BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- For the third straight week and fourth 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 ECAC Division III Championships over the weekend as she tied for 12th place in the high jump with a leap of 5 feet, 2.5 inches (1.59 meters).

Richner was also named MASCAC Rookie of the Week earlier this season for her performances at the Tufts Snowflake Classic, the Division III New England Championships and the NEICAAA 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.

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) at the BU John Thomas Terrier Invitational.