The last time Najee Glass competed at the Bennett Center in Toms River, it was not a memorable experience.
Bothered by a severe hip injury that had hampered him for a few weeks, Glass tried to give it a go in the 400-meter dash championship at the NJSIAA Indoor Meet of Champions. As he finished second in the race, he collapsed on the track past the finish line and eventually needed medical assistance to get up and leave the facility.
It was a scary moment, one that the St. Peter’s Prep junior has obviously recovered from and one that he has totally forgotten.
“That really didn’t enter my mind when I came here,” Davis said after competing in the NJSIAA Non-Public A state championships at the Bennett Center last Saturday. “I didn’t even think of it. I just wanted to see where I stood this time.”
Glass stood tall, winning the 400-meter dash in an impressive 49.19 seconds, the fastest time recorded by any runner in the state this indoor track season.
He will head back to the Bennett Center this weekend and try to win the Meet of Champions title like he did during last outdoor season in June.
For his efforts, Glass has been selected as The Hudson Reporter Athlete of the Week for the past week.
Glass feels like he’s much stronger than he was a year ago at this time.
“I’m much better,” Glass said. “I used to break down a lot in the last 50 meters and that affected me a lot. Now, I am stronger and I’m healthy. That helps.”
Glass has also limited the amount of track and field events he competes in.
“I’m not running as many events as many times, so that has also helped,” Glass said.
Glass still aspires to be a diversified athlete, running track and playing football. He was a wide receiver on the Prep football team, but his better sport and a brighter future seems to be in track and field.
“I’ve been lifting a lot with the football team and that has gotten my strength up,” Glass said. “I want to do both. I love playing football. People always try to get in my head and tell me that I should concentrate only on running and that I should give up football. I’m trying to ignore all of that. Right now, I’m going to do both, no question about that.”
Glass almost had the highlight of his already brilliant track career recently, when he apparently set a new national record in the 500-meter dash at the 168th Street Armory in New York.
Glass won the race in 1:02.22, breaking the old national record, set by Mike Greene of Massachusetts back in 1984.
However, videos and eyewitness accounts said that Glass ran inside the lane on the curves of the race, so therefore the United States High School record keepers Jack Shepard and Track and Field News would not honor the record because of the lane infractions.
“I was so upset,” Glass said. “I have no reason to cheat. I did get off my lane for a bit, but I didn’t even notice it. I don’t think the record should have come down.”
Glass returned to the 168th Street Armory two weeks later to see if he could go after the national record again.
“But there was so much pressure on me,” Glass said. “Everyone was expecting me to win. I just have to run my race.”
Glass also won the 400-meter championship at the Hudson County Track Coaches Association meet, defeating friend Zamir Thomas of Snyder in a battle of two overall state champions. Thomas won the 200-meter state title at last spring’s Meet of Champions, while Glass is the reigning 400-meter champ.
“There’s really no rivalry between us,” Glass said. “I think we love to race against each other, because we always manage to push each other.”
Glass said that he had a tough time preparing for last weekend’s Non-Public A race, because the 400-meter dash was the first event in a meet that began in Toms River at 9 a.m.
“I had to get up at 6 a.m. and my mom was rushing down the [Garden State] Parkway to get me here on time,” Glass said. “It’s tough because I had to hurry up my warm-up and I really didn’t have a lot of time to get ready.”
Glass prepared for the track season by making a trip last August to Singapore to compete in the Youth Olympic Games, basically a real international Olympic competition for participants 16 and under.
“It was a great experience and it makes me want to take the next step up,” Glass said. “It’s what I am working for, to get a chance to represent the United States someday in the Olympics. I loved getting the chance to meet and talk with other athletes from all over the world. I loved interacting with those athletes. I thought it was amazing.”
Glass said that he already has the next Youth Olympic Games in sight.
“This summer, it’s in France,” Glass said. “I have my passport all ready.”
For now, Glass will shoot for state gold this weekend at the Meet of Champions.
“I am a little disappointed with my time [49.19],” Glass said. “I know I can do better. I know I’m a lot stronger than I was last year. I know I’m not going to break down like I did last year.”
Which means only one thing. You can count on Najee Glass taking home another state championship in the 400-meter dash this weekend. – Jim Hague
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.