On This Date: Softball Captures 2011 & 2017 A-10 Championships; Rowing Advances Three to 2012 Dad Vail Grand Finals

On This Date Presented by Belmont Realty
 
With the 2020 spring sports season canceled by the COVID-19 outbreak, we at Fordham have decided to dig back through our archives and provide our fans with content on some of the outstanding teams and student-athletes who have graced Rose Hill over the years
 
May 14, 2011 – Photo Gallery | Box Score - A year ago, Fordham softball felt like they let an opportunity go by dropping two games on the final day to lose the 2010 Atlantic 10 Championship.  Though they were given an at-large berth into the NCAA Championship, the revenge tour was already in motion and culminated in a 4-0 win over the Saint Joseph's Hawks on Championship Saturday, as the Rams won their first-ever Atlantic 10 Championship and the league's automatic NCAA bid.

 
The 2011 Championship was held at Charlotte's D.L. Phillips Softball Complex and featured two of the top hurlers in the league in Fordham's Jen Mineau and Saint Joseph's Erin Gallagher.
 
After a scoreless first, the Rams took advantage of a Hawks' error with the bases loaded in the second to score two runs and take the early lead.  Fordham then doubled its lead to 4-0 in the third inning, as Nicole Callahan led off with a single, was pinch run for by Brianna Ciuffi, and scored on a triple by Samantha Pellechio.  Pellechio would also score on the play on an errant throw by the Saint Joseph's right fielder.
 
From there, it was all in the hands of the Rams' All-American pitcher Mineau.  She was dominant, allowing only two baserunners in the game and just one hit, while striking out 10 batters in the shutout.
 
Mineau was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Championship, going 3-0 in the circle with three shutouts.  She gave up only six hits the entire championship while striking out 27 batters.  She was joined on the All-Championship team by teammates Pellechio and Beckah Wiggins.
 

May 14, 2012 – Nine years ago, the Fordham University rowing squad turned in an impressive performance at the 2012 Dad Vail Championship with a record breaking performance of seven crews advancing to the Saturday semi-final racing. The previous record was five which was set in 2006. Amongst the advancing crews, the Women's Varsity 4, Varsity Lightweight 4, and Freshmen 4 all advanced to the Grand Final.
 
The Freshmen 4 won both their heat and semi-final advancing to the grand finals with the fastest times of the competition. During the Grand Final, the Freshmen 4 sprinted to win the Dad Vail by open water with a time of 7:45.411 over Fairfield (7:49.448), Grand Valley University (7:52.554), University of North Carolina (7:55.071), Florida State (7:57.712), Old Dominion University (8:15.853).
 
The Freshmen 4 was comprised of Ashleigh Aitchison (4), Tecla Di Francesco (3), Alix Azizi (2), Nicole Arrato (1), with Rachel Sortino at Coxswain.
 
The Varsity Lightweight 4 finished 3rd in their heat advancing them to the Grand Final on Saturday. In a close race for third place in the Grand Final the Fordham Lightweight 4 held off Clemson and Penn State to secure a bronze medal with a time of 7:58.946. The Lightweight 4 finished behind Western Ontario (7:45.915), Pittsburgh (7:52.327), and ahead of Clemson (7:59.412), Penn State (7:59.617), Sacred Heart University (8:27.736).
 
The Varsity Lightweight 4 was comprised of Megan Sullivan (4), Maria Capuano (3), Alex McDonald (2), Jenn Amoroso (1) with Megan Feerick at Coxswain.
 
In the Varsity Open 4, after winning both their heat and semi-final during the regatta they finished 4th in the Grand Final with a time of 8:00.591 behind Drake University (7:47.927), Old Dominion University (7:52.018), Duke University (7:54.607), and ahead of the University of North Carolina (8:03.207) and Robert Morris University (8:14.403).
 
The Varsity 4 was comprised of Celine Egraz (4), Elizabeth Helmer (3), Katelyn Lakes (2), Maureen White (1) with Elizabeth Chen at Coxswain.
 
According to Head Coach Ted Bonanno, "The 2012 Dad Vail was without question our best racing of the year. Our freshmen have been excellent all year and it was no surprise that they dominated their racing. The lightweights amazed everyone when they overcame a disastrous turn at the Strawberry Mansion Bridge in the heats and fought their way back into a qualifying spot from several lengths of open water down on the field. After that race, we knew they would be medal contenders in the finals. The Open 4 had a great winning heat and semi; they made every effort to win a medal and came very close to their goal."
 
 
May 14, 2017 – Photo Gallery | Box Score (G2) | Highlights -  It took five-and-a-half hours and 17 innings between two extra-inning games on this date three years ago at George Mason Softball Complex, but the Fordham softball team eventually secured its fifth straight, and sixth overall, Atlantic 10 championship with a walk-off 2-1 win over Massachusetts. The Rams improved to 45-15 on the year and moved on to the NCAA Regional at nationally-ranked Utah.
 
In what was a sign of things to come, then-freshman Madie Aughinbaugh, making her first postseason appearance in the circle, allowed just one unearned run in the first inning but shut the Minutewomen down after that for eight more innings before delivering the day's biggest hit at the plate with the walk-off single to score Chelsea Skrepenak in the ninth.
 
UMass' lone run came when Jena Cozza doubled with two outs and scored on a throwing error by catcher Ally Vergona when caught in a rundown following Tara Klee's single. Aughinbaugh shook it off and worked around 11 other hits, with no walks, while striking out five. Fordham eventually broke through in the fifth through senior Sydney Canessa. With two outs, Canessa powered a double into the gap to score Aughinbaugh all the way from first, who had prolonged the inning by beating out an infield single.

 
The Rams made their next move in the ninth. Skrepenak singled to right on the first pitch she saw and moved to second on Lauren Quense's fielder's choice. Batting out of the number nine spot, Aughinbaugh punched the second pitch down the right field line and Skrepenak sprinted home to beat the throw.
 
Both Madi Shaw and Amy Van Hoven finished the game batting 3-for-4, with Aughinbaugh providing the other multi-hit effort. It was the latter's 17^th win of the year.
 
Fordham reached the do-or-die final by defeating Saint Louis, 10-2, in six innings, and the Minutewomen, 6-2, the following day. Click the links to read the respective game recaps. UMass won its elimination bracket contest to force a rematch Sunday afternoon. Quense, the Atlantic 10 Co-Pitcher of the Year, had pitched the previous two days and held UMass scoreless for six innings while Fordham built up a 2-0 lead through two Skyler Johnston hits. The Minutewomen got to Quense for two runs in the seventh and pushed ahead the go-ahead run in the eighth on a Cozza sacrifice fly.
 
Check back on the 19^th for a look back at the team's trip to Salt Lake City.