After Transferring From Iowa State, Clevenger Debuts For New Jersey's Rowan University, Runs 7:54.87 In 3,000 For Third-Fastest Time In NCAA D3 History; Ridge NJ Girls, East Lyme CT Boys Run U.S. Top 10 DMRs

By Oliver Hinson of DyeStat

John Nepolitan photos

NEW YORK - It’s been a long few months for Seth Clevenger, but the former Iowa State runner is back on the track — in a new kit — and he’s eyeing an assault on the Division III record books.

Clevenger transferred to Rowan University in New Jersey over the winter after a tumultuous fall season in Ames. He opened his indoor season on Friday at the Dr. Sander Scorcher with a win in the invitational 3,000 meters, running 7:54.87 — the third fastest time in DIII history.

WATCH THE DR. SANDER SCORCHER LIVE ON RUNNERSPACE | LIVE RESULTS FROM DAY 1

Clevenger said he’s on a mission this season to rewrite the DIII record books and, in a sense, his reputation. In October, several members of the Iowa State cross country team were suspended for violating team rules. However, no specifics about the violations were given, and the names of the suspended athletes were never released. 

Clevenger didn’t specifically mention the suspensions in his post-race interview, but he cited a general lack of respect from the surrounding community as his reason for transferring.

“Some people said some things about me,” Clevenger said. “They weren’t true… I just didn’t feel respected at my previous institution. I decided to come here where people actually respect me and treat me as an equal.”

Clevenger said his next stop will likely be a Boston University meet, where he’ll target Alex Phillip’s indoor DIII 5,000 record of 13:44.98 and, in his words, “probably smash it.”

Zalen Nelson of Empire Elite TC and Cindy Bourdier won the men’s and women’s invitational 800 meters, respectively, with times of 1:49.53 and 2:03.09. Bourdier, running unattached, was especially enthusiastic about her performance, which was her season opener; she matched her outdoor personal best, and she believes she’s due for a breakout season.

The UMBC men and the Temple women ran 9:56.85 and 11:55.84 in the distance medley relay, respectively, to win their sections. UMBC’s time is an NCAA#7 mark, while Temple’s is an NCAA#11.

Maya Valmon of Maryland ran a new NCAA#6 mark of 52.97 in the women’s invitational 400, winning the event by over a second.

Harvard teammates Arpad Kovacs and Justin Levy went 1-2 in the men’s invitational 400, running 47.74 and 48.83.

Ridge NJ, East Lyme CT Run U.S. Top 10 DMRs

Ridge NJ and East Lyme CT ran a pair of US-top 10 distance medley relays to kick off the high school portion of the meet.

The Ridge NJ girls ran 12:03.02, a US#3 time, to win the girls’ section. Anchor Jennifer Friedman took the baton in second place, just behind Ridgewood NJ, and battled to the finish, diving across the line to win by five hundredths of a second. 

Friedman said it was the first time she had ever dove in a race.

“When I saw ‘first place: Ridge,’ it was all worth it,” Friedman said.

On the boys’ side, East Lyme ran a US#7 10:27.32. Sam Leone led off with a 3:05.43 split on the 1,200 leg, handing off the baton with an eight second lead. Amity CT and Ridge NJ chipped away at that lead over the 400 and 800 legs, as well as the majority of the 1,600 leg, but East Lyme anchor Joey Papalia closed in 28.54 seconds for his last 200 meters to keep his competitors out of reach and earn the win.

Paige Ballinger of Padua DE kicked hard to win the girls mile in a personal best time of 4:57.29. Ballinger lingered behind Sayla Fives (Harborfields NY) for most of the race, letting her build a two-second gap, but with three laps to go, Ballinger started to close the gap, and she ran her last 400 meters in just under 72 seconds, beating Fives by four seconds. 

Ballinger said she’s emphasizing short, quick intervals this season in order to build speed, which has always been a weakness for her. Her finishing kick on Friday was an encouraging sign, to say the least.

Meanwhile, Clay Stevens (Manalapan NJ) cruised to the win in the boys mile with a time of 4:18.93. He led from gun to tape and looked smooth throughout, winning by a little over three seconds.

Roan Samuels (Salesanium DE) dominated the competition in the boys shot put, throwing 58 feet, 10 inches (17.93 meters) for the win. He threw over 12 feet further than anybody else in the field.

Carlos Eliezer (North Rockland NY) also enjoyed a dominant victory in the boys long jump, soaring 23 feet and 1.5 inches for the win. No one else in the field jumped over 21 feet.