Junior Maddie Dischert from Atlantic City High School ran the 3rd-fastest 5,000 in Rider history Friday evening in Boston.
Dischert dropped more than 45 seconds from her PR at the John Thomas Terrier Classic at Boston University, covering 25 laps on the 200-meter track in 16:59.86.
The only faster indoor 5,000 runners in Rider history are school record holder Grace Medei of Notre Dame High in Lawrenceville, who ran a school-record 16:41.95 at Boston University in December of 2024, and Keira Mansure of Northern Burlington, who ran 16:56.62 in March of 2024, also at Boston University.
Only three other Rider women have gone sub-17 outdoors, so Dischert is not just 3rd in school history indoors but 6th in all conditions.
Dischert, from Brigantine, ran her 800s in 2:42.95, 2:44.14, 2:42.57, 2:42.17, 2:45.44 an 2:46.07, closing for 77.94 for her final 400 and 37.13 for her final 200.
Her time is 2nd-fastest by any Atlantic County alum, behind a 16:48.96 by Mainland Regional’s Alyssa Aldridge in Charlottesville, Va., in 2021.
Dischert’s 3,200 PR at Atlantic City was 11:12.31 at Ocean Breeze in February 2023. That’s 5:36.15 per mile. Her pace over 5,000 meters Friday was 5:28.7, so she’s running faster now over 3.1 miles than she ran in high school over two miles.
Her time Friday makes her No. 2 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, behind only Iona’s Tayla Guyton, who ran 16:00.63 at Boston University last month.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 