Norman Hamilton is part of NJIT’s record-breaking 4×400 team. (Photo courtesy of NJIT.)
By Jashvina Shah
Norman Hamilton is in his junior year running track at New Jersey Institute of Technology, but he started breaking records as a sophomore.
Last season, the Ewing High School graduate was a part of the school’s 4×400 relay team that broke the program record at the Tiger Open in Princeton.
“Those moments when you have the opportunity to break records and you actually do, when you see your name in a record book, it’s like you left history at the school you’re at so that’s a great feeling to have,” he said.
Hamilton may not have travelled a long way from his hometown, but he’s changed a lot since his freshman season in running.
As a runner at a school traditionally known for short distances, Hamilton—one of the team’s few middle distance runners—was in a peculiar position.
“Norman had to really rise up and in some cases train on his own just because of the lack of distance runners,” former Ewing head coach Ed Dutch said.
When Hamilton joined the Ewing program, he was quiet and blended in with the team. But his confidence grew in the next two seasons, and by his senior year, he was a team captain.
“He was loved by all his teammates,” Dutch said. “He had a really great personality and teammates really looked up to him.”
Hamilton owned a hard-working reputation, and he was willing to run any distance – including 400 meters in hurdles.
“When he wanted to run the hurdles I thought he was crazy because he’d never done it before,” Dutch said. “He [said] ‘I think I can be really good at this.’”
And he was.
“I had a curiosity because my brother ran hurdles in high school and he made the stat championships for hurdles,” Hamilton said. “I also tried shot-put too just because I was curious. You never know when you try something new, and you could be the next big thing at it.”
Hamilton grew and added strength after his sophomore season, turning into a Division I prospect. Hamilton wanted to attend school for track, and NJIT presented the best mix of location, financial aid and cultural fit.
Now a runner at the next level, Hamilton faced longer, harder practices balanced with school, lifting and weight sessions. As with high school, Hamilton started his NJIT track career as a quiet member of the team. NJIT head coach Al Alonso said the more Hamilton has grown and opened up, the more responsibility and leadership he has taken on.
“He not only takes care of whatever his assignments are, but he actually helps the freshmen with their assignments by giving them guidance,” Alonso said. “He has grown up in a point where he now has taken on more leadership type of mentoring on the program with the underclassmen.”
Hamilton also runs in different events for NJIT, participating in 400m—a short even for Hamilton, whose main event is the 800m—or cross country.
“Running at NJIT definitely taught me perseverance because the races, especially for cross country, are much harder and the practices are longer,” Hamilton said. “Just by sheer determination to better yourself through practice and competition, it definitely taught me to persevere more.”
Despite all the other events Hamilton runs at NJIT, he has been key to the team’s relay.
“He has come up with some key performances that have helped the team,” Alonso said. “Norm has been very successful and turning in very good performances considering what he’s already done for us during the day.“
While Hamilton has already helped break a school record, some of his most memorable moments are team accomplishments, like the program’s 2014 CTC Championship.
“Everybody worked really hard and you saw it through our performances at CTC championships and just like it just so happened everybody happened to do really well,” Hamilton said.
The other moment came from the Tiger Open last season, when Hamilton and his teammates broke the school’s 4×400 relay record.
“Just being part of the atmosphere, it just felt awesome because these are some of the best runners on this side of the country,” Hamilton said. “They’re at this meet and we get to be there too. It just shows that our hard work actually paid off.”
Hamilton has run a long way since he literally followed his brother’s footsteps into track. But as a high school athlete, Hamilton understood how much track meant to him.
“I realized this is something I’m really good, at something I really like,” he said. “Also the friends that I’ve made through running and the moments that I’ve had, I love those moments and because of that I never could imagine myself doing any other sport.”
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