Rider Broncs
The Rider Broncs are the athletic teams of Rider University, a private nonsectarian university in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, United States. The school is a Division I member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and its athletes compete in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). Rider is the only member that is not a Catholic institution. For wrestling only, Rider is an affiliate member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC).
| Rider Broncs | |
|---|---|
 | |
| University | Rider University |
| Conference | Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Mid-American Conference |
| NCAA | Division I |
| Athletic director | Don Harnum |
| Location | Lawrenceville, New Jersey |
| Varsity teams | 18 |
| Basketball arena | Alumni Gymnasium |
| Baseball stadium | Sonny Pittaro Field |
| Nickname | Broncs |
| Colors | Cranberry, White, and Gray[1] |
| Website | www |
The intercollegiate sports program at Rider was started by coach Clair Bee in the 1920s. Two of the school's most famous athletic alumni are former Notre Dame basketball coach and current ESPN sportscaster Digger Phelps, who played basketball at Rider from 1959 to 1963 and Jason Thompson who played basketball at Rider from 2004 to 2008 and was drafted by the Sacramento Kings with the 12th pick of the 2008 NBA Draft.
Men's sports
Baseball
- See footnote.[2]
The baseball team has won two MAAC championships (2008, 2010), three NEC titles (1994, 1995, 1996), and six ECC titles (1984-1987, 1989, 1992) and participated in 14 NCAA Regional Tournaments and one College World Series (1967). The baseball team plays its home games at Sonny Pittaro Field on campus.
Men's basketball
Alumnus Jason Thompson started his NBA career in 2008.
Men's cross country
Men's soccer
The Men's Soccer team has won five MAAC Championships (1997, 1998, 2015, 2016, 2018) and participated in five NCAA tournaments.
Men's swimming and diving
The men's swimming and diving team has won 10 MAAC Championships (2004, 2012-2020) and has won the last nine titles in a row.
Men's track and field
Men’s track and field has won one MAAC Indoor Championship (2017) and two MAAC Outdoor Championships (2004, 2013) and is currently coached by Penn State All-American Bob Hamer (Penn State).
Men's wrestling
Rider wrestling practices in a 3,600 square foot mat room on the top floor of the Mauer Center while home meets are held in Alumni Gym, which seats 1,650. In 2013, Rider left the CAA as an associate member shortly after the CAA announced that it would no longer sponsor wrestling and joined the Eastern Wrestling League. On March 5, 2019 it was announced that Rider along with the other six members of the EWL would be joining the Mid-American Conference as affiliate members starting in academic year 2019-2020, making the MAC the second largest conference in Division I Wrestling. The Broncs won the MAC East Division in their first season in the MAC.
Rider Broncs Wrestling has gained national recognition by longtime head coach Gary Taylor, who retired after the 2016-17 season. Former Rider All-American John Hangey was named his replacement. The Broncs have had 17 individual All-American wrestlers, including four in Taylor's last three seasons.
Women's sports
Women's basketball
Rider's women's basketball team has made the WNIT twice (2017, 2019) and finished as the #1 seed in the MAAC in 2019-2020. Stella Johnson became the first Lady Bronc to score 2,000 points on February 20, 2020 against Quinnipiac. She was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2020 WNBA draft by the Phoenix Mercury, with the 29th overall pick. She was waived by the Mercury before the start of the season, but was signed by the Chicago Sky on June 29, 2020.[4] On July 28, she made her WNBA debut in a win over the Los Angeles Sparks.[5] On August 12, she was waived by the Sky.[6] On August 13, the Washington Mystics signed Johnson after they were issued an emergency hardship waiver.
Women's cross country
Women's field hockey
The field hockey team now competes in the NEC, where the Broncs have won six titles (2000, 2002, 2004, 2010-2012) and played in six NCAA Play-In games.
Women's soccer
The women's soccer team has won one MAAC title (2014) and participated in one NCAA Tournament (2014).
Women's softball
The softball team has won one NEC Championship (1997), one MAAC Championship (2003) and participated in two NCAA tournaments (1997, 2003).
Women's swimming and diving
The women's swimming and diving team has won three MAAC Championships (2001, 2003, 2009).
Women's track and field
The women's track and field team has won two MAAC Indoor Championships (2007, 2020) and three MAAC Outdoor Championships (2004, 2007, 2013).
Athletics Hall of Fame
- For an alphabetical list of inductees, see footnote[3]
As of June 13, 2011, there are 98 members in the Rider University Athletics Hall of Fame.[3] The first inductions were in October 1990.[3]
Notable alumni
- See: Rider University#Notable alumni (sports)
Footnotes
- Rider University Graphic Standards Manual and Editorial Style Guide (PDF). Retrieved April 16, 2016.
- Baseball. Rider Broncs (Rider University Athletics official website). Retrieved 2010-02-21.
- "Hall of Fame". Rider University Athletics official website. Retrieved 2012-01-12.
