Complete Results
Ramapo, N.J. - (April 13, 2013) - It was about as close of a team finish as it could get but in the end, the Fordham University men's track and field team captured the 2013 Metropolitan championship by a slim two-point margin on Saturday at Ramapo College. The Metropolitan Outdoor championship was the third for the Rams over the past six years, the first coming in 2008 and the other in 2009.
Fordham won the men's team title with 167 points, just squeaking by Southern Connecticut State, who finished with 165 points. Manhattan placed third in the men's competition (154.5), followed by LIU (101.5), Ramapo (63), Wagner (48), Saint Peter's (38) and FDU (38), St. Francis (22), Marist (13), Iona (10) and Hofstra (4).
On the women's side, Fordham placed second with 110 points, behind St. John's, who won the team title with 157 points and just 1.5 points ahead of LIU, who placed third with 108.5 point. Southern Connecticut took fourth (74), followed by Saint Peter's (61.5), Ramapo (55), Manhattan (50), Wagner (46), FDU (42), St. Francis (34), Iona (24), Hofstra (13) and Marist (2).
The Fordham women match their best finish ever at the Metropolitan Outdoor championship as the Rams also placed second in 2008 and 2009.
Both the men and the women had multi-event winners with Jonathan Annelli taking two events for the men and Anisa Arsenault a pair for the women.
Annelli took gold in the 5000m in 15:19.35, just ahead of teammate Mike Turi, who placed second in 15:25.19, and 3000m steeplechase in a season-best time of 9:24.60, while Arsenault won the 5000m in 17:49.24 and the 10,000m in 37:33.50.
The Fordham men had four other event winners with Kevin Fitzgerald winning the 800m in a time of 1:52.12, Quincy O'Connor taking the 10,000m in 32:47.90, Sean Collins placing first in the 400m hurdles in 53.43, just beating teammate Sean Atkinson, who took second in 53.51, while also taking third in the 110m hurdles (14.97), and Sam Houston winning the decathlon with 6,025 points and also placing fifth in the high jump (1.84m/6' 1/2").
The Rams also had two second place finishers in the men's competition with David Fajoyomi placing second in both the 200m in a season-best time of 21.85 and the high jump (2.04m/6' 8.25" - tying his season-best with the high jump qualifying him for the IC4A Championship, and Ryan Polo taking second in the 1500m (3:54.10).
Other scorers for the Fordham men included John Cosgrove, who was third in the 800m (1:52.81), Joe Hartnett, who took third in the 3000m steeplechase (9:53.40), Austin Ruiz, who finished fourth in the shot put (14.74m/48' 4.5") and seventh in the discus (41.93m/137' 6 1/2") - both season-best performances, Keegan Talty, who was fifth in the pole vault with a season-best vault of 4.45m (14' 7.25"), Brian Walter, who took sixth in 1500m (4:00.28), Daniel Clemens, who placed sixth in the 400m hurdles (56.57), Patrick Burke, who finished sixth in the 3000m steeplechase (10:00.10), Michael Bongiorno, who was eighth in 800m (1:58.10), and Devin Kelly, who took eighth in the 5000m (16:17.21).
In men's relays, the Fordham 4x400 and 4x800 squads took second in 3:18.12 and 7:54.12, respectively, with the 4x400 turning in a season-best time, while the 4x100 placed eighth. The 4x400 relay was comprised of Atkinson, Lester Taylor, Collins and Fitzgerald, while the 4x800 was made up of Daniel Green, Bongiorno, Cosgrove, and Polo.
Besides Arsenault, the Fordham women had two other event winners with Titi Fagade winning the 800m in a time of 2:13.29 and Mara Lieberman taking the 1500m in a season-best time of 4:40.16.
The Fordham women also had four second place finishers with Sarah Glockenmeier taking second in the 10,000m (37:53.90), Kristen Stuart finishing second in the 400m hurdles (1:02.76), Christina Machado earning silver in the 3000m steeplechase in a season-best time of 11:35.80, and Courtnay Newman placing second in the high jump with a season-best leap of 1.66m (5' 5.25").
Other scorers for the Rams on the women's side included Melissa Higgins, who was third in the 400m hurdles (1:04.09), Christina Vivinetto, who placed sixth in the 1500m (4:48.58) and Emma Cleary, who took seventh in the pole vault (3.12m/10' 2.75").
The Rams also had three of the top eight finishers in the 400m as Danielle Rowe took fifth (58.33), Nicole Ragucci was seventh (58.45) and Elise Tigani eighth (59.22).
In women's relays, the 4x800 team of Higgins, Jillian Brooks, Rowe and Lieberman won the event in a time of 9:12.94 while the 4x400 of Nicole Ragucci, Averie Sheppard, Fagade and Stuart placed second in a season-best time of 3:50.07 and the 4x100 placed fifth with a season-best time of 49.85.
The men's and women's outdoor track and field teams will return to action on Friday and Saturday, April 19 and 20, as they compete at the Princeton Invitational in Princeton, N.J.
