Student Athlete Column: Two Down, One to Go

By TAYLOR MASCETTA STAFF WRITER

Every time I step on the track, I remind myself that every race is an opportunity. An opportunity to do something special, to make yourself proud and to bring it home for your teammates. You have to make the most of every moment you’re given, even when the going gets tough.

This indoor season has been the epitome of “tough.” I reached the peak of my frustration at Atlantic 10s, not having the chance to compete at the level I knew I was capable of. I was on the brink of my breaking point, but I knew after every storm comes a rainbow.

And that rainbow always seems to be the same meet every year.

After A-10s every season, there’s one last meet the following week — the IC4A/ECAC championships. For some reason, the team always goes crazy at this meet. It could be airing out some postA-10 frustrations or wanting to end the season on a high note. Nevertheless, we’re always heading home to the Bronx with hardware, school records and personal bests galore.

Personally, ECACs have always served as a light at the end of the tunnel. My freshman year, I set all sorts of goals for myself that I didn’t reach without acknowledging how tough the collegiate transition was. But at ECACs, I dropped a massive season’s best on my relay leg. I’ll never forget my head coach practically jumping up and down as I tried to catch my breath. Just last year, I failed to qualify out of the prelim during A-10s, a season-long expectation I held for myself. Bummed was an understatement. The next week, I channeled that frustration once again on the relay, and we came home with a sixth place medal. I came to ECACs this year wanting to prove that the old me was still in there, more so to myself than my team. I initially made the ECAC roster as an alternate. But I wanted a spot, and when the coaches gave me one last chance, I knew I needed to take full advantage of that opportunity.

I entered the races this weekend mad at the card the universe dealt me with all year long. Rather than go wallow in self pity, I turned it into fuel for what became the biggest race of my season. It turned into two season-bests, one of which was just a few seconds off my PR.

More importantly than the times themselves, I just felt so confident

On Friday, the Fordham women’s tennis team went up against the fearsome Columbia University Lions where they were handed their second loss of the season. This comes after Fordham had a dominant 4-0 shutout against Long Island University just a week prior. Unfortunately, the team could not keep that magic going as they were bested in almost all factors.

It wasn’t all bad, as the team showed signs of life throughout, leading head coach Michael Sowter to state: “Great fight from the team today, the match was much closer than the score indicates.” Sowter certainly believes in the heart of this team, and for good reason as the team won multiple sets against a top Ivy League program such as Columbia.

Singles play was certainly not as dominant as it had been in recent weeks. As the score would project, individual players did not win any of their matches on Friday. Graduate student Valeriya Deminova lost in three sets, while junior Eleni Fasoula and graduate students Carlota Casasampere Escoda and Lindsay Hung had their third sets go unfinished. Both senior Avery going in for the first time in so long. I got the baton and stayed right up with the group. If you run with me I’m usually dropped off just a little bit, more so this year than usual. I typically rely on my kick to pass at the finish. But this time I told myself I deserved to be there, stuck with the pack and kept our team in the mix.

Aude and sophomore Lorraine Bergmann were swept in two sets. The scores were relatively close overall, but Columbia were just a step above the Rams.

In doubles play, the team of Deminova and Aude dropped the first set in a close one 5-4 and did not finish the second. Unfortunately, both teams of Casasampere Escoda and Hung and Fasoula and Yang dropped their sets on the day. All around, it was competitive, but Fordham just could not get it done. Coming up short against Columbia should not be considered a large blemish on the team’s record. They now sit at 5-2 with tough opponents ahead, but expect to remain firmly in the top half of Atlantic 10 teams. This year’s roster is an extremely talented and experienced group that will look to build on this loss and grow from it.

Up next, Fordham will take on Yale University this Saturday, in what will surely be an interesting match. Yale sits at 6-5 but has many big wins against other Ivy League programs this season. It will be intriguing to see how the Fordham Rams bounce back against another tough opponent this season.

We went home with a thirdplace finish in the 4x800m, the best ECAC finish I’ve experienced during my time at Fordham. The team was so excited, collapsing in a hug at the finish line. It was the best possible way to end what may have been my hardest season as a Ram.

I wrote earlier this season that, while my season didn’t exactly go as I planned, I still had time to turn things around. I’m glad to say that I had the capability to do so. With graduation on the horizon, I’m more fired up than ever for the outdoor season.