Tuesday, Jun 4, 2024
Broncs finish second in overall cup standings
by Rider Sports Information
Rider University Athletics has earned the 2023-24 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Men's Commissioner's Cup for the second time in school history; its first since earning the honor in the program's inaugural year in the league in 1997-98. The Broncs also finished second in the overall Commissioner's Cup standings.
"This is a tremendous accomplishment by our student-athletes, coaches and all members of the Rider Athletics team," said Rider Athletic Director Don Harnum. "I speak for the entire Rider community in both recognizing and appreciating the hard work and dedication that led to a great year of athletic success."
On the strength of team championships from men's indoor and outdoor track and field, and men's soccer, the Broncs accumulated 70.30 points to beat out Fairfield (65.00 points) for the trophy. Each institution is scored in all championships that it fields a varsity team. However, only the scores from basketball participation, plus the top six championships, are used to determine an institution's total points.
Rider men's soccer got things started in the fall with a run to the tournament championship; the program's sixth since joining the MAAC. The team's 16.0 combined points for regular season and tournament success was the most of any single Rider team. The Broncs also utilized the cross country team's nine points from a third-place finish at the MAAC Championships.
In the winter, the Broncs got nine points from the track and field team's second-straight MAAC Championship and 8.80 points from the men's basketball team's tie for third in the regular season standings.
In the spring, men's tennis qualified for the MAAC Tournament for the first time since 2010, after which time the tournament cut down to a four-team bracket. With their fourth-place finish, the team garnered 7.50 points for the Broncs. Outdoor track and field again won MAAC Championships in May, cushioning the Broncs' lead with nine more points, while baseball finished third in the MAAC standings and won a game in the championships to give the Broncs 11.0 more points to clinch the Men's Commissioner's Cup.
Not counted toward the MAAC Commissioner's Cup standings was another strong season from Rider wrestling (Mid-American Conference). The Broncs won the MAC East Division Championship outright, going undefeated in dual competition before finishing second at the MAC Tournament. Individually, Quinn Kinner became Rider's 20th All-American, with an eighth-place finish at the NCAA Championships at 149 lbs.
In addition, though the men's golf team score was dropped since in didn't rank among the top six scores at Rider, sophomore Ben Ortwein won the McLeod Trophy as MAAC Individual Champion to advance to the NCAA West Lafayette Regional.