Sophomore Scott Hubbard from Audubon, junior Joshua Cason from Camden County Vo-Tech and sophomore Shane Vostenak from Bishop Eustace won conference titles Monday at Ocean Breeze, helping Rowan University win its 9th consecutive NJAC championship.
Hubbard and Cason, who are both transfers, won their first NJAC titles, and Vostenak won his 2nd.
Rowan piled up a ridiculous 297 points at Ocean Breeze, which is probably a record but nobody keeps track of this stuff so who knows? It’s a lot of points. Rowan scored 252 in 2018 and I’m guessing that was the highest previous total.
There are 17 events in the New Jersey Athletic Conference Championships, so the Profs averaged 17 ½ points per event. Including relays, where you can only score 10.
Rowan, ranked 7th in NCAA Division 3, scored at least 16 points in every non-relay track event and at least eight in every event other than the weight throw.
Incredibly, only 13 of those 297 points were scored by seniors – Shamir Love from Bridgeton tied for 2nd in the 60 and and Marquise Young from Sterling placed 3rd in the 60-meter hurdles.
And Rowan scored 297 points without doubling anybody other than short sprinters.
Rowan outscored The College of New Jerey by 184 points, winning by a final margin of 297-113. Stockton placed 3rd with 78 points.
60-METER DASH [19 points]: Senior Shamir Love from Bridgeton, sophomore Evan Corcoran from Kingsway and sophomore Masai Byrd from Rancocas Valley went T2-T2-4, Love and Corcoran splitting 14 points with both in 6.88 and Byrd 6.93.
200-METER DASH [25 points]: Corcoran finished just 4-100ths of a second out of 1st, leading a 2-3-4-5-7 Rowan finish. Corcoran ran 21.98, junior Nana Agyemang from Parsippany was 3rd in 21.99, freshman Eli Hendricks from Penns Grove 4th in 22.01, Byrd 5th in 22.29 and Coleman 7th in 22.53.
400-METER DASH [35 points]: Amara Conte from Ferris High in Jersey City won the race in 48.54, with senior Nicholas Razze from Pitman 2nd in 49.06, junior Samuel Milevoix of Union County Vo-Tech 3rd in 49.49, sophomore Jason Agyemang from North Plainfield 4th in 50.28, junior James Coleman from Audubon 5th in 50.43 and sophomore Jarquil Young from Sterling 7th in 50.85.
800-METER RUN [18 points]: Sophomore Scott Hubbard from Audubon won by nearly three seconds with a big lifetime-best 1:53.78, sophomore Tyler Greene of Ocean City was 3rd in 1:57.60 and freshman Teddy Wilson from Toms River North placed 7th in 2:00.26. Hubbard is a little over a second off the school record of 1:52.63 set by South Brunswick’s Nick Neville at the NJAC meet in 2018.
MILE [16 points]: The Profs went 2-4-6 with Jacob Riley of North Warren 2nd [4:17.88], freshman Johannes Rivera from Bergenfield 4th [4:21.39] and freshman Colin Patterson from Haddon Heights 6th [4:24.91].
3,000-METER RUN [19 points]: Junior Joshua Cason from Camden County Vo-Tech ran 8:45.25 and won by a second, with sophomore Cole Kolodziej from Washington Township 3rd in 8:47.00 and junior Dario Epifania from South Brunswick 6th in 9:02.14.
5,000-METER RUN [26 points]: Sophomore Shane Vostenak from Bishop Eustace (not Pennsauken, as Rowan’s web site says), junior Matthew Conway of Haddon Township and junior Giancarlo Vega from Timber Creek swept the top three spots, Vostenak in 15:03.23, Conway 15:09.50 and Vega 15:13.74. Junior Caleb Clevenger of Haddonfield added two points in 7th place in 15:32.14.
60-METER HURDLES [35 points]: You can read all about this historic race here: https://sjtrackblog.com/2024/02/19/rowan-soph-kwaku-nkrumah-runs-9th-fastest-hurdles-time-in-ncaa-division-3-history-shatters-meet-and-school-records-at-njac-meet/
800-METER RELAY [10 points]: Junior Robert McKinney from Highland, Love, Hendricks and Byrd won the 4-by-2 by more than two seconds with a season-best 1:28.13, which is the 8th-fastest time in NCAA Division 3 history (and the 6th-fastest time in school history) and fastest in Division 3 this year. The Profs set the D-3 record last year with four other sprinters (Corcoran, Conte, Nana Agyemang, Jah’mere Beasley).
1,600-METER RELAY [10 points]: Milevoix, Razze, Corcoran and Coleman ran 3:23.78 and won the 4-by-4 with ease to close out the meet. Milevoix led off with a 49.69 to build a 15-meter lead at the first handoff, and the Profs were never challenged after that.
DISTANCE MEDLEY [8 points]: Freshman Ethan Fletcher from Wall Township, freshman Nicholas Garman from Cedar Crest in Lebanon, Pa., sophomore Ethan Wellborn from Haddonfield and freshman Liam O’Donnell from Cape Henlopen, Del., ran 10:31.59 for 2nd place.
LONG JUMP [18 points]: Nana Agyemang and freshman Damarion Potts from South Brunswick went 1-2, Agyemang jumping 22-9 ½ and Potts 22-6, both on their 3rd attempts.
TRIPLE JUMP [8 points]: Two freshmen from Passaic County Tech – Joshua Justin and Mikahi Johnson – placed 3rd and 7th, Justin with a 45-5 ¼ and Johnson 41-8 ¾.
HIGH JUMP [29 points]: The Profs swept the top four spots with four freshmen – Potts won it at 6-8 ¼, Paulsboro’s Jamile Gantt was 2nd with a 6-7 ¼ clearance, Arrington Rhym of Hamilton West 3rd with a 6-4 and Anthony Lanteigne of Williamstown at 6-2.
POLE VAULT [11 points]: Sophomore Tyler Raimondi of Toms River South, junior Jason Tomaino of Randolph and sophomore Luke Gnospelius of Ridgewood all placed, Rainmondi and Tomaino in 4th and 15th, both at 14-1 ¼, and Gnospelius tied for 6th with a 13-7 ½ clearance.
SHOT PUT [10 points]: Freshman Chris Guerrieri from Cherry Hill West, a JUCO national champ in the shot last year, placed 2nd with a 50-2 throw, and sophomore Josh Caudill from Delsea was 7th with a 45-10 ¾.
WEIGHT THROW [0 points]: The only event Rowan didn’t score at least eight points.
The College of New Jersey won 17 consecutive team titles through 2014 and Rowan has won every title since. There was no meet in 2021.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 