Another week, another top performance from the top-ranked team in Division III.

Rowan men’s track & field were successful in multiple meets last weekend, including a triple jump performance from sophomore Ahmir Johnson that catapulted him to the top spot in Division III. 

“It feels good,” Johnson said. “I knew there were a couple issues I had to address and now that I’m starting to fix them, it’s showing.”

That performance earned Johnson the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Field Athlete of the Week title but expressed that it is something he and his team expect by now. 

“It just happens so often that we don’t even think about it anymore,” Johnson said. “But it feels good knowing that you’re ahead of the game and that the workouts and things we do are paying off.”

Head Coach Dustin DImit also expressed how Johnson’s performance was expected and how things have been going according to plan. 

“Something we expected, he’s the returning national champion,” Coach Dimit said. “That’s only the second time he’s triple jumped outdoors because we’ve been really cautious with him and putting less jumps on him… really great to see everything going according to plan.”

With the NCAA Division III Championship meet only a month away, both Coach Dimit and Johnson shared how the team is feeling as their chance for a team national title inches closer.

“I think we have all the pieces to do it,” Coach Dimit said. “There will be multiple teams that are very capable, we’ll probably go in ranked number one and, if you’re ranked number one, you should have a good chance to win but you have to have things go your way as well.”

Johnson expressed the team’s confidence as they continue to strive toward their goal.

“We’re very confident,” Johnson said. “When you add the numbers up we’re projected to win so if everyone does what they’re supposed to do it should be no problem.”

Johnson and Coach Dimit also both shared what their keys to their performances have been and how it will affect them moving forward.

“Just staying healthy and doing all the small stuff,” Johnson said. “Staying healthy is the main thing.”

As for Coach Dimit, he mentioned how dedicated his team has been since they opened up workouts all the way back in September.

“Just the work they’ve put in,” Coach Dimit said. “The preparation they’ve done since the second week of school until now all that carries on to this time of year… You might officially win championships in May but it all starts back in September with people putting in the work and having the right attitude to do that.”

Johnson also mentioned how the depth of this team will always be a factor in helping them achieve their goal.

“The depth kind of picks up our slack,” Johnson said. “If I don’t win the triple jump or I don’t make finals we have three javelin throwers that are one-two-three in the nation so if something does go wrong having that is like support…. Ultimately we’re trying to get the message across that there’s no team that can touch us.”

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