Aug. 12, 2010

Fordham Football 2010 Strength & Conditioning Results

Practice Photo Gallery

Strength & Conditioning testing - Photo Gallery

Bronx, N.Y. - The Fordham football practice today had something that was missing for the first three sessions. The cracking sound of shoulder pads as the Rams were able to practice in should pads for the first time today in the fourth on their five acclimation days per NCAA regulations.

Isa Abdul-Quddus set two school strength and conditioning records

The addition of pads seems to have elevated the intensity of practice as the Rams moved through an energetic two-hour workout on Jack Coffey Field this afternoon. The session ended with the offense battling the defense with both units coming up with big plays.

Earlier in the day, results from the precamp strength and conditioning tests were released by head strength and conditioning coach Ted Perlak with numerous school records set.

In all, 89 players gave up their summer to stay and train with the team, by far the most that have done it in the past four years (last year about 70 took part in the summer program).

The summer program consisted of running as a unit every morning at 7 AM and then lifting in groups in the afternoons. And that hard work paid off for some Rams as ten players set a school mark for this position. Nick Womack and Isa Abdul-Quddus each set school records in both the vertical jump and standing broad jump while Nick Magiera (back squat), Anthony Pesanello (vertical jump), Matt Sconiers (pro-shuttle), Cliff Stuckey (pro-shuttle), Mike Hickman ("L" drill), Brad Pierre ("L" drill), Stephen Skelton ("L" drill) and David More ("L" drill).

"The test results are directly related to the commitment and dedication of the football staff and players to the strength and conditioning program," said Perlak. "To have 89 players taking part in the program is tremendous and it shows that the players are willing to do what it takes to get bigger, stronger and faster."

The Rams improved as a team since the March testing session, with 53 athletes hang cleaning over 275 pounds, 27 of them over 300, with the team average being 286 pounds. That's compared to 34 hang cleaning over 275 pounds in March. The top performers were Jordan Bledsoe, Mike Hickman, and Pat McGee, who each hang cleaned 355 pounds, Clifton Stuckey (345), Nick Magiera and Andrew Milmore (335), Isa Abdul-Quddus (330) and Bryson Wilson (325).

Nick Womack set two school strength and conditioning records

The team average bench press this week was 313 pounds, and increased from 309 in March and 291 last December. Fifty-one athletes benched over 300 pounds, 16 of them over 350. The top performers were Bledsoe (425), Billy Deluca and Dan Kessler (405), Magiera and Andy Okonkwo (390), Chris Watkins (385), and Steve Skelton (370).

In the back squat, the team averaged 460 pounds, 14 pounds better than the 446-pound average in March and 55-pounds more than the December average of 405 pounds. Top performers included Magiera, who squatted 725 pounds for a new school record, Thomas Lloyd (615), Isaiah Leake and Okonkwo (590), Stuckey and Dan Parker (560), Bledsoe (555) and Milmore (550).

Performance testing was also conducted with 37 athletes recording a vertical jump of 30" or higher, almost doubling the 19 who accomplished the feat in March. Nick Womack set a new school record for defensive and offensive lineman with a leap of 38.5". Isa Abdul El-Quddus set a new school mark for skill players at 37.5", and newcomer Anthony Pesanello set a new school record for linebackers/tight ends with a jump of 34".

In the standing broad jump, 32 athletes jumped over 9'0", almost a three-fold increase from the 12 who did it in March. Womack (10'5") and Abdul-Quddus (10'3.5") each set another record for their respective positions, and Ben Daley set a record with a leap of 9'0" for the linebackers/tight ends unit . Two records were broken in the agility testing as Matt Sconiers (offensive/defensive linemen) and Cliff Stuckey (linebackers/tight ends) set new marks in the pro-shuttle with times of 4.22 and 4.00, respectively, while David Moore just missed breaking Asa Lucus's record of 3.97 for skills players by running a 4.01 shuttle in the skill group. In the "L" drill three records were broken with Mike Hickman (offensive/defensive linemen) running a 6.82, Brad Pierre and Skelton (linebackers/tight ends) each clocking a 6.44, and David Moore (skills) a 6.28.

The Rams are gearing up for their first scrimmage of camp on Saturday. Fordham will open the 2010 season on Saturday, September 4th by traveling to Smithfield, R.I., to face the Bryant University Bulldogs at 3:00 PM. The home opener will occur the following week, Saturday, September 11th, as the University of Rhode Island comes to Jack Coffey Field.