From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

Rowan’s Anaias Hughes from Willingboro ran a hurdles PR Friday at Ocean Breeze that could get him to the NCAA Championships later this month.

Hughes lowered his season-best time from 8.19 from the NJAC Championships at the Ott Center to 8.12 Friday on Day 1 of the AARTFC Championships. That ties him for 20^th in NCAA Division 3 and the top 20 in each individual event through Saturday qualify for nationals.

Hughes’ previous PR was 8.17 at the Armory in January 2024.

Hughes will have one more chance to improve his qualifying time in the final at 10:15 a.m. on Saturday.

Five Rowan hurdlers qualified for the final, including former national champions Kwaku Nkrumah [7.92] and Jason Agyemang [8.21] as well as Willingboro’s Eric Foster Jr. [8.13] and Valentin Augustin [8.25].

In the NCAA rankings, Agyeman [7.87] and Nkrumah [7.88] are No. 2 and 3, Augustin is tied for 18^th [8.11] and Foster is tied for 20^th [8.12].

The NCAA Division 3 Championships are acheduled for March 13-14 in Birmingham, Ala.