Sincere Rhea, a national high school hurdles champ and Big Ten champion at Penn State, has resurfaced at Texas Tech, his 3rd college since he graduated from St. Augustine.
Rhea said on social media he’s transferring from Miami to Texas Tech for what will presumably be his final year of competition.
Rhea, a native of Maurice River Township, Cumberland County, graduated from St. Augustine in the spring of 2019 after winning Armory Nationals in the 60-meter hurdles indoors and then placing 2nd in in Greensboro Nationals outdoors.
He spent the 2020 and 2021 indoor seasons and 2021 outdoor seasons at Penn State, missing 2020 outdoors when the season was wiped out because of COVID. He won the Big Ten title in the 60-meter highs over the 42-inch hurdles in February 2021 in Geneva, Ohio, and raced at NCAAs indoors and outdoors in 2021.
He didn’t compete indoors in 2022 and resurfaced at Miami in the spring of 2022 and competed in Coral Gables through this past indoor season. He ran his PR of 13.48 in the prelims of the ACCs last spring in Raleigh, N.C., and placed 4th in the final. That made him the 20th-ranked U.S. hurdler in 2023.
His last meet was ACC indoors the weekend of Feb. 22-24, and he didn’t compete outdoors. He’s competed in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 indoors but because of COVID may have a 5th year of indoor eligibility. If he’s pursuing his masters at Texas Tech that would also give him a 5th year of eligibility. He’s only competed in 2021, 2022 and 2023 outdoors so will have at least one remaining year of outdoor eligibility and possibly two? Nobody really knows the rules so we’ll just have to wait and see.
Rhea ranks 2nd in Penn State history in the 60-meter hurdles at 7.76 behind only Guy Rose of Wayne Hills, who ran 7.69 in 2001, and he ranks 6th in the 110 highs at 13.89. He ranks 3rd in Miami history indoors at 7.73 and 2nd outdoors with that 13.48, trailing only Devon Hill of Trenton, who ran 13.35 in 2012.
Rhea’s 13.48 was under the qualifying mark for the U.S. Olympic Trials but came five weeks before the qualifying window opened, and Rhea elected not to chase a qualifier after the 2023 season ended.
Rhea is the 4th-fastest hurdler ever from South Jersey, behind Olympic bronze medalist Jack Pierce [12.94 in 1996], Camden’s Anwar Moore [13.12 in 2007] and Willingboro’s Isaac Williams [13.43 in 2016].
Texas Tech school records are 7.52 at 2023 indoor Big 12s in Lubbock, Texas, by current Red Raider Caleb Dean and 13.23 by Omo Osaghae at the 2011 Texas Relays in Austin.
Dean, the first hurdler in history to win NCAA titles in both the 60-meter highs and 400-meter intermediates, reached the finals of the Olympic Trials in the 400 hurdles two weeks ago. He’s ranked 4th in the world at 47.23, 6th in U.S. history. He’ll be a senior at Texas Tech if he doesn’t turn pro.
Rhea will join another former Cape-Atlantic Conference star in Lubbock. Millville graduate Leah Howard was the 9th-ranked freshman javelin thrower in NCAA Division 1 this past spring for the Red Raiders at 164-4, 3rd-best in school history. She ranked 7th among American women Under 20.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 