Rider University Athletics mourns the loss of Harvey Yavener '52, who passed on March 7, 2023. A longtime sportswriter for the Trentonian and Trenton Times, Yavener began his sportswriting career as a Rider student for The Rider News. He went on to cover the World Series, Super Bowl, Stanley Cup, NBA Finals and heavyweight boxing before concentrating on concentrating on college athletics, including Rider, in the mid-1970's.

Yavener was named New Jersey Sportswriter of the Year in 1989 and was honored with the ECAC-SIDA Media Award for outstanding coverage of intercollegiate athletics in the Eastern United States. He was also a recipient of the 2001 Rider University Distinguished Alumnus Award and was inducted into the Rider Athletics Hall of Fame in 2003.

Fellow Rider Athletics Hall of Famer and longtime Sports Information Director Bud Focht offered the following tribute to Yavener:

"Growing up my dream was to become a sportswriter. I never did, but as a Division I College Sports Information Director I had the pleasure to work with many. There was none greater than Harvey Yavener, who passed away recently at the age of 93. "Yav" covered Mercer County Community College, The College of New Jersey, Rider University and Princeton University with passion and a beautiful style of prose that made you feel like you were in the front row watching the game. With equal importance and interest, he wrote feature stories about the star of the nationally ranked team as well as the third string walk-on at the community college. I say he treated all athletes, teams and programs equally and fairly, but I know he had a special spot in his heart for Rider, his alma mater. An ECAC Sports Information Director's Media Award winner, Harvey is a Rider Athletics Hall of Famer and received the Rider Distinguished Alumni Award 20-some years ago while celebrating his 50th year in the business. I enjoyed 38 years in the business and I was very lucky to work with the very best, Harvey Yavener. RIP Yav."