Dual NJAC champs! Men’s track & field and baseball teams take the conference!

Dual NJAC champs! Men’s track & field and baseball teams take the conference!

Share
 

A pair of Rowan University teams – men's track & field and baseball – cinched the 2021 New Jersey Athletic Conference and will compete for more titles as both teams head to the NCAA Championships this week.

The men's track & field team captured its sixth consecutive NJAC championship, and the 19th title in school history, as the Profs compiled 285 points to outdistance second-place TCNJ by 125 points.

Led by head coach Dustin Dimit, Rowan won the conference championship in the 4x100 and 4x400-meter relays and had six individual champions –Jah’mere Beasley (200 meters); Julian Pratt (100 meters); Liam Davis (110 hurdles); Joe DeVito (400 hurdles); Nana Agyemang (long jump); and Ian Bain (discus).

The baseball team, which posted a 17-1 record in conference play, earned the 17th NJAC championship in the program’s history and the second in four years under head coach Mike Dickson. The Profs (25-4) are ranked seventh in the nation for their highest ranking of the season.

With the conference tournament format changing to a best-of-three game series for each round, the Profs secured the top seed and the right to host throughout the tournament. Rowan needed three games to defeat Stockton and eliminated Kean in the semifinals with two wins. That set up the championship series where the Profs defeated William Paterson in consecutive games, 12-4 and 8-3, as they hoisted the trophy on their home field.

"I'm so proud of the players with everything we've dealt with this year - from Zoom calls to being back in person to being able to play and then going 17-1 in the conference and winning the conference championship,” Dickson said. “It's a tremendous job by our team and I'm so proud of the players.”

Next up for both teams are the NCAA Championships starting later this week in opposite directions and hundreds of miles from Glassboro. The Profs' track team is sending one of the largest contingents in the nation to the meet in Greensboro, N.C. May 27 as 14 student-athletes have qualified in individual events or on the relays. Rowan’s women’s team will also be represented at the championships by senior Nicole Notarianni in the 100-meter hurdles.

"We are excited to be competing at a NCAA Championship once again after the last four championships our athletes were eligible for were cancelled due to COVID-19. Our athletes have sacrificed a lot over the last year to be able to practice and compete," said Dimit. "We are excited to see what they can accomplish in Greensboro this coming week. We have big goals and believe that everyone focusing on their individual events will allow us to have great success as a team."

With its NJAC Tournament victory, the baseball team received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Championship, and earned the top seed in the NCAA Marietta (Ohio) Regional, which also begins May 27. The winner of the double-elimination tournament will move on to meet the other regional champions in the Division III Baseball Championship in Cedar Rapids, Iowa starting June 4.

"It's always a great experience for the players to get the opportunity to play in the NCAA's,” Dickson said. “This is the fourth trip for our seniors, and I told them that winning a regional was one of the boxes they had to check off on their resumés. They have won two NJAC Championships but have yet to win a regional. They have that opportunity this weekend and I am excited to watch them compete."

To follow the Profs at the NCAA Championships, go to RowanAthletics.com.