Women's College Cross Country / Track and Field
Rider Adds 23
LAWRENCEVILLE—The Rider University women's track and field and cross country teams have recently announced the addition of 23 newcomers to bolster the roster for the upcoming 2016-17 season, a group that is possibly the greatest recruiting class in the history of the program.
The 23 women include nationally ranked athletes and state champions and are comprised of five distance runners, five throwers with 13 sprinters and jumpers also coming to Lawrenceville. The class will also be bolstered by three talented student-athletes who will re-join the roster after red-shirting the 2015-16 seasons.
“I am very excited about this incoming class of recruits,” said head coach Bob Hamer, a four-time Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, who is beginning his ninth season at the helm of the Broncs. “We addressed many of our needs in all event areas and we expect this group of athletes to help us contend for MAAC Championships in the immediate future. My staff did an outstanding job in the recruiting process and we are looking forward to working with this next group of very talented female student-athletes. Each of them will contribute to the team as they are outstanding individuals who will be great representatives of Rider University.”
Distance
The distance class is comprised of Pennsylvania natives Mackenzie Greenfield and Kristen White and New Jersey athletes Emma Meiczinger, Peri Pavicic and Kristin Siegle.
Greenfield arrives at Rider from Holy Cross High School and sports personal bests of 5:13.38 for 1600m and 11:13.45 for 3200m. Greenfield was fifth in the 3200m and seventh in the 1600m at the PIAA State Championships and was also a three-time District Champion and was 23rd at the PIAA State Cross Country Championships in the Fall of 2015.
White had a stellar senior season for West Middlesex High School which culminated in a fourth place finish in the PIAA State Championships in the 1600m. White's personal bests include a 2:22 for 800m, 5:06.24 for 1600m and 11:30.45 for 3200m. White was 40th in the 2015 PIAA State Cross Country Championship.
Meiczinger hails from nearby Steinert High School in Mercer County. Meiczinger ran massive personal bests this year improving to 5:18.25 for 1600m and 11:20.69 for 3200m. During a strong indoor season she finished seventh at the NJSIAA State Championships in the 3200m and was 20th at the NJSIAA State Cross Country Championships.
Pavicic is also a local native, coming to Rider from nearby Hopewell Valley. Pavicic's outstanding senior year included a 13th place finish in the NJSIAA State Cross Country Championships and she ran personal bests of 5:18.78 for 1600m and 11:39.66 for 3200m.
Siegel joins the squad from Buena Regional High School and ran personal bests of 2:20.03 for 800m and 5:15.98 for 1600m. Siegel was second in the Cape-Atlantic League Championships in the 1600m and had a high finish of 22nd in the NJSIAA Cross Country Championships her sophomore year.
Field-Throws
The field group consists of javelin throwers Kathryn Campbell, Tumelo Nwanma, shot put/javelin, Hannah Donkor-Wisner and shot/discus throwers Fidele Jules and Superia Ryan will look to make an immediate impact on the program. They will be joined by redshirt freshman Ronetta Hunter who will make her debut after missing last year with a torn ACL.
Hunter, who hails from Burlington Township, holds the all-time South Jersey record in the shot put with her 45'7.5 throw as a senior. She was the New Jersey Group III State Champion in the event and was fifth in the NJSIAA Meet of Champions. She also finished 13th nationally in the event both indoors and outdoors her senior season. Hunter has thrown the discus 129'8 and was third in that event at the Meet of Champions her junior year. Hunter may also contribute in the javelin having achieved a distance of 113”5”.
Parsippany High School's Campbell had the 24th best throw in the entire nation in the javelin in the Spring of 2016 with her 146'7” mark the top distance in New Jersey. Campbell is also expected to contribute in the shot put with a personal best of 37'0.25”.
Nwanma who hails from Vineland is right behind Campbell and is also in the top 50 in the country as her 141'1” throw ranks her 47th in the nation in the javelin. Nwanma had the fifth farthest throw in New Jersey this past season.
Donkor-Wisner, from Hamilton West in Mercer County, was an NJSIAA Sectional runner-up in the shot put with a best of 37'8.25” and was 12th in the Group III State Championships. She has thrown 114'1” in the javelin and was the Mercer County Champion in that event, going on to place eighth in the Group III State Championships.
Jules arrives in Lawrenceville from Red Bank Catholic as an athlete with tremendous potential. Jules was the state runner-up in the NJSIAA Non-Public “A” Championships in the discus with a personal best of 128'7”. She had the 13th farthest throw in the nation in the shot put with her 47'6” indoor mark and went on to be a state runner-up to the eventual national champion.
Superia Ryan, from Schalick High School in South Jersey, unfortunately missed her senior year with a torn ACL suffered during the fall soccer season. In her signature event, the discus, she saved her best for last, achieving a distance of 132'1” to place fifth at last spring's New Jersey Meet of Champions.
Field-Jumps
The jump group gets a huge boost this year from incoming students Lindsay Bauer, Asia Young, Daniella Izzo, Quinn Bithell and the return of red-shirt freshman Natalie Cowan.
Bauer had a great career for Salisbury Township in Pennsylvania where she was the state runner-up in the triple jump and fourth in the long jump, earning PIAA Second Team All-State honors. Her personal bests of 38'8” in the triple jump and 19'2” in the long jump are the farthest marks ever recorded in the Lehigh Valley. During her career she captured eight Colonial League Championships, including three each in the triple jump and long jump as well as one in the 300 hurdles and one in the 400m. Bauer also won seven PIAA District 11 Championships and finished her high school career having won 27 out of 31 triple jump competitions and 36 of 46 in the long jump.
