By Bryan Kiel
The Fordham track team competed this past weekend at the George Mason Spring Invitational in Fairfax, Virginia.
The Rams sent 14 runners and throwers to the invitational on Saturday, competing against a number of Mid-Atlantic and Northeast teams, including a few other Atlantic 10 Conference rivals. With no team scoring, a number of Rams were able to contribute with strong times against a number of strong opponents.
Sophomore Nicholas Regan highlighted the day for the Rams in the javelin throw, and other runners competed well in the 400m hurdles and 800m run.
Regan, competing in his second meet of the season, was able to better his javelin throw distance by three meters with his eighth place finish in the event. He was joined by senior thrower Austin Ruiz, who placed 18th overall in the shotput with a mark of 13.81m.
Senior captain Lester Taylor, also competing in his second meet of the season, placed 18th overall in the 800m with a time of 1:53.61, just a second above his career best time.
In the 1500m, freshman Thomas Slattery was the top Fordham runner with a time of 3:56.36, good for 32nd overall.
On the women’s side, nine different runners, led by senior captains Kristen Stuart and Melissa Higgins in the 400m hurdles, posted strong times. Stuart, who placed 11th overall, finished in a time of 1:03.07, while Higgins was just over two seconds behind in a time of 1:05.89.
In the 1500m run, senior Mara Lieberman and sophomore Shanna Heaney finished 24th and 29th with times of 4:42.17 and 4:46.79, respectively in the 1500 meter run.
Senior Elise Tigani placed 39th overall in the 400m dash with a time of 1:00.44, while Danielle Rowe led Fordham in the 800m with a time of 2:15.87, good for 29th place.
While the event finishes were not necessarily noteworthy, the team is still poised to finish the season successfully.
“The freshman are always looking to mix things up and run fast so we can qualify for conferences and IC4A’s at the end of the season,” Slattery said.
Slattery notes this may not happen right away, though.
“Unfortunately a lot of them have had to battle injury, which has thrown a wrench in their plans,” he said.
Additionally, the women also expect many on their squad to run well in upcoming meets.
“Based on the workouts we have been doing, I feel like everyone will run really well, and there will be some nice PR’s [personal records],” said freshman Merissa Wright, who finished 40th overall in the 800m in a time of 2:19.44.
With championship meets next month, Fordham has plenty of time to earn the PR’s and qualifications necessary for a strong season. The Rams look to continue their spring campaign next week at the Wolfie Invitational in Stony Brook, New York.
Following competition on Long Island, the team will take part in the historic Penn Relays, beginning on April 23 in Philadelphia. The Atlantic 10 Championship begins on May 2 in Fairfax, Virginia.
With impressive finishes, the team could even qualify for NCAA Regionals, which begin May 28 in Jacksonville, Florida.
