Cardozo’s Rowe continues rapid climb

Prior to this past winter, Lindsay Rowe had never taken part in hurdle races of any kind. She was a vital factor in Cardozo’s relay teams, and was a solid runner in the 200-, 300- and 400-meters. But a dominant force, or one that others watched in admiration or fear, she wasn’t.
Then George Taylor, her club coach with the Novas, had her try the 55- and 100-meter hurdles. Nine months later, Rowe is hitting her stride, so to speak. “We were just playing around with them (the hurdles) one day and he said ‘you should take it seriously,’ and I did,” she recalled.
After a solid indoor season in the 55-meters, in which she finished second in the city championship and, somehow, won the state federation title in a photo finish at Cornell University, Rowe has officially become one of the best short distance hurdlers in the city. “It gave me a lot of confidence,” she said of the state title. “I didn’t get cocky with it, but I was like ‘I‘m going to work harder.”
She took home first place honors in the borough championships, and Sunday, in the PSAL outdoor track and field championship at Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island, she came from behind to nip Janique James of South Shore by one hundredth of a second, notching her best time this spring at 14.61 seconds. “I’m very surprised every time I step on the track and do my hurdles,” she said.
Because of her dancing background in ballet and the flexibility it gave her, the event wasn’t too difficult for Rowe to get used to. “It was just my form [that was the problem at first],” she said. “Getting used to it, getting quicker, snapping down … my back leg quicker after each hurdle.”
Taylor, himself, is surprised at how quick Rowe’s success has come. “She’s improved so fast,” he said of his star hurdler who has received interest from a few Big East and ACC schools recently. “She worked very hard at it when we first began. I knew she would eventually reach a very competitive level, but I never expected it so soon.”
In other events, Cardozo’s Dalilah Muhammad won the 400-meter hurdles and the high jump, Hillcrest’s Makalia Griffith took home first place honors in the 400-meter dash and Ashlei Alexander of Flushing won the shot put. On the boy’s side, Jamaal Devore of John Adams won the 800-meter run, Milosz Domurad of Forest Hills took home the shot put and Bayside’s Ben Simmons finished on top in the pentathlon.
Overall, Cardozo finished in third place with 55 team points. Townsend Harris was fifth with 35.5 points and Jamaica was seventh with 28. Boys & Girls was victorious in the Girl’s Division with 72. On the boys side, Francis Lewis finished fifth with 37 points and Forest Hills claimed ninth place with 22. Transit Tech won the championship with 64 points.