Rowan Men’s Indoor Track and Field has proven year in and year out that they are a force to be reckoned with in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) and beyond.
The Profs come off a historic season that saw six school records being broken while setting two national records at the Division III level. Rowan is looking for their tenth straight finish atop the NJAC and has the confidence that they can get that national title they have coveted.
“We want to compete for that national title,” head coach Dustin Dimit said. “We feel we have one of the best-returning teams in the country, and our goal is to be in the top four with a chance to win.”
The Profs started their training at the beginning of the semester to ensure they were ready for a prosperous season. That offseason training is so important to forge team chemistry and stay in shape for when the season begins.
“We’ve already been practicing for three months,” Dimit said. “They’ve really put in the work, and you can see that focus and concentration of what the real goal is. A lot of guys have been third, fourth, and fifth at nationals. They’ve won nationals individually and in relays and set national records, but the one thing they haven’t done is win the team national title. That’s the goal, and you can see it in their training.”
One of the record-setting performers on this squad is senior Amara Conte. Conte was a part of two record-breaking relays and set the Rowan record for the 400-meter individual last season. He has a similar mindset to Dimit when it comes to striving for that national title.
“I’m excited to get back to nationals and try to win that national championship as a team, in the relays, as well as the individuals,” Conte said. “Those are the goals, and all of the training we have put in since September makes the focus to go to nationals and perform better than we did last year to win that team championship.”
Conte is pushing himself to be better than he’s ever been, and not only for that national title. This is the Olympic qualifying season, and he wants to show out this season so he can get his shot to compete.
“Expectations are higher than ever,” Conte said. “Especially since it’s Olympic year too. I have the opportunity to run for my home country at the Olympics. I have to make sure I’m up to the standard to compete at that level as well. I’ve been pushing to the point I’ve never pushed myself before, and I can see how far I can take my body and how far my abilities can take me.”
The Prof’s first race is on Friday, Dec. 1 at the FastTrack Season Opener in Staten Island. Conte isn’t racing in this one, but the Profs still look the part to start the season off strong.
“It’s a chance for some people to feel ready to show what they can do,” Dimit said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we got a couple national qualifiers out of it. If nothing else, it’s just a chance to shake the rust off and see what we need to work on heading into January.”
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