On Saturday, Sept. 22, the Men’s and Women’s Cross Country team competed in the Fr. Leeber S.J. Invitational at Fairfield University. The New Haven Chargers raced against Bridgeport, Fairfield, Fordham, Molloy, Rutgers and Scared Heart.
There is a point system used, and the top five runners score for their team, both men’s and women’s individually. On the men’s side, running an 8K, freshman Sean Grady came in first of the Chargers and 19th overall with a time of 27:55.
Senior Arnold Lane Jr., who placed 40th with a time of 29:17, followed Grady. Senior Marvin Azor came in 43rd with a time of 29:58. Sophomore Ryan Parris followed in 47th place with a time of 30:16, and freshman Chad Messam was the last of the top five scoring runners for the Chargers. Messam finished 49th with a time of 30:25.
Freshman Devin Rose finished in 52nd place, and both freshmen Jason Fisher and Garret Davis finished in 62nd and 63rd place, respectively. Freshman Andrew Cunningham unfortunately re-injured his ankle during the race and was not able to finish. The men placed sixth overall with a total of 164 points.
On women’s side, running a 5K, sophomore Danielle Sorrentino came in first for the Chargers with a 24th place finish and a time of 20:29. Alejandra Cortez followed Sorrentino in 31st place with a time of 20:55.
Sorrentino said, “We pushed each other through the course and worked together to fight the hard hills.”
The next three of the top five finishers for the Chargers were seniors Tania Bernardino and Bridget Faria, and sophomore Samantha Mathewson, who placed 38th, 45th and 46th respectively. Bernardino ran a time of 21:50, Faria ran a time of 22:36, and Mathewson ran a time of 22:39.
Sophomore Brianna Marie Barron placed 55th with a time of 24:53. Danielle Cuervo was also injured during the race and was not able to finish. The women placed fifth overall.
The Fairfield Staggs raced in completely pink uniforms, from bows to jerseys and socks, in support of the Susan G. Komen Passionately Pink for the Cure® event for breast cancer awareness and research. They raised more than $2,600 for the foundation.
The Chargers race next at the Paul Short Run hosted by Lehigh University on Friday, Sept. 28.
