Ritter finishes ninth at NCAA Championships
Sussex Tech graduate and Rider University senior Emily Ritter has raced in conference championships, state championships and collegiate championships, but lining up last Saturday night in Eugene, Ore., in the NCAA Steeplechase Final was a new experience for her. Ritter stood in lane four in her Rider University uniform, while Florida State, Michigan State and Penn State stood on her inside, with Princeton, Baylor and Oklahoma State to her outside. Pretty fast company for a girl from Sussex County and the Henlopen Conference.
"It was definitely an unreal feeling just standing there and looking, because there were so many people there," Ritter said of the NCAA finals start at historic Hayward Field. "Just knowing everyone is watching you and everyone at home is watching on TV. It was a crazy feeling."
This spring, despite banging her knee on a couple barriers, she was even faster while continuing to hone her technical skills. Like many steeplechase runners, Ritter prefers to step on the barrier instead of hurdling it.
Ritter reached the 3,000 steeplechase finals and placed ninth in 9:54.72. She was second in her qualifying heat, despite getting spiked. She had run a personal-best 9:54.34 at the NCAA Regionals in Jacksonville, Fla., to qualify for the NCAA Championships.
"It was frustrating at the end though, which kind of put a damper on the whole experience," she said.
"There was a lot of pressure last year just to run a time that qualified me for each meet," Ritter said, referring to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, ECAC and NCAA Regional events. "This year was more of trying to work on the mental part and some of the skill of jumping the hurdle and competing."
She ended up having, Rider coach Bob Hamer said, "one of those dream seasons."
Ritter was the first female from Rider to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Ritter placed second last fall in the ECAC Cross Country Championships and set Rider track records indoors in the mile (4:50.1) and outdoors in the 1,500 (4:31.60).
A biology and secondary education major, Ritter has one season of cross-country eligibility left at Rider, which is located in Lawrenceville, N.J., near Trenton. Her track career at Rider is done; however, her steeplechase days are likely just beginning.
On Wednesday night, I spoke to Ritter, and she was waiting to learn if she'd earned a spot in the USA Track and Field Championships back in Eugene June 25-28.
"Hopefully," she said, "I can step back and then kind of build up to the next level."
The heat is on!
As a race director, I am always thinking of the safety of the runners, including the course, traffic control, water stops and getting runners to the finish safe and sound. Years ago, the Seashore Striders team made a decision to move from the traditional 9 a.m. start to 8:30 a.m. Then we went to 8 a.m., and not too long ago, we moved our summer series starts to 7:30 a.m. The 7:30 a.m. start was due to less traffic and cooler temperatures. The temperature can rise 10 to 15 degrees in just 30 minutes. I use a formula of 160, which I stole from Dave Frederick, that's basic and simple. If the heat and humidity add up to 160 or more, you should not race. Last weekend at the Seashore Striders 5K in Rehoboth, the event traditionally splits the genders, with the female race at 7:30 a.m. and the men at 8 a.m. After monitoring the weather leading up to the race, I made a decision to run one race and start it at 7:40 a.m., which would have everyone in by 8:30 a.m. The runners loved the call, and by 8:25 a.m. everyone was in safe.
Following the race, a participant named Katie approached me in the timing trailer and thanked me for making the call to go earlier. She said many directors throughout the country do not look out for runners' safety and sometimes they go later to get more participants. “I was thrilled when I saw your email the week before the race alerting the runners to the potential heat and reminding people to hydrate," said Katie. “You clearly put a lot of thought and effort into your races, and I appreciate that the runners' health is in your mind.” Katie works for a company that produces heat stress meters that measure heat index as well as wet-bulb globe temperature. “We partner with an organization called KSI to help prevent sudden death in sport, namely due to heat-related (preventable) complications.” The DROP D2 Heat Stress Monitor is the size of a key fob and transmits temperature, humidity and heat index wirelessly to your iOS device (Android late summer), triggering alarms when conditions pass thresholds you set. "Our full-featured 4600 Heat Stress Tracker measures and records WBGT, temperature, humidity and even headwind/tailwind and can transfer data to a computer via Bluetooth." Katie explained that “Carrying a Kestrel ensures you will always have good measurements that are far more accurate than that weather report in your phone.”
Katie and I have worked out a partnership to have her Heat Stress Monitors at Seashore Striders events during the summer months, which will add a little more safety to the events. Thank you, Katie!
Seashore Striders Triple Crown
June 19 - Georgetown Library 5K Run, 7 p.m., Georgetown.
June 20 - Irish Eyes 5K Run, 8 a.m., Milton.
June 21 - 25th Father's Day 5K, 7:30 a.m., Rehoboth Beach.
