Sophomore Kwaku Nkrumah, senior Marquise Young and sophomore Jason Agyemang of Rowan swept the top three spots in the hurdles Saturday morning at the AARTFC Championships at the Golisano Training Center in Nazareth, Pa.
The 60-meter hurdles has a chance to be a huge event for Rowan at NCAA Division 3 Nationals next weekend. Nkrumah, Young, Agyemang and Jacob Kiyler were ranked No. 2, No. 4, No. 13 and No. 18 in NCAA Division 3 coming into the weekend, and the top 20 hurdlers will qualify for nationals starting Friday in Virginia Beach.
On Saturday in the All-Atlantic Region Track and Field Conference Championships, Nkrumah, a freshman from Teaneck, won the race in 8.01, Young, from Sterling, was 2nd in 8.07, and Agyemang, from North Plainfield ran 3rd in 8.08. Sophomore Anais Hughes from Willingboro also scored, placing 8th, which gave Rowan 25 points in one event. Kiyler, a freshman from Toms River North, didn’t run the hurdles this weekend.
Team scoring isn’t really important at the AARTFC meet, it’s all about trying to get NCAA qualifiers. Nkrumah is No. 2 in D-3 at 7.93, Young is No. 4 at 7.96 – those are the two-fastest times in Rowan history – and Agyemang’s 8.08 is a PR, likely moving him up a couple spots on the Division 3 performance list.
Getting no help from Rowan’s web site, but here’s my best attempt at an all-time Rowan hurdles list. If this is accurate, that means four of the six-fastest performers in school history are from this year. If it’s not, lemme know who’s missing!
7.93 … Kwaku Nkrumah [Teaneck], 2024
7.96 … Marquis Young [Sterling], 2024
7.98 … David Benjamin [Freehold Twp.], 2017
8.01 … Bobby Cooks [McArthur, Pembroke Pines, Fla.], 2018
8.07 … Jacob Kiyler [Toms River North], 2024
8.08 … Jason Agyemang [North Plainfield], 2024
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 