Thursday, Jun 5, 2025
Department earns 3rd men's cup since joining league in 1997-98
by Rider Sports Information
Rider University Athletics has earned the MAAC Men's Commissioner's Cup for the second straight year and the third time in school history, the league office has announced. Rider first won the award in the program's inaugural year in the league in 1997-98.
On the strength of team championships from men's indoor and outdoor track & field and regular season titles from baseball and men's soccer, the Broncs accumulated 95.50 points to beat out Iona (84.00 points) for the trophy this year. The Broncs also finished third in the overall Commissioner's Cup standings. Each institution is scored in all championships that it fields a varsity team. However, only the scores from basketball participation, plus the other top six championships are used to determine an institution's total points.
"To win the Richard J. Ensor, Esq. MAAC Commissioner's Cup on the men's side for the second consecutive year is a testament to the hard work, collaboration, dedication and competitive grit of our student-athletes, coaches and support staff," says Rider Athletic Director Don Harnum. "To finish third in the overall standings in the expanded 13 team MAAC is certainly an accomplishment to be proud of and celebrated as well."
Rider men's soccer got things started in the fall with a regular-season title and a run to the tournament championship game. The team's 20.0 combined points for regular-season and tournament success was second-most among Rider teams to baseball (21.0), which won the outright MAAC Regular Season Championship on the heels of consecutive walk-off home runs against Fairfield to finish ahead of the Stags in the standings.
The Broncs also utilized the cross country team's 12.0 points from a second-place finish at MAAC Championships, the highest finish in program history.
In the winter, the Broncs earned 12.0 points from the track & field team's third-straight MAAC Championship and 10.0 points from the men's basketball team's tie for eighth in the regular-season standings, followed by a MAAC Championship first round victory.
In addition to the baseball team's regular-season title and tournament run, the spring was highlighted by the outdoor track & field team's third-straight MAAC Championship in May. Men's tennis also supplied 9.5 points on the strength of a run to the MAAC Championship Finals.