Rowan’s Rajahn Dixon, a freshman from Eastern, smashed a 26-year-old school record in the 200-meter dash Friday in Boston.
Dixon ran 21.53 at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational at the Boston University Track and Tennis Center, breaking the school record of 21.56 set by 11-time All-America Rich Dixon (no relation) from Dover, Del., at the 1999 NJAC Championships at the Armory.
Dixon’s previous 200 PR was a 21.88 last month at a meet at the Armory. His time is 3rd-fastest in NCAA Division 3 this year, behind Sam Blaskowski of Wisconsin-La Crosse [21.34 last month in La Crosse] and Dylan Doss of Illinois College of Jacksonville, Ill., earlier this month at a meet in Grinnell, Iowa.
At Eastern, Dixon ran 21.92 in February of 2023 at Ocean Breeze. His outdoor PR of 21.40 was set at the 2023 Camden County Championships at Haddon Township without a wind guage. His wind-legal high school PR was 21.57 at West Philly Nationals in June 2023. Dixon did not compete last year.
Also for Rowan, sophomore Eli Hendricks from Penns Grove ran 21.71 in a different section, dropping his PR from a 21.76 he ran at Ocean Breeze last week. He ran his outdoor PR of 21.45 this past May at Widener. He ran 22.27 at Penns Grove when he placed 3rd at the 2023 state Group 1 meet in Somerset.
Jah’mere Beasley of Sterling set the Rowan outdoor 200 mark of 20.91 in 2021 when he placed 6th at the 2021 NCAA Division 3 Championships in Geneva, Ohio.
Dixon also anchored Rowan’s 1,600-meter relay team with a 47.07. The Profs ran a season-best 3:13.15, fastest so far this year in NCAA Division 3. senior Marquise Young from Sterling led off in 48.78, senior Nana Agyemang of Parsippany ran a 49.47 2nd leg and senior Samael Milevoix from Union County Vo-Tech ran a 47.86 3rd leg.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 