This past Saturday, Sept. 11, Fordham Cross Country hosted its annual Fordham Fiasco meet at the historic Van Cortlandt Park. It was the men’s and women’s teams’ second race of the season, and both are off to promising starts. The women came out strong, placing first in the team standings. The shorthanded men’s team took third.

The women’s race saw seven Rams cross the line in the top 15 finishers. Senior team captain Bridget Alex led the way with a fourth-place finish in a time of 19:49.7. She was followed closely by juniors Nicoleta Papavasilakis and Alexandra Thomas, who secured fifth (19:58.2) and sixth (20:04.6). Another pack of Rams took home 11th through 14th place to lock up their first victory of the season. 

Thomas said the win felt even better because it came on Fordham’s home course. “It feels great to be back at Van Cortlandt,” she said. “The energy at the meets here is like no other. Being able to practice and train on this course during the week makes it even more special.” 

The men’s team finished in third place overall behind Atlantic 10 rival Saint Joseph’s University and Manhattan College. The men were led by sophomore Steve Zucca, who secured a second-place finish in a time of 26:44.1. Zucca landed second despite some “course confusion” according to the team’s Instagram account. Joining Zucca in the top 10 was freshman Rodolfo Sanchez, who finished eighth overall in his Van Cortlandt Park debut, crossing the line in 27:15.1. It was a solid finish for the men’s squad, which was missing key pieces like senior team captain Brandon Hall and junior Colin Flood. They will make their season debut at a later time. 

Thomas said she expects even more success from the team this season. “We have a long season ahead of us,” she said. “So starting off the season like this gets us excited and eager for what is to come.”

Fordham Cross Country will be back at Van Cortlandt on Friday, Sept. 17 for the Br. John “Paddy” Doyle Meet Of Champions hosted by Iona College.