Sterling graduate Jah’mere Beasley ran a 47.65 third leg and Rowan annihilated the school record in the 1,600-meter relay Saturday in Boston.
Beasley, a Rowan sophomore, teamed up with Charlie Serrano-Juarez of Matawan, Nana Agyemang of Parsippany and Amara Conte of Ferris High in Jersey City to run 3:12.80 at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational at Boston University.
It’s the fastest indoor 4-by-400 time by an NCAA Division 3 school in 15 years and No. 6 all-time.
The Profs finished second to Division 1 Yale, which ran 3:11.99.
Rowan’s time is No. 1 in NCAA Division 3 this year and fastest since Lincoln (Pa.) ran 3:11.85 at the 2007 IC4A meet on the same track at B.U. Meet of Champions winner Lance Wigfall of East Orange was on that 2007 Lincoln team as was Neptune graduate Corey Wright.
The performance puts Rowan at No. 6 on the all-time NCAA Division 3 list and only two schools have ever run faster.
Here’s a look at the top-10 indoor 4-by-4 times in NCAA Division 3 according to the USTFCCCA [United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches of America]:
3:11.0h … Lincoln, 2004
3:11.75 … Wisconsin-La Crosse, 2004
3:11.85 … Lincoln, 2007
3:12.52 … Lincoln, 2002
3:12.79 … Lincoln, 2004
3:12.80 … Rowan, 2022
3:13.31 … Wheaton, 2006
3:13.48 … Mt. Union, 2014
3:13.56 … Southern Maine, 2014
3:13.68 … Wisconsin-La Crosse, 2003
Rowan’s previous indoor school record was 3:15.00, set by Chris Mesiano of Schalick [49.6], freshman Justin Bishop of Mainland Regional [48.6], sophomore Nick Neville of South Brunswick [49.3] and Francis Terry of Sterling [47.5]at the 2018 NCAA Division 3 championships in Birmingham, Ala.
That 3:15.00 is also the previous fastest indoor 4-by-4 by any New Jersey Athletic Conference school.
Rowan’s previous best time this year was 3:15.19 at the Great Dane Classic at Ocean Breeze with a lineup that included Beasley, Conte, Jake Kolodziej of Washington Township and Treshan Stevenson of Millville.
Serrano led off for Rowan with a 50.34, with Agyemang following with a 47.74 split to move the Profs up into 8th place and Beasley running 47.65 to pass runners from American International, Harvard, U. Mass Lowell, Northeastern and Davidson and move the Profs into 3rd place.
Conte then anchored in 47.06, passing the Southern Connecticut State anchor and moving Rowan into second. Conte also ran 48.21, No. 4 in Division 3 this winter.
If you take the fastest splits from Rowan’s various 4-by-4s so far this year, you’d have Kolodziej at 48.32, Agyemang at 47.74, Beasley at 47.65 and Conte’s 47.06, which adds up to 3:10.77 and would put Rowan under the existing NCAA Division 3 record.
Rowan competes Monday in the NJAC Championships at Ocean Breeze.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 