Men’s Tennis Wins Three of Four Track and Field Kicks Off Outdoor Season

By JOE MASTERS CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Fordham Men’s Tennis faced a flurry of action since students left for spring break starting Saturday, March 11 where they defeated Wagner College 5-2 to snap their four-match losing streak.

On their home courts at the Life Time Athletic Center, the Rams took care of business over the weekend ending their skid and providing some momentum to propel them into the home stretch of their season. The match did not start how the Rams were hoping, however, as they dropped the doubles point to begin play.

“Wagner did a great job winning the doubles point but we never gave up,” said head coach David Slater.

The Rams responded swiftly, showcasing the importance of a veteran presence and the excitement of youth and potential.

Graduate student Quinn Fender and freshman Dhillon VirdeeOakley started off the singles matches Saturday, with both players winning in straight sets. Fender impressively dominated Wagner’s Rodrigo Perez, 6-0, 6-0.

The Rams secured the win thanks to victories by junior Nicholas Kanazirev (3-6, 6-4, 6-3), freshman John Mascone (63, 6-3) and junior Bingru Chen (6-3, 6-2).

For a Fordham Rams team that has been strong in doubles play but weak on the singles courts this season, Saturday’s win over Wagner signifies growth and improvement for the Rams looking to build off of it going forward.

“This was an excellent win and exactly what we needed heading into our spring break matches,” Coach Slater said.

The wins proved Slater’s confidence right, as the Rams took care of business in Orlando defeating Hardin-Simmons University 6-1, and Southern New Hampshire University 5-2 over the past week. The team then returned back to New York where they battled, but were unable to overcome Long Island University, falling by a score of 4-3.

Among the rest of the Atlantic 10, the Rams are beginning to climb from the bottom of the conference as they sit at 4-7. Virginia Commonwealth University currently sits comfortably atop the standings with their impressive 12-4 record. For Fordham going forward, they find themselves in an interesting spot of their season.

Looking ahead, the Rams are on the road on Saturday against Sacred Heart University, who are also 4-7 and coming off a win against Wagner College. For Fordham, this weekend’s matchup should prove to be a strong test for their potential the rest of the season. A win would inch the Rams closer to the .500 mark as the Atlantic 10 playoffs near.

By LOU ORLANDO ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

After two weeks off, the Rams were back in action to get the outdoor season started at the Stony Brook Snowflake Classic on March 18. While it wasn’t quite the record-setting weekend that closed out the indoor season, Fordham returned home with five individual event wins as the road to the Atlantic 10 Championship set in May officially begins.

Three of the five event wins came on the women’s side.

Graduate student Kathryn Kelly got it started with a win in the long jump, and later earned a second place finish in the 200-meter dash. Freshman Leia Ruvo and junior Skylar Harris grabbed second and third in the long jump, as Fordham claimed the top three spots.

The Rams also finished with the top two spots in the 3,000-meter run and the shot put. Sophomore Madeleine Ryan earned the event win in the 3,000-meter with junior Marin Bogulski close behind, while freshman Tanicha Saintigene and graduate student Casey Metzler took one and two in the shot put, respectively.

Four other Rams added second-place finishes. Graduate student Helen Connolly and freshman Nicole Lytle were runners up in the 800-meter and 1,500-meter events.

Freshmen Kylie Ritz and Zoe Arakelian claimed second place as well, with Ritz taking it straight up in the 100-meter hurdles while Arakelian tied for second in the high jump. Senior Mary Kathryn Underwood added a top-three finish to the leger, taking third in the 800-meter.

On the men’s side, freshman Liam Volz was single handedly responsible for both of the Rams’ event wins, claiming first place in both the 100-meter and 200-meter dash. Sophomore Isaiah James earned a secondplace finish in the 400-meter dash. Several other Rams joined the party as junior Thomas Lewis and freshman Trevor Rinn finished third in the 800-meter and 1,500-meter events, respectively.

Freshman George Pomer had a busy day as well, finishing second in the 400-meter hurdles and third in both the long jump and the 110-meter hurdles. Finally, graduate student Zalen Nelson continues to impress, as his third-place finish in the 3,000-meter run made him the top Ram in the event.

The outdoor season continues next Saturday with both the men’s and women’s teams traveling to Lawrenceville, N.J. for the Rider 5-Way Invitational.