With Sterling graduates Marquise Young Jah’mere Beasley in the lineup, Rowan ran the fastest 1,600-meter relay in NCAA Division 3 this weekend in Columbia, S.C.
The Profs placed 2nd in the USC Outdoor Open in 3:10.07, which bumped Claremont-Mudd-Scripps of Claremont, Calif., from the top spot on the 2023 Division 3 list. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps ran 3:10.56 in a meet earlier this month at the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif.
Unbelievably, the official results – and this is a major meet at a major Division 1 school – do not include splits, and of course Rowan’s web site barely mentions the performance and doesn’t list any splits.
Young led off, Nana Agyemang from Parsippany High ran second, Beasley third and Amara Conte of Ferris High in Jersey City anchored. Conte ran a PR 47.06 in the open 400 in Columbia, No. 4 in NCAA Division 3.
Rowan missed its school record by 1-100th of a second. The Profs ran 3:10.06 this past May at the NCAA Division 3 Championships at SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio, with John Owens of West Windsor-Plainsboro North leading off, followed by Agyemang, Beasley and Conte.
Rowan’s performance ranks 33rd all-time in NCAA Division 3. The Profs are already the 13th-fastest school in D-3 history, according to the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association web site.
Although it’s not posted yet, Rowan’s 3:10.07 should be No. 40 on the 2023 U.S. list.
The Profs finished 2nd to Alabama State, which won the race in 3:08.61.
Rowan will race some of the top Division 1 schools in the country in the Championship of America 1,600-Meter Relay heats at the 127th annual Penn Relays at Franklin Field. The heats are scheduled for 4 p.m. Friday, and the winner of each of three heats and the next six-fastest schools advancing to the Championship of America final, scheduled for 3:35 p.m. Saturday.
In Columbia, a second Rowan team, with senior Joe DeVito of Jackson Liberty, freshman Evan Corcoran from Kingsway, freshman Masai Byrd of Rancocas Valley and freshman Jason Agyemang of North Plainfield, placed 8th in 3:23.73.
Corcoran also ran 10.38 and 21.55 in the 100 and 200 but both races were greatly wind-aided – the 100 at 4.6 and the 200 at 3.3.
According to the wind-correction calculator, a 10.38 is worth 10.54 with no wind and 10.45 with 2.0 – the maximum allowable wind. The 21.55 is worth 21.75 with no wind and 21.61 at 2.0. Corcoran’s wind-legal PRs are 10.79 and 21.73.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 