Sterling’s Jah’mere Beasley broke one school record and just missed another in a very fast sprint double Monday evening at the NJAC Championships at Ocean Breeze.
Beasley placed second to Ramapo’s Cheickna Traore in both the 60 and the 200 but ran PRs of 6.89 and 21.60.
The 6.89 broke the school record of 6.92 set in 2020 by Julian Pratt of Camden, and the 21.60 missed the school record of 21.56 set in 1999 by Rich Dixon of Dover (Del.) by 4-100ths of a second.
Beasley’s times are No. 4 in NCAA Division 3 in the 200 and No. 24 in the 60.
Traore, who came into the meet ranked No. 2 in NCAA Division 3 with a 21.34 at Boston University earlier this month, won the 200 in 21.38, well under the meet record of 21.57 set by Dixon at the 1999 meet.
Beasley’s time is No. 19 in NCAA Division 3 indoor track history and No. 3 in NJAC indoor history, behind Traore and Dixon.
Dixon arrived at Rowan as a soccer player before becoming one of the top sprinters in the country. He was the 1997 Division 3 outdoor 400 champ with a 47.33 in LaCrosse, Wisc.
Beasley and Rowan freshman Nana Agyemang from Parsippany both ran under 22 seconds, Beasley in 2ndand Agyemang 3rd in 21.87. Highland graduate Robert McKinney [5th in 22.29] gave Rowan 18 points in the event. Bordentown graduate Carson Latham, a Stockton freshman, was 7th in the race in 22.36.
For Beasley, the 21.60 is an indoor PR. His previous indoor best was a 21.86 in Boston earlier this month. Beasley’s outdoor PR is a wind-legal [1.7] 21.18 for 2nd place at NCAA Division 3 outdoor championships last spring in Greensboro, N.C.
Beasley ran 21.30 outdoors at Sterling in the 2019 Meet of Champions. He never ran indoor track in high school.
Traore, who graduated from Innovation Charter in Jersey City and competed for Snyder, never broke 23 seconds for 200 meters in high school. His lifetime best before this month was 21.68 outdoors and 21.80 indoors.
Traore’s 21.34 last week ranks No. 6 in NCAA Division 3 history.
Traore won the 60 in 6.80, which broke the meet record of 6.89 by another Ramapo sprinter, Ackeme Brown, in 2012. His 60 time is No. 26 in NCAA Division history.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 