Coming out strong, the Fordham men’s cross country team placed third in the 85th annual Metropolitan Cross Country Meet in Van Cortlandt Park in Bronx, NY. Mike Turi, Fordham College at Rose Hill, (FCRH) ’16, led the pack.  The tournament was Fordham’s own invitational, which meant the team was hosting multiple prominent college teams. The Rams continued their success and showed teamwork, facing teams like New York University (NYU), Rutgers and Columbia.

The Oct. 11 Metropolitan Meet was definitely a tough one. The race consisted of an 8K, or approximately five miles, of the park’s steep hills and tight straight-aways. The boys fought hard, attempting to keep the pack and stay focused. Turi was the most successful for the Rams, placing ninth overall. The sophomore has had much success in the past, as he was a three-time Atlantic 10 Rookie of Week selection. He took the spotlight during the meet with a time of 26:30.40. Turi was followed by Quincy O’ Conner, FCRH ’16, who placed 17th overall with a time of 26:54.33. The success of these two sophomores shows the team’s depth and foundation for the next few years. The boys have set a ground that is solid for the seasons to come.

Taking 23rd, 24th and 25th repectively were Tim Kazanjian, FCRH ’14, Adam Schwenzfeier, FCRH ’17, and Patrick Burke, FCRH ’14.  Kazanjian ran in a time of 26:59.09, while Schwenzfeier ran 27:00.87, and Burke came in with 27:03.85. NYU won the meet with their own Dylan Karten placing first in 26:01.44. They took the meet title with 24 points. They were followed by Columbia with 66 points. The Rams placed third out of 11 teams with 98 points. Rutgers and Manhattan College then placed fourth and fifth respectively.

According the Coach Tom Dewey, who is entering his 34th season with the Fordham Rams, the team was expecting to get second. However, they had trouble sticking together as a pack during the race. These two losses have affected the team deeply. Still, the team is expecting high results once two of their injured teammates soon recover. Nevertheless, the men have continued to be mentally prepared, something very crucial in this sport. Cross Country is a sport ran with mind more than feet and “the boys were definitely mentally prepared,” Dewey said.

The Rams opened the season in early September with the Fordham Fiasco, paying a tribute to the late Coach Ed Joyce, who had been struggling with cancer and passed away in January. The next meet was at the Long Island University Post Invitational where the Rams took the title with 24 points against Manhattan College. They then went on to compete at the Iona College meet of champions and Leeber Invitational in Fairfield, CT.

The season is going well for the Rams who are expected to compete at the Princeton University Invitational at 10 a.m. on Oct. 19 in Princeton, New Jersey.