BETHLEHEM, PA—Both the Rider University men’s and women’s teams enjoyed their highest finishes ever at the NCAA Division I Mid-Atlantic Regional Cross Country Championships, hosted by Lehigh University Saturday.
The Rider men placed 14th of 32 teams, while the Rider women were 22nd of 33 teams. \”The guys did fantastic and the women ran the best race they have run since I’ve been here,\” said Rider coach Bob Hamer, now in his fifth year at Rider. \”Almost every woman ran a ‘PR’ (personal record) by a lot. Most ran 30 to 40 seconds faster than they ever ran before, and that is a testament to each of them committing mentally and physically the entire race.\”
For the Rider men, senior John Smith (Cliffwood Beach/Matawan) placed 38th of the 201 runners, covering the 10k course in 31:20. \”Smith was a big-time penetrater up front for us and that really makes a big difference in a meet like this,\” Hamer said.
\”I was with the front pack through the first 5k and just stuck with people up there,\” Smith said. \”I was very happy about that. I just kept pushing to the finish.\”
\”He is running the best of his career right now,\” Hamer said, \”and it’s too bad his career is coming to an end, because he’s really on an upswing right now. He had a really good race at the conference meet and now today was just a great race. He’s a tough kid who puts himself our there.\”
\”That time today was a personal best,\” Smith said. \”This is one of the hardest races because people are trying to qualify for Nationals. It is always easier when you are running with somebody who is pretty good. I guess running with the best runners brings out my best.\”
\”Next week at the IC4As gives John one more chance to get another ‘big-time’ performance,\” Hamer said.
\”With my race at the conference meet (14th overall for All-MAAC honors) and this one, these are two of the best races I’ve had in my career at Rider,\” Smith said, \”so I guess I am running at the highest level of my career right now.\”
Also for the Rider men, freshman Christian Gonzalez (Somerset/Franklin Twp.) placed 58th in 31:45, junior Matt Dahl (West Keansburg/Raritan) was 74th in 32:01. \”With Christian and Matt following through one through three was a great effort for us,\” Hamer said.
Freshman Christopher Reale (Princeton Junction/West Windsor Plainsboro South) was 121st in 33:03 and senior Jeff Stead (Fairless Hills, PA/Pennsbury) placed 122nd in 33:06. \”We were solid four-five,\” Hamer said. \”The guys did fantastic. The key for us was that we had some guys up front do a great job, and that we committed to the race plan today, mentally as well. The middle part of the race we really ran tough, and that is an area we needed to work on.\”
For the Rider women, junior Kelly Wojciehowski (Fair Haven/Rumson Fair Haven) placed first for the Broncs, 97th overall among the 208 runners, covering the 6k course in 22:50.
Sophomore Kelsey Kohler (Southampton, PA/Saint Basil’s Academy) was 109th in 23:09 and junior Megan Crowe (Philadelphia, PA/St. Hubert’s) was 122nd in 23:21. \”Kelsey and Megan both ran a really great race,\” Hamer said. \”Kelly ran a great race but that was expected. Megan has had lots of potential and trains real hard, but today is the best race she’s ever run. I was really happy with her performance.\”
\”That was 50 seconds faster than I’ve ever run at Lehigh,\” said Crowe. \”I was able to stay relaxed throughout the race and had better concentration today. I had more confidence in my training. As a team we really pulled it together and all ran to our potential today.\”
Also for the Rider women sophomore Lauren Lester (Schenectady, NY/Mohonasen) was 136th in 23:43 and freshman Chelsea Callan (Hazlet/Raritan) was 162nd in 24:21.
The cross country season concludes at the IC4A/ECAC Championships November 17 at Van Cortlandt Park.
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