Young emerged as a star in her own right her senior year for Holy Spirit High School in South Jersey, earning All-South Jersey honors. Young set a South Jersey record of 19'2.75” in the long jump and won her first state championship at the NJSIAA State Non-Public “B” championships. She went onto earn a sixth place finish in the event at the New Jersey Meet of Champions and along the way she swept the Atlantic County, Cape Atlantic League and NJSIAA Sectional titles, winning every meet she competed in until the Meet of Champions. Also a tremendous sprinter, Young was an indoor NJSIAA State Non-Public “B” Champion in the 400m and has a career-best of 59.65 in the event.
South Brunswick's Izzo joins the Broncs and will compete in the pole vault. She was the New Jersey Group IV State Champion in the event and her best of 11'0” was the highest mark achieved by a New Jersey senior in 2016. She went on to earn a seventh place finish at the New Jersey Meet of Champions and will look to be a major force in the event on the collegiate level. Izzo won five of seven Pole Vault competitions she competed in the Spring of 2016.
Bithell comes to Rider from Lower Cape May High School where she was a dominant performer in the high jump. She cleared 5'6” this past spring to capture the Cape-Atlantic League Championships and also won the high jump at the Cape May County Championships and the NJSIAA Sectionals. She was seventh in the New Jersey Meet of Champions in the event and was third in the Group II State Championships both indoors and outdoors, earning All-South Jersey honors. A versatile athlete, Bithell has also run 1:04.70 for 400 hurdles, 59.66 for the 400m and 2:22.73 for 800m as she figures to give Rider depth in the running events as well.
Cowan comes off of her red-shirt season with hopes of picking up where she left off as a senior when she earned All-South Jersey honors and was third in the New Jersey Meet of Champions in the high jump. Cowan leaped 5'8” in her signature event and performed very well in unattached competitions in 2015-16 including a 5'7” performance, placing third at the Lions Invitational, a third place finish at the Rider Invitational and a second place showing at the Penn Challenge.
Sprints/Hurdles
In the sprint/ hurdle events the Broncs will add hurdlers Arianna Marino, Nicole Berry and Kathryn Ward and sprinters Cheyenne Churchville, Moriah Hall, Kiana Ferguson, Kayla Johnson, Jordan Bethune and transfer Sara Gardner.
Gardner returns to action after red-shirting last year due to NCAA transfer rules. During her freshman year at Mount St. Mary's, Gardner was the Northeast Conference Champion in the 100 hurdles and ran a Mount record time of 13.93. As an unattached athlete last year, Gardner ran the 60 hurdles in 8.61 which would have ranked number one in the MAAC. Gardner also had a distance of 5'6” in the high jump and expects to be a huge difference maker this year for the team.
From Garnerville, New York, Marino comes to Rider from North Rockland High School where she ran 1:05.79 in the 400m and won the New York Section 1 Class Championship and was third in the Section 1 State Qualifying race. She also has a personal-best of 1:45 in the 600m and will be a versatile threat for the Broncs in the 800m.
Berry had an outstanding senior season for Winslow Township in South Jersey which included personal-bests of 1:04.10 for 400m hurdles and 2:20.44 for 800m. Berry was the Camden County 400 hurdler champion and went on to a fourth place finish at the NJSIAA Group IV State Sectionals. During the indoor season, she was also the NJSIAA Group III Sectional runner-up in the 800m.
Ward, from Mother Seton High School, comes to Rider with bests of 1:08.49 for 400 hurdles and 1:00.79 for 400m as well as 2:31.71 for 800m.
Perkiomen Valley's Churchville arrives with solid credentials including having run 8.04 for 60m, 12.37 for the 100m and 25.31 for the 200m. She captured the Chester County 55m dash title and also won the Pioneer Athletic Conference 100m before finishing third in the event at the PIAA State Championships.
Hall comes to Rider from Camden Catholic High School in South Jersey. The versatile sprinter has bests of 7.65 for the 55m, 13.01 for the 100m, 26.59 for the 200m and 1:01.82 for the 400m. She also split 58.8 at the Penn Relays and won the Lenape Invitational in the 200m in the Spring of 2016.
Ferguson, from Christian Brothers Academy in Syracuse, New York, brings sprint and jumps credentials to Lawrenceville. Her bests include 7.60 for the 55m, 12.72 for the 100m, 26.49 for the 200m and 17'0” in the long jump. She was the Section 3 State Qualifier Champion in the long jump and was the 55m dash runner-up in the same meet.
Johnson comes to Rider from Seneca High School in Burlington County where she helped the Sprint Medley Relay set the school record. Johnson finished sixth in the 100m at the New Jersey State Championships and was eighth in the 100m at the New Jersey Meet of Champions. As a junior, Johnson helped her squad win the New Jersey State Group III Sectional Title.
Bethune, from Bayville, New Jersey (Central Regional) runs the hurdles events and competes in the long jump and triple jump. Her personal bests include 8.98 in the 55m hurdles, 15.35 in the 100m hurdles, 50.55 in the 300m hurdles, 1:05.10 in the 400m hurdles, 2:40.07 in the 800m (indoor), 22:32.36 in the 5k, 15'11.75” in the long jump and 33'2” in the triple jump. At the Ocean County Championships, she placed third in the 400m hurdles, took third at the Shore Conference Championships in the 100m hurdles and was fifth at the NJSIAA Sectional Championships in the 100m hurdles.
The Rider women's cross country team returns nine runners from a squad that placed fourth at the MAAC Championships and the Bronc women's track and field teams return 28 letterwinners from a squad that was third at both the indoor and outdoor conference championships.
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