Track & Field Finishes in the Top Four at Metropolitan Championship

Results
 
Staten Island, N.Y. – (January 31, 2020) – The Fordham track & field team had a fairly successful day at the 2020 Metropolitan Indoor Track & Field Championship, held at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex.  The Fordham men tied for second out of 15 teams in the standings, finishing runner-up for the second straight year, while the women took fourth of 15 squads in the team competition.
 
In the men's competition, Rutgers won the team title with 206 points, followed by Fordham and Fairleigh Dickinson with 101 and Manhattan at 70.  Fordham's point total was its best since 2013 (110 points).  Stony Brook was next at 62 points, followed by NJIT (34), Ramapo (30), Columbia (24), Wagner (24), Iona (21), LIU Brooklyn (16), St. Francis Brooklyn (16), Saint Peter's (14), Marist (13), and NYU (10).
 
Fordham won three events in the Championship, beginning with Nicholas Raefski taking the top spot in the 5,000 meter run in an IC4A qualifying time of 14:32.86.  He finished ahead of teammates Brandon Hall (2^nd – 14:38.85) and Ryan Kutch (3^rd – 14:39.01), who also posted IC4A qualifiers.
 
The Rams also took first in the men's 1,000 meters, as Sean Sullivan clocked in at 2:30.50, while Jeremy Milite won the heptathlon competition with a score of 3,779 points, just ahead of NJIT's Connor Penrod (3,728).  Milite was first in the long jump (18' 8 ½"), shot put (33' 6 ½"), and pole vault (10' 6"), while being second in the 60 meter dash (7.70), high jump (5' 5"), 60 meter hurdles (10.35), and 1,000 meter run (2:54.40).

 
Fordham had a number of runner-up finishes in addition to Hall's in the 5,000 meters.  Colin Flood was second in the 3,000 meter run in 8:47.34, while Nikolas Reardon took runner up in the triple jump with a mark of 44' 8 ¾".  Reardon also finished third in the long jump at 22' 11 ¾" and fourth in the high jump at 6' 4 ¼" with Ryan McGraw also scoring in the triple jump (8^th – 40' 1 ¼").
 
A total of five other runners also scored for the Rams, beginning with Christopher Strzelinski taking sixth in the mile run (4:17.80), while Antony Misko placed fifth in the 400 meters in an IC4A qualifying time of 49.10 seconds.  Arthur Gooden Jr. and Jack Keegan were seventh (1:06.80) and eighth (1:06.84) respectively in the 500 meters with Zalen Nelson placing fifth in the 800 meters in 1:56.16.
 
In the relays, all three placed fourth overall.  The distance medley relay of Will Whelan, John Merkler, Dylan Serino, and Jack Craven clocked in at 10:33.32, while the 4x800 relay of Nelson, Keegan, Patrick Tuohy, and Strzelinski finished in 7:54.44.  The 4x400 relay comprised of Kyle Mack, Misko, Erik Brown, and Gooden clocked in at 3:20.79.
 
The women's competition saw St. John's place first with 160 points.  Rutgers grabbed second with 142 points, followed by Fairleigh Dickinson (94), Fordham (74), Stony Brook (64), LIU Brooklyn (54), Manhattan (40.5), Columbia (34), NJIT (20.5), Iona (18), Wagner (18), Saint Peter's (17), Marist (6), Ramapo (3), St. Francis Brooklyn (2).

 

Fordham had two Metropolitan champions in the women's competition, starting with Radha Dooley, who captured the women's pole vault, clearing a season-best height of 10' 6".  The other event champion was the 4x800 relay, where Jilli Jones, Taylor Mascetta, Mary Kathryn Underwood, and Helen Connolly won in 9:27.20.
 
The Rams also had success in the other two relay events.  The distance medley relay team of Sydney Snow, Gabrielle Schreib, Alexandra Thomas, and Bridget Alex placed third in a season-best time of 12:11.29, while the 4x400 relay of Sarinnagh Budris, Dominique Valentine, Kyla Hill, and Kathryn Kelly was fourth in a season-best time of 3:55.64.
 
The Rams had a pair of runner-up finishers on Friday, starting with Thomas in the 5,000 meter run, clocking in with a season-best time of 17:33.74.  Germaine Harbaugh also scored in the 5,000 meters, ending up seventh in 19:13.41.  Connolly then took second in the 800 meter run in a season-best time of 2:16.69.
 
Other Fordham individuals to score in the Championship included Kelly in the long jump (5^th – 18' 5 ¾") and the 200 meters (4^th – 25.09), Hill in the 60 meter dash (8^th – 7.80), Snow in the mile run (4^th – 5:07.68), Budris in the 500 meters (5^th – 1:16.12), and Mascetta in the 1,000 meters (5^th – 3:02.13).
 
The Fordham track & field team will next be in action on February 14-15 in Boston, as the team competes in the David Hemery Valentine Invitational, held at the BU Track & Tennis Center.