Marquise Young, a Rowan freshman from Sterling, ran PR’d in the high hurdles Saturday at Ithaca.
Young ran 8.30 to place second in the 60-meter hurdles at the Bomber Invitational at the Ithaca (N.Y.) Athletics and Events Center.
His time is No. 19 in NCAA Division 3 this year and No. 5 among freshmen. It’s also No. 1 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference, well ahead of No. 2 Cameryn Martin of Montclair State at 8.63.
Young was second in the 110-meter highs last spring at the NJAC Championships at Ramapo University in Mahwah as part of a 1-2-3 Profs sweet. Sophomore Liam Davies won at 15.14, Young ran 15.18 and freshman Kevin King from Ocean City 15.32.
Neither Davies nor King has raced this year for Rowan, but Young has run consistently in the low 8.3’s in his first year over the 42-inch barriers indoors.
He ran 8.32 at Ocean Breeze in January and then 8.36 on the same track later in January.
On Saturday, Young ran 8.46 in the qualifying heats before his PR 8.30 in the final.
At Sterling, Young ran 56.46 in the intermediates and 15.10 in the 110 highs and medaled in both races at sectionals. He spent the 2019 outdoor season at Camden County College, earning All-America honors with 2nd-place finishes in both hurdles races at NJCAA Division 3 Nationals at Mohawk Valley Community College in Utica, N.Y., and running PRs of 15.29 over the 42-inch hurdles and 55.51 in the 400IH.
He didn’t run the intermediates last spring in his first year at Rowan but lowered his 110HH PR to 14.98 in a meet at The College of New Jersey in Ewing.
Young races Friday at the Fasttrack National Invitational at Ocean Breeze. The NJAC Championships are scheduled for Feb. 21, also at Ocean Breeze.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 