Rowan men’s indoor track & field set school a record and multiple personal records at the Villanova Invitational on Saturday, Jan. 20 in Staten Island, New York.

A postponement of the FastTrack Invitational on Jan. 19 didn’t throw the Profs off their game, as Marquise Young and company still performed exceptionally. Ranked No. 5 nationally, Rowan is a team that can make a serious run in many Division III events.

Marquise set the school record for the 60-meter hurdle, taking home first at 7.96 seconds, topping Rowan’s previous mark of 7.98 which was set by Dave Benjamin in 2017.

“At first I couldn’t believe it,” Young said. “Not because I wasn’t confident in myself, it was more because I didn’t feel that fast. I thought maybe I ran eight flat. The race felt smooth, but it didn’t feel that fast, so I was more so surprised.”

Marquise is one of the main leaders on the national powerhouse that is Rowan, and his dominant, record-setting presence is appreciated by his teammates and coaches.

“Oh, it’s great, especially in that group,” Head Coach Dustin Dimit said. “Right now, I think we have three guys in the top 15 in the country and two more in the top 35. Five of the top 35 in just that event in the hurdles. Marquise has been a great leader, he’s the oldest of that group. All the other guys were freshmen last year and this year. He’s really helped lead them to be the group that they are.”

The leadership qualities of making those around you better is where Young shines, as he has showcased time and time again the level of work ethic it takes to be great. Being a part of Rowan’s sports history is fitting for Marquise, given the time and effort he has devoted to his craft.

“It means a lot because it’s a lot of hard work and dedication I’ve put into track,” Young said. “I’ve sacrificed so much with school, working, and track, trying to maintain everything right, so it means a lot that my name could be up there forever.”

That attitude drives those around Young to be great. Those qualities are consistent throughout this team, and it seems that at every meet, somebody has their best performance to date.

During the Villanova Invitational, it was Jason Agyemang who put forth a career effort. Agyemang set his personal record in the 60-meter hurdle at 8.29 seconds and in the 200-meter dash at 23.47 seconds.

“We were supposed to compete the day before the Villanova,” Dimit said. “I really want to see more people compete. Villanova was nice and got some guys in for us in a meet that was already full. We’re definitely looking forward to this week and next week when we have unlimited entries, so we’ll get a good sense of where everyone is as we prepare for conference championships in less than a month.”

Dimit, Young, and the Profs will look to continue their national surge this Friday, Jan. 26 at the Columbia Challenge in New York.

“It’s early, a lot of our younger guys are showing potential, so I know their time will come, with PRs and running hot times,” Young said. “For me personally, I’m not satisfied. I told my coach right after I ran that I want[ed] to go faster. I want to break the record again, I told my teammates I plan on breaking it again this Friday. I’m never complacent, I’m always ready to do better.”

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