This marks the eighth of nine Best of U. features for 2009-10. As profiled in this piece, University of Maine sophomore runner Riley Masters has accomplished much over the last five years after not making the baseball team as a freshman in high school. A native of Bangor, Maine, Masters found his way to Orono where he has become hugely successful. After an All-American indoor track season, Masters willl compete at the 2010 America East Outdoor Track & Field Championship at the University of New Hampshire on May 1 and 2. This feature is written by Andrew Mahoney, Assistant Manager of Athletic Media Relations at Maine.
From Local Hero to Division I All-American: Riley Masters
University of Maine track standout Riley Masters is coming off an indoor track season that saw him shatter the record books. From a winning repeat performance in the 5,000 meter at the America East Indoor Championship, to breaking the 4-minute mile barrier, to qualifying for the NCAA Championships and finally to being named an All-American. His story could have been one of those ‘What might have been...” but his story is one of accomplishment from local high school star to NCAA All-American.
Masters was not a track prodigy as a youth, as he did not compete in organized track until he was a freshman in high school.
“I first ran track when I got cut from the baseball team. Baseball was my love when I was a little kid and that’s what I loved playing. When I got cut, I was like ‘I might as well give it a shot.’ It ended up working out for me.”
Work out did it ever. Masters had a couple of close family friends that helped him excel at running. One friend, Dave Jeffrey, was a coach at a rival high school.
“He pushed me a lot, told me I had a lot of potential, even though he was from a rival school.”
Masters first burst onto the scene as a junior, when he led Bangor High School to indoor and outdoor class A state championships.
“I knew my junior year we were going to have a pretty talented team for indoor and outdoor track, so I think that helped progress my running career. I knew I had to pick up some points for the team. It’s funny, I had my teammate Casey Quaglia, who runs for Binghamton now, and we used to finish 1-2 in races all the time. But he was always the ‘one’ and I was always the ‘two.’”
“I definitely owe a lot to Casey, he really pushed me along and really told me about collegiate running.”
While Quaglia went on to Binghamton, Masters decided to stay local and go to the state University.
“(Coach) Mark (Lech) really made a good impression on me. He told me he could make me a good runner, so he really had a strong influence on me.”
Despite being injured for the cross country season this year, Masters rebounded to have one of the most memorable seasons for any athlete to ever wear a Maine uniform in any sport.
After running 3:59.97 at the Valentine Invitational in Boston, the first Black Bear ever to do so and thought to be the youngest Maine native ever to accomplish the feat, Masters when to the Columbia Last Chance Meet to try to qualify for the NCAAs. He ran 3:59.07 and was seeded ninth at the NCAA Championships.
Going into the NCAAs, Masters was excited, and received plenty of encouragement.
“The guys on the team really pushed me and told me not to be intimidated by the ‘big name’ schools.”
Masters finished second in his preliminary heat before finishing fifth in the finals to earn All-American status. Even though the All-American status is a great honor, Masters has enjoyed the reaction from the community the best.
“The community reaction has been great. That’s been my favorite part.”
Among the community reaction: an invitation to the Maine House of Representatives, numerous letters and emails from friends, coaches, and people throughout the state of Maine and a plethora of stories in the newspaper and on TV.
Masters still finds time to volunteer locally, run in charity road races and is part of the University’s Male Athletes Against Violence group. He is a Maine Scholar-Athlete Award winner and was selected to the 2009 Fall America East Academic Honor Roll. In addition, he was nominated for the prestigious M Club Dean Smith Award, given annually to the male and female student-athlete with outstanding academic and athletic achievement along with citizenship and community service.
When Masters graduates he hopes to find a sponsor so that he can pursue a professional career and possibly compete at the 2016 Olympics, when he will still only be 26 years old.
Despite all his talents and accolades, perhaps his best trait is his modesty. “I really am just Riley from Bangor.” Riley the All-American that is.
America East: Developing Champions in Academics, Athletics and
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