Women’s track and field claims second title in four years 

By Jake Tiger

With 17 medalists and three Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) champions, Rider women’s track and field captured the 2023 MAAC Indoor Championships on Feb. 19, winning it last in 2020.

The Broncs totalled 193 team points across the two-day meet, enough to beat out Quinnipiac, who took second with 179 points.

“The women really fought hard for this win,” said Head Coach Bob Hamer. “Quinnipiac was outstanding and made it incredibly hard. I am really proud of how the women kept fighting and picking themselves back up after any setback. Championships are really hard to win and they worked for this one.”

Rider’s trio of MAAC champions consisted of sophomore jumper Mariah Stephens, senior thrower Natya Glasco and graduate student captain and distance runner Teagan Schein-Becker all winning their events.

Stephens won the triple jump and the 60-meter hurdles, as the sophomore continued to impress in her young collegiate career. At last year’s indoor championships, Stephens was the long jump and triple jump champion, and named MAAC rookie of the meet.

“Stephens was great today,” said Hamer. “She wins the hurdles in commanding fashion, runs great in the 60 and then wins the triple jump. She was huge for us today.”

In the field, Glasco claimed gold in the shot put, and placed second in the weight throw with a new personal record of 17.54 meters.

Schein-Becker helped the Broncs to a first place finish in the 4×800-meter relay, and her solo efforts earned her first place in the one-mile run. The performance built off of a strong 2022 season for the distance, Schein-Becker winning both the 800-meter and 1500-meter events last spring.

“It was really awesome a few years ago and I knew that I wanted all the teammates who never got to experience that to be able to be a part of something big,” said Schein-Becker in an email to The Rider News. “To be able to have both sides of the men’s and women’s win on that same night was just a great feeling.”

Schein-Becker said that she plans on returning to Rider next season for her sixth year of eligibility, and hopes to bring home another indoor championship in 2024.

Until then, women’s track and field heads to the Fastrack Last Chance Invitational in Staten Island, New York, on Feb. 24.

Rider Track & Field MAAC Champions
Carolo Pascale/The Rider News

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