Rowan sophomores Angel Gonzalez from Triton and Samuel Agbessi from Sterling finished 1-2 in the 400-meter hurdles Saturday at the NJAC Championships with two of the fastest times in the country this year and two of the fastest times in Rowan history.
Racing at Ramapo University in Mahwah, Gonzalez won the race in 51.26, and Agbessi was just behind in 2nd place in 51.70.
Those times are No. 2 and 3 in NCAA Division 3 this year, behind only Blake Postler of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, who ran 50.85 in Des Moines, Iowa, last month. They’re also No. 3 and 5 in Rowan history
Gonzalez dropped his PR all the way down from 54.02, which he ran last month in Collegeville, Pa. Agbessi dropped his PR from 52.93 from last month in Daytona Beach to 51.70.
Their times are fastest by a Rowan 400-meter hurdler in eight years, since Anthony Salemo of Ramsey ran 51.06 to win the 2018 NCAA Championships.
Incredibly, neither Gonzalez nor Agbessi broke 55 seconds in high school.
Gonzalez had a PR of 55.31 from the 2024 Tri-County Championships at Delsea, and Agbessi ran 55.06 at the 2023 state Group 2 Championship at Delsea.
Their times are No. 12 and No. 16 on the all-time South Jersey alumni list. Gonzalez is No. 41 on the all-time Division 3 list. Agbessi is 36-100ths outside the all-time D-3 top-50.
Rowan freshman Ashraf Maklache from Eastern, in his 2nd college race, ran a lifetime-best 53.07. His previous PR was 53.38 in a meet at Delsea last May as a Sterling senior. His time is 2nd-fastest in Division 3 this year by a freshman.
Maklache’s time is only 24-100ths of a second off the Rowan freshman 400 hurdles record of 52.83 set by Jamir Brown of Riverside in Atlanta last April. That’s the only 400 hurdles race Brown has ever run.
All-Time Rowan 400 Hurdles Top-5
51.06 …Anthony Salemo [Ramsey], NCAA Division 3 Championships, La Crosse, Wisc., May 26, 2018
51.25 … Demetrius Rooks [Absegami], NCAA Division 3 Championships, Claremont, Calif., May 26, 2012
51.26 … Angel Gonzalez [Triton], New Jersey Athletic Conference Championships, Mahwah, May 3, 2026
51.67 … William Cruz [Penns Grove], NCAA Championships, LaCrosse, Wisc., May 23, 1997
51.70 … Samuel Agbessi [Sterling], New Jersey Athletic Conference Championships, Mahwah, May 3, 2026
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 