Rowan men’s indoor track & field made a record-breaking statement on Friday, Dec. 6 at the Fasttrack Season Opener in Staten Island, New York. 

The first record-breaking performance was by freshman Jamir Brown, who set a new Division III record in the 60-meter hurdle (7.72). The Riverside native, competing in his first indoor meet, broke the record previously held by Salisbury’s Luke Campbell (7.74) in 2014. 

Head coach Dustin Dimit was extremely proud of Brown and can’t wait for him to break more records for years to come. 

“To be able to go out there and break the national record in the first meet, it shows the hard work he’s put in and shows the potential of how great he can be,” said Dimit. 

His performance earned him the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Track Athlete of the Week. The freshman was excited to win the award, but now has his sights set on the future. 

“It’s amazing,” said Brown. “It just shows that there’s more to come.” 

The second record-breaking performance was by junior Masai Byrd, who set a school record in the 60-meter (6.84) which was previously held by his teammate Shamar Love (6.85). 

Dimit was extremely pleased with how Byrd performed at the Fasttrack Opener and noted how his ability to start the season injury-free is crucial for the team. 

“He’s really put in the work to try to stay healthy and to try to get better,” said Dimit. “So really excited for what’s to come for him.” 

Byrd pointed out how important having an impactful performance at the Fasttrack Opener was, as well as the relationship he and Love have developed. 

“I think it was real important to let everybody else in the nation know we aren’t coming to play this year,” said Byrd. “Shamar is like my brother. He’s like an older brother. Him knowing that I could do it and having his belief in me made me go out there and know I can do that. He texted me immediately. As soon as it happened, he texted me and told me he was proud of me.” 

Some other standout performances included junior Kwaku Nkrumah finishing in second place (7.92) behind Brown in the 60-meter hurdle. Sophomore Jamile Gantt posted a personal record in the high jump with the top mark of 2.09 meters, and senior Samael Milevoix recorded the best time of his career in the 400 meters (48.88). 

Dimit highlighted just how important starting the season on the right foot is, and how learning from these experiences will help in the future. 

“We’re real proud of them and that they put this great work in here,” said Dimit. “It’s just the first step, and we have five weeks now of no official practice. We really got to put in the work there to achieve the goals we want to do as a team. Take what you did that day, whether good or bad and be excited about it and then build on it and get ready to do big things in January.” 

The Profs will be back in action come 2025, with their next meet being the NYC Gotham Cup on Friday, Jan. 17 at the Ocean Breeze Complex in Staten Island, New York.

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