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CLAREMONT, CA – Rowan University’s 4x400 meter relay took first place at the 2012 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships.  Demetrius Rooks and Ali Ejaz earned All-America in the 400 meter hurdles and 200 meters respectively.  The national championships were held at Burns Stadium on the campus of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges.  

The Profs ran a winning time of 3:10.56.  The relay consisted of the defending national champions Jayce Maxwell (sr. Toms River, NJ/Monsignor Donovan), Taylor Purdue (jr. Highland Lakes, NJ/Vernon Twp.), Ali Ejaz (jr. Glassboro, NJ/Glassboro) and Demetrius Rooks (jr. Galloway, NJ/Absegami).

In the Thursday prelims, Rowan won the first heat with a time of 3:10.77 and was first out of 16 teams.  Rowan’s 4x400 meter relay was ranked fifth among the NCAA competitors with a time of 3:12.94. Last year, the Profs won the national title with a time of 3:11.45. 

Rooks took second place in the 400 meter hurdles for the second straight season.  He recorded a school record 51.25.  The previous University mark was 51.65 by William Cruz (1997).  McMurry University’s Kevin Cunningham edged out Rooks at the finish line with a time of 51.13. 

In the Thursday prelims, Rooks won heat three in 51.79, which was the fastest among the 20 competitors. He qualified for the NCAAs with a time of 51.76 and was third among the top performances.  At the 2011 NCAA Championships, Rooks took second in 51.98.

Ejaz came in fourth in the 200 meters with a time of 21.304.   He had a fifth place in the 200 meters on Thursday in the prelims with a school record time of 21.18.  Ejaz advanced to the national championships with a qualifying time of 21.45.

Steven Iafrate (so. Closter, NJ/Demarest) finished 18th in the javelin with a throw of 176’ 2” (53.69 meters).  He qualified for the national championships two straight years.  In 2011, Iafrate came in ninth place with 202’ 6” (61.72 meters).

Rowan took eighth place in the team scoring with 23 points out of 84 schools.  The Profs had three individuals and two relays that qualified for the NCAA Championships.  McMurry University captured the national title with 66 points.  Wis.-LaCrosse was second (47 points) while Wis.-Stout and Wis.-Oshkosh were third (38 points) and fourth (35 points) respectively.  North Central College came in fifth (32.33 points) followed by Wis.-Eau Claire, sixth (30 points) and Augustana College, seventh (24 points).