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In March, graduate student Jesse Dellavecchia ’20 became Rider wrestling’s first-ever national finalist, as well as Rider’s 18th NCAA All-American. He advanced to the national championship bout at 157 pounds by pinning top-seeded Ryan Deakin of Northwestern in the biggest win in Rider wrestling history. Prior to Dellavecchia’s win, the furthest a Rider wrestler had gone at the NCAAs was to the third-place bout, an accomplishment the Broncs have boasted five times. After falling in the national championship bout, he ended the season at 11-1. “Jesse has dedicated his life to the sport and has been completely devoted to our program and University from day one on campus,” says Head Coach John Hangey.
Basketball
Freshman guard Makayla Firebaugh earned MAAC Co-Rookie of the Year, becoming the first Rider player to earn the honor in Lynn Milligan’s 14 years as head coach. Firebaugh averaged a team-high 11 points per game this season and was also named to the MAAC All-Championship Team.
Junior guard Dwight Murray Jr. was an All-MAAC and National Association of Basketball Coaches All-District 1 Second Team selection after leading Rider men’s basketball in scoring, rebounding, assists, double-doubles, free-throw percentage and minutes per game this season.
Golf
Senior Austin Devereux won the 119th New Jersey Amateur Championship in August. In his first tournament of Rider’s season, he ran away with the title at the MAAC Spring Kickoff, shooting 10-under par. The next-closest competitor was nine strokes back.
Cross Country
Sophomore Richie Castaneda finished 15th at MAAC Championships to earn All-MAAC honors, helping Rider to a third-place finish as a team. The third-place performance matched Rider’s best-ever finish at MAAC Championships.