College Indoor Track & Field
MAAC Track & Field Championships
Rider Women Second, Men Fourth

NEW YORK, N.Y.—The Rider University women's indoor track and field team placed runner-up out of eight teams at the 2015 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championships on Saturday night at the Armory in New York with the Bronc men's team placing fourth of seven teams.

“I'm very proud of the women's team and the effort they put forth tonight,” said head coach Bob Hamer who saw his squad hold off Quinnipiac University by 1.50 points for the second spot.  “We knew we wouldn't get a lot of wins or even second places but we knew that we would need the thirds and fourths and overall it was just a solid effort.  We needed all those points to hold on to the second spot.”

For the Rider women, senior Taylor Harmon (Robbinsville) placed first in the high jump (1.65m), junior Nicolette Mateescu (Kendall Park/South Brunswick) placed second in the 5000m (17:03.44) and was fourth in the 3000m (10:18.18), freshman Cleopatra Morrison (Long Branch) placed third in the 60m dash (7.67) and was third in the 200m (25.88), freshman Stephanie Lombardo (Buffalo, N.Y./Cheektowaga) placed third in the shot put (12.79m), freshman Lexie Fraction (Sewell/Washington Twp.) placed third in the 60m hurdles (8.83) and freshman Karoline Sandvig (West Windsor/West Windsor-Plainsboro HS South) placed third in the weight throw (15.85m).

“Tonight was a testament to the women and how hard they worked,” Hamer added.  “We've said that there would be days where things don't go perfect and you have to rebound and answer the call and they did that and more in the meet.  I'm proud of them.  Mateescu had two outstanding races and running both the three and five 'K' and finishing where she did was awesome and hard to do.”

For the Bronc men, senior George Solujich (East Windsor/Notre Dame) placed first in the shot put with a distance of 16.81m, senior Anthony DeFranco (Berkeley Heights/Governor Livingston) placed second in the pole vault (4.80m), sophomore Johnathan Jackson (Roselle/Magnet) placed second in the 800m (1:50.53) and sophomore Erik Adamcik (Hampton/North Hunterdon) placed third in the pole vault (4.80m).

“I thought we had a chance for second on the men's side,” Hamer added.  “Solujich stepped up big time on his last throw and we needed that effort from the whole team.  Our issue was that our opponents stepped up and had some big time performances and we didn't.  In order to score a lot of points in this meet, you have to be more well-rounded and have to score and score well in all the events.  We were in scoring positions a lot of times and just couldn't get that that throw or finish the last few meters in several events and that caught up to us.  We didn't maximize our potential unfortunately.”

Also for the Bronc women, junior Daria Chadwick (Summit) placed fourth in the high jump (1.60m) and was fifth in the 60m hurdles (8.98), freshman Dakota Karras (Point Pleasant/Point Pleasant Boro) placed sixth in the triple jump (10.91m), freshman Naomi Clarke (Hackensack) placed sixth in the 60m dash (7.84), freshman Stephanie Lombardo (Buffalo, N.Y./Cheektowaga) placed seventh in the weight throw (13.99m), junior Miranda Roberts (Sewell/Washington Twp.) placed seventh in the pole vault (3.30m), senior Emily Ritter (Millsboro, Del./Sussex Tech) placed seventh in the 800m (2:14.44) and junior Nicole Georgia (Lincoln Park/Boonton) placed seventh in the high jump (1.55m).

Also for the Rider men, sophomore Lamont Higgins (New Brunswick/St. Joseph HS) placed fourth in the 400m (49.34) and was fourth in the 200m (22.18), sophomore Wil Asamoah (Edison) placed fourth in the 60m hurdles (8.14) and sixth in the 60m dash (7.05), sophomore Devon Jefferson (Franklin Park/Franklin) placed fifth in the 60m Hurdles (8.24), freshman Christin Patrick (East Orange/Seton Hall Prep) placed fifth in the high jump (1.99m), senior Andrew Pozo (Forked River/Toms River HS South) was sixth in the weight throw (17.43m), sophomore Connor Szwetkowski (Middletown, Del./Caravel Academy) placed sixth in the 5000m (15:42.49), freshman David Paduani (Egg Harbor Twp.) placed sixth in the mile run (4:29.08), senior Dylan Hallahan (Wrightstown/Northern Burlington Regional) placed sixth in the 3000m (8:36.79), junior Charles Wilks (Secane, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara) was seventh in the shot put (14.79m), sophomore Christopher Reubel (Moorestown) placed seventh in the 400m (49.54), junior Darien Edwards (South Orange/St. Benedict's) placed seventh in the 800m (1:55.11), freshman Shabazz Shuler (Long Branch) was eighth in the long jump (6.60m), sophomore Kyle Bryant (Cherry Hill/Cherry Hill HS East) placed eighth in the High Jump (1.94m) and senior Anthony DeFranco (Berkeley Heights/Governor Livingston) placed eighth in the 60m dash (7.22).

The women's distance medley relay of Ritter, senior Ashley Edwards (Westfield), freshman Victoria Brewer (Bensalem, Pa./Bensalem) and junior Stephanie Welte (Philadelphia, Pa./St. Basil's Academy) placed third with a time of 11:50.44 and the women's 4x400 relay of Georgia, junior Madeline Hummel (Marlton/Holy Cross), junior Olivia Rosenberger (North Wales, Pa./Gwynedd Mercy Academy) and sophomore Juliann Brand (Egg Harbor/Egg Harbor Twp.) placed fourth in a time of 4:03.82.

The men's 4x400 relay of Reubel, Edwards, Jackson and Higgins placed third with a time of 3:17.81 and the distance medley relay of senior Derek Lake (Middletown, N.Y./Pine Bush), freshman Andrew Horberg (Somerset/St. Joseph's Metuchen), sophomore Scott Wood (Florence/Holy Cross), and junior Tom McLaughlin (Egg Harbor Twp.) placed fourth with a time of 10:17.42.

Both the Monmouth University men's and women's teams took home the conference title.

This is the third year in a row that the Rider women placed runner-up and the second year in a row that the Bronc men finished fourth.  The Rider men placed runner-up at MAACs in 2011-12 and 2012-13.

Rider competes at the IC4A/ECAC championships on March 6-7.

-RU-