BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- For the second straight week and third time this season, Bridgewater State University freshman Samantha Richner has been selected as the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Women's Outdoor Track & Field Rookie of the Week.

A native of Hanson, Massachusetts, Richner was the Bears' top finisher at the New England Intercollegiate Amateur Athletic Association (NEICAAA) Championships over the weekend as she tied for tenth in the high jump with a leap of five feet, five inches (1.65 meters).  

Richner was also named MASCAC Rookie of the Week earlier this season for her performances at the Tufts Snowflake Classic and at the Division III New England Championships.  At DIII New Englands, she tied the school outdoor high jump mark of five feet, six inches (1.68 meters) set by BSU Hall of Famer Judy Smith in 1980 and equaled by Smith in 1981.

Richner currently ranks 13th in all of Division III in the high jump.

During the winter indoor season, Richner earned MASCAC Rookie of the Week honors an impressive six times.  She set the Bears' indoor high jump record with a mark of five feet, five inches (1.65 meters) early this year at the BU John Thomas Terrier Invitational.

Next weekend, qualifying members of the BSU women's outdoor track and field team will compete at the ECAC Division III Championships hosted by RPI.