Palmer’s leap of faith to Rider track
By Benjamin Shinault
Some athletes are born to become stars. Others train, night and day, to become the best they can be. But for one athlete in particular, it seemed as if he was destined to be a high-flying star for Rider track and field, even if he did not know it.
Michael Palmer, a junior high-jumper and long jumper, has been racking up field awards all season. On April 15, Palmer won his second consecutive Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Field Performer of the Week award and won Rider athlete of the month in February.
In Rider’s dominant showing at the Rider Invitational on April 18, Palmer won the high-jump event with a leap of 2.05m. At the highly-competitive Duke Invitational on April 12, Palmer finished fourth in high-jump, qualifying him for Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes.
At the MAAC championships in February, Palmer took home the MAAC title in high-jump, with a jump of 2.05m.
Palmer then, at the Sam Howell Invitational this season, cleared 2.10m, the third-highest mark in Rider program history. It is the highest mark in the MAAC and could qualify Palmer for the NCAA championships in May.
One would think that Palmer has been training for meets, invites and championships his whole life, but they would be mistaken.
A three-sport athlete
“I actually started my junior year of high school,” Palmer said. “One of my friends had me come out, I really didn’t think too much of it and my first year, I ended up doing pretty good and I ended up sticking with it.”
Palmer, a Hawthorne, New Jersey native, considered himself more of a football and basketball player, not a track star.
“I grew up playing football and basketball,” Palmer said. “I never really thought of track as a sport I would be doing at the collegiate level but here I am now.”
Palmer was in varsity football and basketball in high school. On the football field, he played wide receiver and cornerback, and finished his career with eight receiving touchdowns and accumulated five interceptions and 41 tackles.
On the court, the former point guard finished with 350 career points, including 29 career-made 3-pointers.
Although Palmer had success on the court and the field, the three-sport athlete found his true calling on the track.
‘We became brothers’
“Coming into college, I didn’t even expect to even do track in college, I wasn’t thinking my track career would take off but at this point now, honestly everything is a blessing,” Palmer said.
When he first stepped foot on Rider’s campus in the fall of 2022, Palmer met junior jumper Josh Burgess.
Not only was Burgess a great outlet for Palmer as a teammate, but the two have been close ever since they first laced up their spikes.
“We’ve been here together since freshman year,” Palmer said. “We’ve always been roomed together so we have been able to build that relationship through these three years.”
Burgess, who has seen Palmer on and off the track for the past three years, has seen quite the character development.
“Off the track, Michael [Palmer] is probably one of the funniest people I have met at my time at Rider.” Burgess said, “He’s genuinely a person that is going to look out for you, make sure you are good … if you have a goal, he’s going to make sure you get it.”
Burgess, who is from Ewing, New Jersey, was not close with the track and field team during his freshman year because of commuting to Rider but it was Palmer who made him feel comfortable.
“The first time that we really met was at a track meet and at that time I personally wasn’t close with the team because I commute,” Burgess said, “So, we ended up rooming together and from that moment, I feel like we just clicked and that became my brother from that point on.”
With both Palmer and Burgess being jumpers, Burgess has seen all of Palmer’s success and has seen some failed attempts at trying to eclipse the bar.
“We were at this one track meet … it was freezing out and I remember that we were all doing high jump and Palmer jumps up and he hits the bar and the bar snaps,” Burgess said with a chuckle.
Whether it was seeing Palmer snap the bar or cheer on his teammates, Palmer always sets the example for Burgess and the rest of his teammates.
“He’s putting in four hours of physically demanding stuff and he probably takes another hour-plus to himself to make his body OK,” Burgess said.
‘I’m a man of faith’
With winning award after award, Palmer states that it is hard to describe what he is feeling in the moment an award is bestowed to him, a sense of surrealism coursing through Palmer.
“When something like that happens, it’s obviously a surprise and the feeling, I can’t really explain it but, it’s definitely a surreal moment.” Palmer said.
Palmer credits a lot of his on-the-track success to his faith.
“When it comes down to it, to put your faith in something other than just you because as humans we always fall short, each and every day so to be able to put my faith in something else personally puts me at peace” Palmer said.
