For the men and women of the Fordham track and field team, this past weekend marked the start of the next part of their 2023-24 campaign. This first step for the Rams came in the form of the Stony Brook Snowflake Classic, where about 30 of Fordham’s finest athletes competed.
Overall, the Rams’ brief trip to Long Island went quite well; despite the fact that many of the team’s athletes were placed in events that they were not typically tapped for, Fordham had a fair share of competitors’ lay claim to top spots across the competition.
Looking first at this success in reference to the women’s side of things, freshman Anna Maria Ivits managed to get things started for the Rams with her solid performance in the women’s 200-meter dash, finishing in fifth with a solid mark of 26.82 seconds. Moreover, just a few minutes later, in the women’s 800-meter run, graduate student Alexandra Thomas would further this strong start by receiving the Rams’ first medal of the day, impressively finishing third in the event with a time of 2:25.31.
Following this, the ladies of Fordham would then put together their first strong team showing in an event, as both freshman Brenna Sears and senior Clodagh McGroary managed to run themselves into the top five of the women’s mile run. It was Sears who would have the better finish of the two, her time of 5:19.40 propelling her into fourth place just ahead of McGroary’s fifth-place time of 5:23.60.
Immediately after this, in the women’s 3000-meter run, the Rams would once again see a pair of their athletes finish in the top five of an event, as freshman Kate Meeks finished third in the race behind a strong time of 10:46.60, while junior Madeleine Ryan finished just behind her in fourth on the back of her own respective strong time of 10:50.81.
It was after these two excellent team performances in events that the women of Fordham would have what was likely their best individual performance of the day, as sophomore Kylie Ritz continued her excellent 2023-24 campaign by fully dominating the women’s 100-meter hurdles, clearing the entire rest of the field by just about two full seconds with her impressive time of 15.16 seconds.
On the field side for the women of Fordham, the Rams were likewise able to dominate the competition fully, winning all three of the field events offered at the meet. The first of these victories would come in the women’s high jump, as freshman Lexi Fujita managed to tie for first with her strong mark of 1.50 meters. Next, in the women’s long jump, Fordham would lay claim to both first and second place as freshmen Ashley Holbrook and Michaela Gier both put in stellar performances, their respective marks of 5.00 meters and 4.99 meters placing them firmly atop the field. Finally, the Rams would also lay claim to both the gold and silver medals in the women’s shot put, as sophomore Tanicha Saintigene propelled herself atop the field with her impressive mark of 11.90 meters, freshman Sarah Cooley finishing just a spot behind her with a mark of 11.57 meters.
Turning now to the men’s side of the meet, it was sophomore sprinter Liam Volz who got the ball rolling for the Rams, as his silver medal-worthy time of 51.60 seconds in the men’s 400-meter dash provided a more than strong start to the day. Moreover, also joining him in the top five of the event was sophomore Darren Croke, his impressive mark of 52.65 seconds, placing him firmly in fourth place.
After this pair of strong and tone-setting performances, the Rams would then fully dominate the men’s 800-meter run, laying claim to three spots in the event’s top five. It was freshman Sam Freeman who would lead this incredible charge, his stellar time of 2:01.31 propelling him into second place. Finishing just behind him were two of his freshman teammates, Dakota Strain and Tadael Mihret, their respective times of 2:04.80 and 2:05.04, placing them firmly in fourth and fifth, respectively.
Next up was the mile run, where Mihret would once again lay claim to a top-five spot for the Rams, finishing fifth with an impressive mark of 4:32.85. He would actually not be the highest finisher for Fordham, however, as Croke would add another top-five finish to his day, claiming bronze behind a blistering mark of 4:26.86.
Finally, sophomore George Pomer’s performance in the men’s shot put would close the Rams’ day out, finishing in third with his impressive mark of 8.47 meters.
In terms of what is forthcoming for these Rams, they are next slated to head just slightly south and continue the beginning of their outdoor season at the Rider 5-Way Invitational in Lawrenceville, N.J., on March 23. As always, the competition there will be tough for the Rams, but their strong batch of performances this weekend indicates Fordham Track and Field may be back on track and ready to build off the strong start they had to their spring campaign this past weekend.
