealistic to you or me, but Fordham Track and Field makes it look easy almost every weekend. On Saturday, head coach Thomas Dewey sent five of his runners to Princeton University for the Larry Ellis Invitational. The remaining Rams looked to make some noise at the Wolfie Invitational, hosted by Stony Brook University.

Heavy rainfall in the New York metropolitan area initially delayed both invitationals, but Fordham withstood the inclement weather to enjoy individual and team success throughout the day.

Starting off at the Wolfie Invitational, hosted by Stony Brook University, the Rams were able to win five events on the day. Of those five wins, three came from the women’s side. Sophomore sprinter and jumper Kathryn Kelly enjoyed a stellar day, winning both individual and team events.

Kelly, alongside sophomore sprinter Sarinnaugh Budris, freshman sprinter Dominique Valentine and junior hurdler Gabrielle Schreib, was able to capture first place in the 4×100 relay. Their winning time of 3:57.40 marks a season-best in the 4×100. Kelly also showcased her leaping ability, jumping nearly 38 feet to take home first in the triple jump event.

On the men’s side, sophomore sprinter Kyle Mack ran a season-best in the 400 meter hurdles, securing first place in 55.42 seconds.

The men’s team then earned its second victory of the invitational in the 4×400 relay. The team of Mack, sophomore mid-distance runner Arthur Gooden Jr., freshman sprinter Chase Krug and sophomore sprinter Jack Keegan took the top spot in its event with a time of 3:23.43. By event’s end, a solid, balanced effort from Fordham was good enough to finish third in both the men’s and women’s competition. For the second consecutive weekend, the Rams put up a top-3 performance in team scoring.

As for the five members chosen to run in the Larry Ellis Invitational, a pair of season-best times and a top-10 finish highlighted the day at Princeton University.

Senior distance runner Laurel Fisher gave Fordham its best finish on Saturday in the 3,000 meter steeplechase. She finished in 10:45.72, earning her ninth place in the event. Fellow senior and mid-distance runner Aidan Moroz ran a season-best 2:10.09 in the women’s 800 elite run event to finish in 16th place. The performance also betters her current Eastern College Athletic Conference Championship qualifying time in the 800 meter run event.

The best showing from the men’s side came courtesy of graduate student distance runner Brian Cook. In the Mike Brady men’s 1500 meter elite run, Cook posted a IC4A qualifying time of 3:49.85, placing 18th overall.

Next up on the docket for the Rams are the Penn Relays, which will be hosted by the University of Pennsylvania. Fordham looks to snare another potential top-three finish for the third straight weekend. The relays kick off this Thursday and continue through Saturday.