Rowan men’s outdoor track & field team has picked up right where they left off as they enter the 2022 indoor season.
With two early-season meets under their belt, the team has already seen a school-record be broken in the javelin throw and has swept the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) weekly honors.
This past week, senior javelin thrower Greg Poloso was honored as the NJAC Field Athlete of the Week after being the one to break the school’s record with a mark of 67.89 meters, roughly 220 feet.
“It feels really good,” Poloso said. “It’s definitely an honor, it doesn’t happen to everyone. Some people are very lucky and I consider myself lucky to be named Field Athlete of the Week, but it doesn’t mean that I should stop or let up at all so I’ll just continue onto next week.”
Poloso also reflected on how he felt the moment he realized that he had broken the school record.
“The entire meet I was worried because of the elements and the weather. My first throw was 66 meters so I was right around the school record and I was super happy,” Poloso said. “After my second throw, I got back to the runway and they said the mark and it just was a surreal feeling… That’s a once-in-a-lifetime feeling you get when you not only get a personal best but also break a school record. It’s awesome.”
Along with Poloso, his teammates also saw success. Junior Marquise Young was named NJAC Track Athlete of the Week and freshman Treshan Stevenson was honored with the NJAC Track and Field Rookie of the Week award.
Head Coach Dustin Dimit expressed his satisfaction with how his team, specifically how the throwers have lived up to expectations so far.
“It’s great,” Coach Dimit said. “We expected big things with how hard they’ve been working and we’re just looking forward to seeing what they continue to do. They look good and we’re excited to see where it takes them because they’re already throwing what would have won nationals last year.”
Both Coach Dimit and Poloso also praised Assistant Coach Ryan Gebhardt, an alumni javelin thrower who came back to the program last year to coach the current roster of javelin throwers.
“My coach [Gebhardt] is an insanely intelligent man,” Poloso said. “Without him, I wouldn’t be anywhere near where I am today. Coming into practice every single day and listening to my coach is key.”
“He’s done a great job,” Coach Dimit added. “We’re really thankful to have him and that he’s continuing to give back to the program.”
As for the hot start, Coach Dimit hopes to see this continue as the season goes on.
“You can throw something once or you can throw it consistently,” Dimit said. “You win nationals by doing something consistently… we’ll just keep working and fixing the little things, just like we do in every event.”
Poloso made it a fact to ensure that, not only himself, but this whole team will continue on an upwards trajectory.
“The warmer it gets, the more you’ll see improvement,” Poloso said. “Not only for the throwers but the entire track team. But as it gets warmer out, we still need to maintain the same habits.”
And as Coach Dimit made clear, this is nowhere near the end for this team.
“We love school records and those early season things,” Coach Dimit said. “But for us, the measuring stick is always how you do in that last meet in May.”
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