Roadrunners Make Headlines This Fall

by Angela Daidone  |  Winter 2022

After being away from the playing field for months due to pandemic-related restrictions, the Roadrunners put in some very impressive performances this fall season, including earning conference and regional honors and even several program firsts. Here are a few highlights from fall 2021:

Men’s Cross Country

Juniors Chris Andersen and Steven Fiumefreddo of the Men’s Cross Country team took center stage this fall with impressive performances in regional and national competition.

Andersen earned the NJAC individual championship title with a personal best time of 24:57.3 as the Roadrunners took second place in the competition in Galloway, N.J. He earned NJAC All-Conference first-team honors and was named NJAC Runner of the Year.

Andersen followed with a win in the 2021 NCAA Metro Men’s Cross Country Regional Championship at DREAM Park in Logan Township, N.J. where the team finished fifth overall, their best finish in program history. Andersen became the first Roadrunner in program history to win a NCAA Regional Individual Championship and earn the NCAA Division III Cross Country Metro Region Athlete of the Year award.

Meanwhile, Fiumefreddo set a new school record (24:20.8) and earned NCAA All-American at the 2021 NCAA Cross Country Championships. The 8k race was held at E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Ky., and featured the top runners from all ten NCAA regions. Fiumefreddo was just the second Roadrunner to earn the distinction.

Also noteworthy is freshman Mohamed Nidaazzi who was tabbed NJAC Rookie of the Year. He earned his first major all-conference honor after finishing fourth overall at the NJAC Championship. He posted a personal best time of 25:44 in his first conference championship race and earned first team all-conference.

Women’s Cross Country

Freshman Jane Wagner won the 2021 NJAC Women’s Cross Country Individual Title at the NJAC Championships in Galloway, N.J., with a personal best time of 23:46.9. She is the first woman in program history to win the individual title. Along with teammate Chris Andersen who won the men’s NJAC title, this is the first time in program history the team swept the individual men’s and women’s crowns.

Wagner also earned NJAC Runner and NJAC Rookie of the Year honors. Fellow Roadrunner Suzanne Zaugg, also a freshman, was named to the NJAC Second Team All-Conference.

Men’s Soccer

Senior Joshua Schaffer earned NJAC Co-Goalkeeper of the Year honors to highlight the Ramapo men’s soccer selections to the 2021 NJAC Men’s Soccer All-Conference team. This was Schaffer’s third Goalkeeper of the Year honor.  He also earned NJAC First Team All-Conference, his fourth NJAC post-season all-conference selection of his career. He recorded more than 1,370 minutes in goal this season while he tallied a team-high 82 saves.

Joining him on the NJAC All-Conference team were junior Mark Buckel (First Team) and sophomores Osbin Mendez and Ederson La Torre (Second Team).

Women’s Soccer

Senior forward Carla Goodwin was named to the 2021 NJAC All-Conference Second Team after leading the Roadrunners this season on offense. She started and played in 13 of 14 games this season and recorded more than 970 minutes on the field. She led the team with five goals, including four in a 5-0 win over NJCU. This was Goodwin’s first conference post-season honor of her career.

Women’s Field Hockey

After earning the #1 seed in the ECAC Tournament, the women’s field hockey team lived up to its ranking, capturing the program’s first-ever championship title with a 2-1 win over FDU-Florham in the final. The Roadrunners wrapped up their season with a program-best 15-7 record.

With three goals, one assist and seven points during the Roadrunners’ run to the ECAC Championship, junior Victoria Docherty earned the ECAC Tournament MVP award. Docherty joined five teammates who were recognized on the ECAC All-Tournament team:

Senior forward Mariah Tovar, junior defenders Colleen Farrell and Emily Ricciardi, junior midfielder Maggie Farrell and freshman goalkeeper Michelle Kukan.

Docherty was also named to the NFHCA Division III All-Region IV First Team by the coach’s association – the first Roadrunner to achieve the honor. She led the Roadrunners this season by setting a new single season record with 25 goals, including six game-winning goals, while adding 12 assists for a team high 62 points.