By BRYAN KIEL
STAFF WRITER
Fordham competed at the Colonial Relays this past weekend and had a number of strong performances against an array of talented track teams across the East Coast. The team had six scoring competitors and added four more ECAC/IC4A Championship qualifications. While the women’s team finished 15 out of 40 teams and the men finished 20 out of 42 teams, two event wins and three more top five finishes made the weekend successful for the Rams in Williamsburg, Va.
Fordham’s top individuals competed on Friday, and were led by a win and ECAC qualification from senior Titi Fagade. Her winning time of 2:07.12 in the 800 meters was more than a second better than the next top time of 2:08.38, posted by Elise Farris of Duquesne. Senior Sean Collins finished second in the 400 meter hurdles, with a time of 52.74 seconds, good enough to qualify for the IC4A Championships.
Joining Fagade and Collins in the top five was junior Kristen Stuart, who came in third in the 400 meter hurdles with a time of 1:02.31. The final scorer on Friday was junior Austin Ruiz, who placed eighth in the shot put with a career-best mark of 49’ 7 ¾”.
The final ECAC qualifier was senior Anisa Arsenault, who finished 10th in the 5000 meters with a time of 16:59. The race featured no less than 15 ECAC qualifiers, one of the most competitive events of the weekend. “I was really happy to be in that race, especially since coach Dewey suggested I run the 1500 this weekend instead,” said Arsenault. “I knew this was my best shot at breaking 17 in the 5K, and I just wanted to go for it.”
The Rams competed in 10 relay events on Saturday to close out the weekend. While results were varied, the highlight by far was the women’s 4×800 meter relay team. Featuring Fagade, Stuartand juniors Mara Lieberman and Melissa Higgins, the team won the race with a time of 8:58.12, just edging out James Madison University’s all-underclassman team by a half of a second. By far one of Fordham’s top relay teams this season, the 4×800 relay team qualified for ECAC competition and will look to repeat the success it had indoors.
The men’s distance medley relay event joined the 4×800 team in scoring with a time of 10:05. Featuring Collins, fellow senior Brian Walter and juniors Lester Taylor and Jonathan Annelli, the team finished fifth out of 15 competing teams. The men’s 4×1500 meter relay team took sixth overall with a time of 16:14, and the women’s team in the same event took seventh with a time of 19:20.12. The men’s 1600 meter sprint medley relay took ninth in 3:52.31, and finally the women’s distance medley team finished eleventh overall with a time of 12:17.92.
“The meet was terrific overall,” said Higgins. “Great weather and competition. The competition was high, but nothing our team couldn’t handle. We had several athletes place in the top three.”
As the season progresses, the meets will feature stronger competition as well as familiar teams, which Fordham will face in the big end-of-year meets. “It’s still the beginning of the season, so there’s always room for improvement,” said freshman Brianne Roche, who finished third in the unseeded 5000 meter event. “Each week will get more competitive as we get ready for A-10s and ECACs.”
Higgins sees a successful season for some of the team’s top competitors.
“As long as everyone stays healthy, we’ll see some great results on the track this season,” she said. “While our team lacks depth, there are several powerhouses that are capable of succeeding in multiple events.”
