LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ - The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) celebrates its 40th Anniversary throughout the 2020-21 academic year, continuing its mission to provide student-athletes the opportunity to succeed in both academics and athletics.

The 40th Anniversary Outdoor Track & Field Team highlights some of the best student-athletes in MAAC history. Manhattan leads the conference with 14 men's championships and 11 women's championships, while Monmouth University has six men's titles followed by Rider University with two. On the women's side, Monmouth also has six women's championships and Rider has three.

The 2021 MAAC Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships will be hosted by Rider University and are set to return May 8 and 9 at the Michael P. Brady Track and Field Complex in Lawrenceville, New Jersey.

Women

Sheree Duval, 1998-2001
Duval set Rider records in the 200, 400, 800, 4x100, 4x400, 4x800 relays outdoor, in addition to the 200, 300, 400, 500, 4x400 relay, 4x800 relay, distance medley relay indoor. She was an All-East performer in the 400 and 500. Duval earned Most Outstanding Performer at MAAC Outdoor Championships as a freshman, was a four-time ECAC Qualifier and the first Rider female performer to place at ECAC Championships.

Jazmine Fenlator, 2004-07
A two-time Rider Female Athlete of the Year, Fenlator was Rider's first NCAA Track & Field Regional automatic qualifier. She earned All-East honors eight times in the shot put, weight throw and the discus, setting Rider records in all three events, along with the hammer. Fenlator was named one of the top 25 athletes in the first 25 year history of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Following her illustrious Rider career, Fenlator took part in the 2014 Olympics in Sochi as a member of the United States bobsled team, before competing for her father's native Jamaica in the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang.

Kelly Kajunski, 2006-09
Kajunski set Rider's high jump record of 5'10" and later tied it. She was named MAAC Championship Most Outstanding Performer in both indoor and outdoor as a junior and was an eight-time All-East and three-time NCAA Regional qualifier. As a sophomore, Kajunski became Rider's first female NCAA Regional qualifier. As a junior, she won the MAAC high jump and was third in the long jump, fourth in the pole vault, sixth in the triple jump, 10th in the hammer and 13th in the javelin, accounting for 24 points. As a senior, Kajunski was twice the MAAC Performer of the Week and again was an NCAA Regional qualifier.

Alicia Price, 2007-10
Price finished first in the Women's Shot Put (13.60m) and set a new MAAC Championship Record in Women's Hammer Throw (52.93m) to earn Most Outstanding Field Performer at the 2010 MAAC Outdoor Championships. She went on to earn All-East honors in the hammer when she placed fourth at the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championship and qualified for the NCAA Regional in Greensboro, North Carolina. At the 2009 Outdoor NCAA Regionals, she finished 18th in the hammer. At the 2009 ECAC Outdoor Championships, Price placed 15th in the hammer (50.72m) and finished 19th in the shot put. At the 2009 MAAC Outdoor Championships, she won the hammer (50.76m), won the shot put and placed fourth in the discus (29.84). At the 2008 MAAC Outdoor Championships, Price won the hammer (45.48m) and placed second in the shot put (12.06m) and fifth in the discus (31.80m).

Emily Ritter, 2012-15
Ritter placed ninth in the nation in the 3,000m steeplechase at the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Championships to earn Second Team All-America honors. For her banner senior year, she was named Rider Female Athlete of the Year. Ritter earned All-East honors in three different events in 2014-15, for cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field. Ritter was Rider's first woman to qualify for the NCAA Track & Field Championships. She ran a PR or 9:54.34 in NCAA Regional May 29 in Jacksonville, Florida to qualify for the finals in Eugene, Oregon. She ran 9:55.15 at the ECAC Championships to place second and earn All-East. Ritter was named the Most Outstanding Performer at the 2015 MAAC Outdoor Championships. In the Spring of 2014, she competed in the steeplechase for the first time, winning the event at the Rider Invitational and breaking the Rider record in her second try to place runner-up at MAAC's. She broke her own steeplechase record at the 2014 ECAC Championships to qualify for the NCAA East Regional in Florida. Ritter placed second in the MAAC in the outdoor mile (4:48.19) as a sophomore. In 2013, she ran a 4:31.60 in the 1500m to set a Rider record.

Sara Gardner, 2017-19
Gardner became Rider's first-ever hurdler to qualify for NCAA East Preliminary Championships in the 2018 outdoor season and went on to make two appearances in the 100m hurdles at NCAA's. She earned Rider Female Athlete of the Year honors for her senior season of 2018-19. As a senior, she ran a time of 13.56 in the 100m hurdles in the quarterfinals of the NCAA East Preliminary Championships to finish 23rd. She earned All-East honors thanks to winning gold in the 100m hurdles at the ECAC Outdoor Championships and won gold in the 100m hurdles at the MAAC Outdoor Championships. She also earned silver in the high jump and as part of the 4x100 relay team. As a junior, Gardner earned All-East honors with a second-place finish in the 100m hurdles at the ECAC Outdoor Championships. She won gold in the 100m hurdles with a Rider and MAAC record time of 13.41 at the MAAC Outdoor Championships, while also taking a pair of bronze medals in the 4x100 relay and the high jump. She was also a gold-medal winner in the 60m hurdles and high jump at MAAC Indoor Championships as a senior and earned All-East as a junior with a sixth-place finish at the 2018 ECAC Indoor Championships.


Men

Wilvenson Baptiste, 2011-14
Baptiste helped Rider to the 2013 MAAC Outdoor Championship, earning Most Outstanding Track Performer, while winning gold in both the 100m dash with a time of 10.98 and the 200m dash with a time of 21.66. He helped lead the 4x100-meter relay team to a first place finish and the 4x400-meter relay to silver at MAACs. He also won the 200m with an IC4A qualifying time (22.15) and placed second in the 100m at the 2012 MAAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships and finished his Rider career with gold in the 4x100-meter relay, silver in the 4x400-meter relay and bronze in the 200m.

