College Track & Field
Rider at Swarthmore Last Chance Invitational
Gonzalez sets Rider record in the 1500 meter
SWARTHMORE, Pa.--Rider University junior Christian Gonzalez (Somerset/Franklin Twp.) made the most of his opportunity at Swarthmore Monday by qualifying for the NCAA regional with a third place finish in the 1500m, recording a Rider record setting time of 3:42.95. Gonzalez's time is the 26th fastest effort nationally this season and currently 11th best in the East Region.
"We've known for a long time that Chris had this type of ability," said head coach Bob Hamer. "This was the race that we've been looking for. I'm ecstatic with the result. He has the ability to take things to another level."
For the Rider women, junior Johanna Clarke (Laurelton, N.Y./Mary Louis Academy) was 17th in the 800m (2:19.43), junior Chelsea Callan (Hazlet/Raritan) placed 32nd in the 1500m (4:44.23), sophomore Heather Giovagnoli (Royersford, Pa./Spring Ford) was 35th in the 1500m (4:48.06) and freshman Jillian Shutt (Lawrenceville, Pa./Williamson) was 47th in the 1500m with a time of 4:59.81.
Also for the Rider men on Monday, freshman Greg Wesh (Horsham, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) was 12th in the 800m (1:53.41) with freshman John Hill (Voorhees/Eastern) running the steeplechase in 10:22.97 (10th place).
Rider competes at the IC4A/ECAC Championships May 12-14 at Princeton.
"I'm excited about the championships," Hamer said. "We had a great meet at the MAAC Championships and this past weekend. We are performing our best when it matters the most."
The NCAA first and second round meet will take place in Greensboro, North Carolina on May 27-29.
"This meet was important because with what Chris did, he can now just go out and race at IC4As and not have to worry about qualifying for NCAAs," Hamer added. "He can concentrate on doing his best to bring home All-East honors. He works very hard and I'm proud that he has this accomplishment."
The Rider 1500m record (hand held timing) was set by Ken Lehman in 1982 (3:46.00) with Terrance Armstrong running 3:46.02 (electronic timing) in May, 1995. Both Lehman and Armstrong are members of the Rider Athletics Hall of Fame.
"It is an honor to break the record held by two great Rider runners who set the bar really high," said Gonzalez. "It was my goal to get this record and it feels great to finally get it. I am amazed that I ran that fast, but can't wait to get back on the track. I am really excited for NCAAs to see how I match up against the top runners in the nation. Thanks to Coach Hamer I am getting to the next level and feeling like I can compete with anyone."
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