Ajani Dwyer, in only his 2nd collegiate outdoor 200, ran the 5th-fastest time in Penn State history Friday in the prelims of the Big Ten Championships.
Dwyer, a freshman from Washington Township, ran 20.51 with a legal 0.8 tailwind and placed 2nd in the 2nd of four heats to USC’s Max Thomas, who’s 7th-fastest in NCAA Division 1 this year at 20.33.
The only South Jersey natives to ever run faster in a wind-legal 200 are Olympic gold medalists Carl Lewis and Dennis Mitchell.
Dwyer advanced to the final as a small-Q qualifier with the 2nd-fastest non-winning time. The four heat winners and the next five-fastest times advanced to Sunday’s final.
Dwyer trails only Olympian Chieckna Traore [19.93 last year], one-time Eagles receiver Michael Timpson [20.23 in 1986], Terrance Laird [20.41 in 2018] and Malik Moffett [20.49 in 2017] on the all-time Penn State performance list.
Dwyer ran 20.55 in his only previous collegiate 200 in Baton Rouge back in March. His 20.51 is 8th-fastest ever with legal wind by a New Jersey sprinter.
The 200 final is scheduled for 5:26 p.m. Sunday.
Dwyer is the No. 4 seed in the 100 with his 10.05 last month, with trials scheduled for 7:15 p.m. Saturday and the final at 4:45 p.m. Sunday.
Dwyer’s 10.05 was wind-aided. His legal PR is 10.19 from a meet in Gainesville in April. That’s No. 2 in Penn State history and 6th-fastest ever by a New Jersey sprinter with legal wind.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 