In their first indoor season since March 2020, the Rowan men’s track and field team has now captured two team championships in three weeks.

The second one came last weekend at the All-Atlantic Region Track and Field Conference Championships in which the team had seven athletes qualify for Nationals. National qualifiers include junior Ahmir Johnson, sophomores Jah’mere Beasley, Jake Kolodziej, Charlie Serrano-Juarez, and Marquise Young and freshmen Nana Agyemang and Amara Conte.

The team also added 12 athletes to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Region team. 

Head Coach Dustin Dimit, fresh off of being named the Metro Region Coach of the Year, shared his feelings on winning the regional championship and what they expected going into the meet.

“It feels great,” Coach Dimit said. “We went into it just trying to get some tune ups and national qualifiers and those kinds of things… We knew we had a chance to win but that wasn’t necessarily the goal or what we set out to do.”

Jah’mere Beasley and Kevin Lauer also shared how they felt.

“That was big,” Beasley said. “It was really big to come in and realize that we were still putting up numbers like we did last year and we got better each and every week so that was big this year.”

“It feels good,” Lauer added. “I think we showed what we can do and what we’re supposed to do.” 

Beasley shed some light on the expectations that this team has and what effect that will have on future teams.

“Now, it’s to a point where we come to practice and we automatically know the expectations,” Beasley said. “We come, work hard everyday, we challenge each other and then when it comes to track meets we automatically come in with that winning mindset and that winning culture thinking ‘okay we’ve done this, we’ve been here before, don’t let anything stop us besides us.’”

Looking ahead to next week to the NCAA Division III Championships, Coach Dimit explained how those expectations form.

“We just want to see them go out there and compete well,” Coach Dimit said. “Obviously the goal for the 4×400 is to win the national title because we’re ranked number one.” 

Beasley, who is a part of the relay team, echoed his coach’s comments on this goal.

“The 4×400, we want to successfully defend our outdoor title,” Beasley said. “I’m actually really excited for the 4×400 and we actually have a legit chance to win it all.”

Even Lauer, who isn’t a part of the relay, has high exceptions for the Profs 4×400 team.

“I don’t want to put any pressure on anybody,” Lauer said. “Our 4×400, we have the fastest time and team in the country by I think like four seconds, and that’s a lot for a 4×400. So like I said I don’t want to put any external pressures on them but I know for fact that if they wanted to they would come home with a win.”

With success, came enjoyable moments for this team, whether it be on or off the track.

“I think for me the best part about it is those meets where you get to travel with the team,” Lauer said. “Being able to have teammates where you go from just being teammates who go to the same school to really almost like a family is the coolest experience.”

“Either one of the titles we won, regionals or New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJACs) that was big,” Beasley said. “It’s just keeping that tradition going.”

For their head coach though, just witnessing what this team was able to do was the best part of this season.

“Just seeing everybody back, competing, having fun and working hard together to reach a common goal to bring home these trophies each week,” Coach Dimit said. “Definitely excited moving forward here.”

The job is not done yet though. The team will send those seven competitors to North Carolina this weekend to compete at nationals with big hopes and expectations. The meet will last two days with the first starting on Friday, March 11, at 10:00 a.m.

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