Historical Achievements
• The 1930 men’s basketball team was the first college team in the country to ever score 1,000 points in a season.
• The 1963-64 men’s basketball team defeated nationally ranked NYU, ending a 57-game, 23-year home court winning streak.
• Richard "Digger" Phelps '63 '64 won nearly 400 games over 20 seasons as the head men's basketball coach at Notre Dame and is widely remembered for helping Notre Dame top UCLA in 1974 to end the Bruins' record 88-game winning streak.
• John "Jack" Madden '65 was a two-sport star during his time as a student at Rider in both basketball and baseball. He went on to a 25-year career as a professional basketball official in the ABA and NBA, working several NBA Championship series.
• The 1967 baseball team advanced to the College World Series and finished fifth in the nation.
• In 1973, Bobby Smith was drafted by the Philadelphia Atoms of the NASL and became an All-Star, playing alongside Pelé.
• In 1983, Jeff Kunkel was the third player picked in the first round of the Major League Baseball draft.
• The 1987 baseball team advanced to the title game of the NCAA Regional, the final 16 teams in the national tournament, one win away from the College World Series.
• Jack Armstrong, an All-American pitcher as a Rider sophomore in 1985, started the 1990 MLB All-Star game for the world champion Cincinnati Reds.
• On March 3, 1993, Darrick Suber ’93, sank a 14-foot running jumper at the buzzer that put the Broncs into the NCAA Tournament.
• The wrestling team ranked seventh in the nation over the final five weeks of the 1996-97 season.
• The 1997 men’s soccer team advanced to the first of two consecutive NCAA Tournaments and was ranked 15th in the nation.
• In 2008, Jason Thompson ’08 was the 12th player picked in the NBA draft.
• Jazmine Fenlator ’07 represented the United States as a member of the 2013 Olympic bobsled team.
• The 2013 men’s and women’s outdoor track & field teams both won MAAC Championships.
Bronc Bits
Baseball
Nick Richter ’15 finished first in the nation in stolen bases with a Rider record of 41.
Justin Thomas ’15 was named first team All-MAAC.
Nick Richter ’15 was named second team All-MAAC.
Kyle Kennett ’14 signed a professional contract to play in Europe.
Men’s Basketball
Daniel Stewart ’14 earned second team All-MAAC, Anthony Myles ’14 earned third team All-MAAC and Jimmie Taylor ’12 earned MAAC All-Rookie Team honors.
Women’s Basketball
The team reached the MAAC semifinals for the first time ever, winning two games in the MAAC tournament. Myneshia McKenzie ’14 earned Second Team All-MET and First Team All-MAAC. Julia Duggan ’17 was named to the MAAC All-Rookie team.
Cross-country
Anthony Dentino ’15, Salman Khalid ’17, Megan Elgin ’13 and Nicolette Mateescu ’16 earned All-MAAC honors.
Field Hockey
The team went 5-1 in the first year of MAAC play and won the regular season title. All-time leading scorer Sandra Penas '15 earned All-Region, All-MAAC tournament team and MAAC Player of the Year honors and took part in the National All-Star game.
Men’s Soccer
Eric Elgin earned Academic All-American honors. Christian Flath ’17 earned First Team All-MAAC and was named the MAAC Rookie of the Year.
Women’s Soccer
Senior Jen Meier ’14 was named Honorable Mention NSCAA Scholar All-East Region and a Second Team All-MAAC pick. Freshman Hollie Kelsh ’17 was named Second Team All-MAAC and two other freshmen were named to the MAAC, All-Rookie team.
Softball
Kehli Washington ’14 signed a professional contract to play in Europe.
Swimming & Diving
The men won the MAAC Championships, the women placed second and the team sent five divers to the NCAA Zone meet. Trevor Hiller ’14 was named the MAAC Most Outstanding Performer and Steve Fletcher was named the MAAC Coach of the Year.
Track & Field
The women’s team placed second in both the MAAC Indoor and Outdoor competitions.
Two women, Emily Ritter ’15 and Rhea Phipps ’14, qualified for the NCAA Regional in Jacksonville, Fla.
Volleyball
The team improved its record for the third year in a row and finished with 15 wins, the most in 10 years. Kaitlyn Griffin ’17 was named the MAAC Rookie of the Year and Ryan Ackerman ’17 was named to the MAAC All-Rookie team.
Wrestling
The team qualified five wrestlers for nationals, where they won eight matches. Robert Deutsch ’16, Conor Brennan ’16 and Ramon Santiago ’14 won their weight classes at the EWL championships. Head Coach Gary Taylor collected his 400th career win.
For more information about Rider athletics, visit .
