From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

Rowan senior James Coleman from Audubon ran a couple massive PRs Saturday in Chester, Pa.

Racing at the Danny Curran Invitational at Widener, Coleman dropped his 200 PR from 21.90 down to 21.57 and lowered his 400 PR from 49.39 to 48.68.

Let’s start with the 200.

His time is top 20 in NCAA Division 3 so far this year – No. 18 to be exact – and No. 2 in the NJAC, behind TCNJ freshman Maxim Rychkov, a double All-America indoors, who ran 21.40 Saturday in San Antonio, Texas.

Coleman ran 21.90 last May on the same track in Chester, Pa. That was actually his last outdoor meet. He also had a wind-aided [2.3] 21.87 when he placed 4th at the NJAC Championships last May in Galloway Township.

Coleman is the 7th current Rowan sprinter who’s run under 21.70 with legal wind.

Freshman Rajahn Dixon of Eastern ran 21.34 indoors, sophomore Eli Hendricks from Penns Grove ran 21.45 in May, senior Robert McKinney of Highland ran 21.47 in May, junior Evan Corcoran from Kingsway ran 21.59 last April, senior Shamar Love of Bridgeton ran 21.64 in May and senior Nana Agyamang from Parsippany ran 21.68 in May.

Coleman never broke 23 seconds in high school, PR’ing with a 23.09 at an indoor meet at Ocean Breeze. His outdoor PR was 23.79 at 2019 Group 1 sectionals at Washington Township.

He started his college career at Rowan College Gloucester County, where he broke 23 seconds for the first time in the spring of 2022 in a meet at Elizabethtown, Pa. He lowered his PR to 22.41 at Widener in the spring of 2023 and then to a wind-aided 22.15 at JUCO nationals in Utica, N.Y., where he earned his second All-America honor.

Last April, he broke through with two PRs in a meet at Widener, running 22.13 and 49.85, his first time under 50. He broke 22 for the first time when he placed 4th at outdoor NJACs in Galloway Township last May, but that was wind-aided at plus-2.3.

He finally ran wind-legal sub-22 at Widener last May with a 21.90 and that remained his PR until he dropped that 21.57 this weekend.

So he’s now run more than two seconds faster for an outdoor 200 in college than he did in high school. He PR’d at 400 with a 49..39 at the AARTFC Championships in Cortland, N.Y., last May and placed 6th in the 400 at the indoor NJAC meet last month at the Ott Center.

And onto the 400!

Coleman ran 52.17 in high school, PR’ing at indoor states at the Bubble in 2020, in his last race before the shutdown. That remained his PR until he ran 51.72 at that same meet at Elizabethtown in April 2022. He dropped to 51.51 in April of 2023 at a meet in Newark and then 50.93 at Widener a week later. In his final JUCO race, he broke 50 for the first time, running 49.78 at JUCO Nationals in Utica and placing 3rd.

He dropped to 49.50 at TCNJ last April and 49.39 at few weeks later at Cortland, N.Y. That remained his PR until this past weekend.

His 48.68 is No. 1 in the NJAC so far this year, just ahead of teammate freshman teammate Luke Halbruner from Ocean City, who PR’d at 48.73. Halbruner’s previous PR was a 49.46 at Delsea last May.

Also under 50 for the Profs were Jarquil Young of Sterling [49.51] and Nicholas Garmin of Cedar Crest High in Lebanon, Pa. [PR 49.79].