Jan. 29, 2011
Complete Results | Photo Gallery 
New York, N.Y. - The 2011 Metropolitan Indoor Track & Field Championship concluded on Saturday at the Armory Track & Field Center in New York with Fordham capturing fourth place in the men's competition and seventh in the women's. Overall, Fordham posted six event wins and paid tribute to Fordham's late track coach Tom Byrnes by wearing black ribbons on their jerseys.
In the men's competition, it was a battle among Southern Connecticut State, Fordham, Manhattan, and Rutgers, as the four schools were separated by just 15 points with a couple of events left. In the end, Southern Connecticut edged out Rutgers, 132.5-128.5, to win the men's championship. Manhattan took third with 119 points followed by Fordham with 105. The rest of the field finished with LIU in fifth (68), followed by St. Peter's (57), St. Francis (NY) (42), Iona (31), NYU (25.5), Wagner (22), Ramapo (19.5), Fairleigh Dickinson (14), Columbia (11), and Stony Brook (5).
Fordham won three events in the men's competition, starting in the men's 800 meters, where Brian Schimdt edged teammate John Cosgrove for the event title in an IC4A qualifying time of 1:52.71. Cosgrove also qualified for the IC4A Championship with a time of 1:54.05.
The Rams' next event winner was Kevin Fitzgerald in the 1,000 meters, as he bettered his IC4A qualifying time in a season-best mark of 2:28.19. Fordham also had Ryan Polo (2:30.17) and Brian Walter (2:30.53) score in the 1,000 meters, as they finished third and fourth, respectively.
Fitzgerald came back later in the meet to join Tim Hutchinson, Michael Rossi, and Cosgrove to win the men's 4x800 relay in a season-best time of 7:42.12, which also bettered the team's IC4A qualifying mark.
Like Fitzgerald, Sean Atkinson and Christopher Lyons pulled double duty, running in both an individual event and a relay. Atkinson took sixth in the 500 meters in an IC4A qualifying time of 1:04.91, while Lyons was fourth in the 400 meters in 49.74 seconds. Both came back later to join Schmidt and Nick Delligatti in the 4x400 relay, which placed fourth in a season-best time of 3:17.90.
Other track scorers including Michael Belgiovine in the mile (5th - 4:17.75), Brian Riley in the 3,000 meters (8th - 8:41.69), Julian Saad in the 5,000 meters (3rd - 14:54.01), Daniel Chediak (4th - 8.58) and Daniel Clemens (8th - 9.00) in the 60-meter hurdles, and the distance medley relay team of Tom Kelly, Belgiovine, Michael Bongiorno, and Sam Stuart (3rd - 10:23.46).
Following Pat Brown's scoring performance from yesterday in the weight throw, five more field event athletes scored. Aaron Mays, in his first competition with the track team, placed sixth in the long jump (21' 3 ¼") and seventh in the triple jump with a season-best mark of 43' 5 ¾", while Kyle Kesses was sixth in the high jump, clearing 6' ½". Ken Baron (T5th - 14' 3 ¼") and Chediak (T7th - 13' 9 ¼") both scored in the pole vault with Sam Houston rounding out the scorers in the heptathlon taking seventh with 4,380 points.
In the women's competition, it was a two-team race with St. John's winning the championship with 147 points, with Rutgers right behind them with 142. Manhattan placed third with 75.5, followed by St. Peter's (68.5), LIU (65), Southern Connecticut (58.5), Fordham (53.5), Fairleigh Dickinson (39), Wagner (33.5), Iona (27), Ramapo (27), Columbia (21), NYU (10.5), St. Francis (NY) (5), and Stony Brook (4).
Once again, Fordham had three individual event wins with two coming from Kerri Gallagher. Gallagher first won the mile run in a time of 4:59.46, and came back to win the 1,000 meters later in the meet in a time of 2:54.21. Gallagher would also partake in the 4x400 relay with Kelly Connolly, Elisabeth Warren, and Averie Sheppard to earn a fifth place finish in a season-best time of 3:56.36.
The Rams' other event winner was Anisa Arsenault, who took home the 5,000 meter run in a season-best time of 17:59.03. Arsenault would also be a key factor in the Rams' distance medley relay with Christina Machado, Sherilyn Groeninger, and Nako Nakatsuka, as the group took third overall in a season-best time of 12:47.97.
Groeninger and Connolly would add to their relay scoring as well as each scored in an individual event. Groeninger placed eighth overall in the 200 meter dash in a season-best time of 26.02 seconds, while Connolly was fifth in the 500 meters in a season-best time of 1:16.65.
The Rams had three other scorers in the women's competition, as Mairin O'Connor was eighth in the 3,000 meter run (10:58.09), Courtnay Newman tied for fourth in the high jump (5' 5"), and the women's 4x800 relay team of Diane Bain, Ashley Davis, Kerry Sorenson, and Kellen Fitzgerald placed sixth overall in a season-best time of 9:40.62.
The Fordham track & field teams will next be in action on February 4th-5th, as the teams compete at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational held at the Armory Track & Field Center in New York.