Chris Gonzalez, 2008-11
Gonzalez owns the Rider outdoor record in the 1500m (3:42.92). He was a member of the 4x800m relay at the Penn State relays that finished with an IC4A qualifying time of 7:47.76. He placed second in the 1500m at the Colonial Relays in an IC4A qualifying time of 3:47.86. At the 2010 NCAA East Regional finished 33rd out of 46, in a time of 3:51.84. Gonzalez earned All-East honors with a fourth place finish in the 1500m at the 2010 IC4A Outdoor Championships. At 2010 MAAC Championships, he won the 1500m (3:51.25) and placed third in the 5,000m (15:30.76). He was sixth in the 1500m (4:00.67) and 11th in the 800m (2:01.27) at the 2008 MAAC Outdoor Championships and won the 3000 meter (9:00.92) at Lafayette's Five Way meet in 2008. Also set the Rider indoor records in the 800m (1:52.00, since broken), the mile (4:00.84), the DMR relay (since broken) and the 4xMile relay. Gonzalez was named the 2010-11 Indoor Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Co-Most Outstanding Performer, winning the 800m, placing second in the mile and running the lead leg on the DMR that finished second. He also won the 2010 IC4A Cross Country Championship Race,  finishing the five mile course in 24:52.7 and finished third at the 2010 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships. Gonzalez finished first at the Fordham Fiasco, the first time a Rider cross country athlete had won an individual race under Head Coach Bob Hamer. He earned All-East Honors in the mile at the 2009-10 IC4A Indoor Championships when he placed sixth and won the mile at the 2009-10 MAAC Indoor Championships in a Rider-record time (4:08.11), breaking the mark set by Rider Hall of Famer Terrance Armstrong '94 (4:09.11). He placed fourth (25:46) at the 2009 IC4A Cross Country Championships and 28th at the 2009 NCAA Cross Country Regional Championships, covering the 10,000 meter course in 33:00. In the fall of 2008 earned All-MAAC cross country honors, placing seventh at the conference championships. He set the Rider cross country record for the Lehigh course at the 2008 Paul Short Run, covering the 8,000m course in 24:43 and ran on Rider-record setting Distance Medley Relay at the 2008-09 Indoor IC4As. Gonzalez finished first among Broncs in every cross country race he ran in 2008 and placed fifth in the mile (4:15.72) at the 2008-09 MAAC Indoor Championships.
 
Dave Hightower, 2010-13
Hightower is the MAAC Outdoor Championship record holder in the 110m hurdles (14.24 in 2013).
He placed fifth in the 110m hurdles at the IC4A Outdoor Track & Field Championships, earning All-East honors. At 2010 IC4A Outdoor Championships, he placed 11th in the 110m hurdles (14.48) and as a freshman, ran a season-best in the 110m hurdles (14.29) at the Rutgers Invitational. He also won the 110m hurdles (14.59) at the 2010 MAAC Outdoor Championships. Hightower also earned All-East honors by placing eighth in the 60m Hurdles at the IC4A Indoor Track & Field Championships. He won the 60m Hurdles in a MAAC record time of 8.31 and placed sixth in the 200m hurdles at the MAAC Indoor Track & Field Championships. As a sophomore, at the Rider Invitational, he won the 110m hurdles in an IC4A qualifying time of 14.63 and won the 200m (22.65). At the Colonial Relays, he finished second in the 110m hurdles (14.69), with that being an IC4A qualifying time and finished seventh in the 400m hurdles (54.97). Hightower was named All-East for finished sixth in the 60m hurdles with a time of 8.09 at 2010-11 IC4A Indoor Championships. At the 2010-11 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Indoor Championships, he won the 55m hurdles (7.61), placed third in the 200m (22.33) and fifth in the 55m (6.68) to help the team secure second place. Hightower won the 55m hurdles (7.66) and placed fifth in the 200m (22.66) at the 2009-10 MAAC Indoor Championships.

Justin Lindsey, 1998-2001
Lindsey was a five-time All-East performer, serving as team captain his junior and senior years. During his collegiate career, he was a 17-time conference champion. At the time of his graduation, Lindsey held the Rider record in the 60m hurdles (7.95). He was the Rider Male Athlete of the Year in 2000-01.

Mike Soroko, 2007-10
Soroko was an All-East and NCAA Outdoor qualifier. As a senior, at the 117th Penn Relays, he ran the anchor leg of the distance medley relay that finished 11th (9:49.23), breaking a Rider record that had stood since 1994. He was named Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Track Performer of the Week when at Larry Ellis he ran the 3000m steeplechase in 8:52.55, setting a new Rider record and qualifying for IC4As, also putting him 16th nationally. He reset the Rider record again at IC4As with a run of 8:49.63, earning All-East honors and qualifying for the NCAA 1st and 2nd Round meet. At the Colonial Relays, he  finished second in the 3000m steeplechase (9:09.00), also an IC4A qualifier. He earned All-East honors at the 2009-10 IC4A Indoor Championships, when he won the 3,000m (8:13.42), just the third Bronc to ever win an IC4A event. He also won the 3,000m at the 2009-10 MAAC Indoor Championships and holds the Rider record for that event (8:11.88). At the 2009 IC4A Cross Country Championships, he placed seventh (26.05). He finished 13th at the 2009 MAAC Cross Country Championships and, at the 2009 MAAC Outdoor Championships placed second in the 1500m (3:57.10) and third in the 3000 Steeplechase (9:17.88). He was Rider's top finisher at the 2008 IC4A Cross Country Championships, placing 47th of 235 runners, covering the five mile course in 26:46.