College Track & Field
Rider 2nd at MAAC Championships
Price Most Outstanding Performer

LAWRENCEVILLE-The Rider women and the Rider men both placed runner-up to perennial champion Manhattan at the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Track & Field Championships, hosted by Rider Saturday and Sunday. "I thought we had a great day on both sides," said Rider head coach Bob Hamer. "Almost every event we out-performed what we had anticipated. We had a bunch of kids lay it on the line today and that's all we ask of them."

For Rider on Sunday, the men's 4 x 100m relay team of freshman James Burroughs (West Orange), freshman David Hightower (Easton, Pa.), sophomore Mike Bartoli (Millstone/Allentown) and freshman Daequan Kim (Bordentown) won in 41.83.  Hightower also won the 110m hurdles (14.59).

"Hightower is a great kid," Hamer said. "He's very talented."

Junior Christian Gonzalez (Somerset/Franklin Twp.) won the 1500m (3:51.25) and placed third in the 5,000m (15:30.76). "Chris did a great job," Hamer said. "He really smashed the last quarter and he beat a lot of good guys. That event is stacked in the MAAC."

"I felt good today," said Gonzales, who earned All-East honors in the winter in the mile. "In the 1500 I felt real good. In the 5K I was 'iffy' the first few laps but it came out okay."

Freshman Jammar Lim (Ewing) won the high jump (1.99m) and was sixth in the 200m (22.33). Kim placed second in both the 100m (10.92) and the 200m (22.01). "Kim won indoors and really wanted to win outdoors but came up a little short," Hamer said. "Hopefully this will get him to refocus."

For the Rider women senior Alicia Price (Voorhees/Eastern) won the shot put (13.60m) and was fifth in the discus (36.60). On Saturday Price won the hammer in a MAAC Championship record distance of 52.93m and was named the Most Outstanding Performer in the field events.

"Alicia is just a great competitor," Hamer said. "When she came in as a freshman she did not project to be as good as she is now. She has worked hard and turned into a tremendous competitor. She just doesn't go out and throws far, she throws far when it matters the most."

Freshman Ashley Hunter (Northampton, Pa.) won the 400m hurdles (1:03.56) and was sixth in the 100m hurdles (15.14). "Every week it seems Hunter does something special on the track," Hamer said. "She ran a great leg in the 4 x 100."

The men's 4 x 400 relay team of sophomore Ron Moore (Nashville, TN/John Overton), Hightower, Burroughs and freshman Greg Wesh (Horsham, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) placed second (3:16.78).

Wesh was also second in the 800m (1:52.91), Moore was second in the 400 hurdles (53.29). "Ron Moore coming through like that was fantastic stuff," Hamer said.

The women's 4 x 100 relay team of freshman Mia Riley (West Caldwell/James Caldwell), freshman Erin McMullin (Philadelphia, Pa./Nazareth Academy), junior Shaylah Counts (Newark/Malcolm Shabazz) and Hunter placed second (47.67). Riley was also second in the 100m (12.41) and sixth in the 200m (26.06). Senior Jennifer Alksmant (Forked River/Lacey Township) placed second in the discus (42.04m) and fourth in the shot put (10.90m).

Freshman Perry Asare (Lindenwold) placed second in the men's triple jump (13.76m), junior Brian Leggett (Old Chatham, NY/Chatham) placed second in the pole vault (4.65m) and sophomore Adam Haun (Holland, Pa./Council Rock South) placed second in the high jump (1.94m) and eighth in the triple jump (12.42m). James Burroughs was third in the 400 hurdles (54.04).

Senior Brandon Wolf (Lititz, PA/Warwick) placed third in the shot put (13.24m) and fourth in the discus (39.60m). On Saturday Wolf placed second in the hammer with a Rider record toss of 53.86,

Freshman Jorge Merino (Old Bridge) placed third in the discus (41.98m) and fifth in the shot put (12.80m).

Erin McMullin was also third in both the 200m (25.44) and the 400m (57.22) and freshman Caitlin Vanek (Riegelsville, PA/Wilson) placed third in the triple jump (10.87m) and seventh in the high jump (1.55m). Junior Johanna Clarke (Laurelton, N.Y./Mary Louis Academy) placed fourth in the 800m (2:17.53).

Junior Chelsea Callan (Hazlet/Raritan) placed fifth in the 1500m (4:44.92). On Saturday Callan won the 3,000m steeplechase in a time of 11:23.19

Sophomore Kristen Perrine (Brick/Brick Memorial) placed fifth in the 800m (2:18.45), senior Kelsey Kohler (Southampton, Pa./Saint Basil Academy) placed sixth in the 5,000m (19:04.82), freshman Catherine Remaley (Lehighton, Pa./Lehighton) placed sixth in the discus (32.88), freshman Gina Campagna (Cicero, NY) placed sixth in the high jump (1.55m), freshman Krista Musinski (West Pittston, PA/Wyoming Area) placed seventh in the triple jump (10.29m), freshman Lauren Findley (Hallstead, Pa./Blue Ridge) placed seventh in the 400m (59.76), Shaylah Counts was seventh in the 100m (12.64) and eighth in the 200m (26.11).

Hightower was fifth in the 400 hurdles (54.25), Bartoli was sixth in the 400 hurdles (55.70), freshman Tyree Leonard (Browns Mills/Pemberton) placed sixth in the high jump and seventh in the triple jump (12.77m) and sophomore David South (Sergeantsville/Hunterdon Central) was seventh in the 800m (1:56.40).

Over a dozen Broncs will now compete in the Eastern Championships at Princeton May 14, the men in the IC4A and the women in the ECACs.  "We have a strong contingent going this year," Hamer said. "Last year we had four or five kids there and this year we have 15 or 16 and a lot of them are young. I'm excited."

"I'm ready for it," Gonzalez said. "I'm hoping to run a fast time for Regionals and hopefully Nationals."

Final Team Standings

Men: Manhattan 224, Rider 189, Saint Peter's 101, Iona 69, Marist 63

Women: Manhattan 234.5, Rider 187, Saint Peter's 173, Iona 97, Loyola 79, Marist 39.5

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