XC duo representing Rhode Island roots
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – From Warwick to Smithfield. From the Green and Gold to the Black and Gold. From Hawks to Bulldogs. The Bryant University cross country duo of Jordan Dagrin (North Kingstown, R.I.) and Jonathan Iamarone (Providence, R.I.) share a special bond that carried over from their high school days of running for Bishop Hendricken High School.
The pair acknowledges the fact that it's not every day when two former high school teammates can call themselves fellow Bulldogs. Dagrin, a junior captain, sits just two years older than Iamarone, who just completed his first collegiate race two weeks ago at the Nassaney Invitational.
"Seeing Jordan, who's two years older than me, come here and be successful, and then obviously the academics here is what I looked at first when choosing a school. I knew I wanted to do business which made Bryant really stand out to me. It was my own decision, but Jordan really helped in making that," Iamarone stated when asked why he chose Bryant.
Along with being teammates, Dagrin and Iamarone also share a nightly Intro to Psychology course where they can be spotted sitting side by side.
"Having Jordan here made the transition from high school to college so much easier. When trying to figure out where classes and practices were, I could always text Jordan and ask, and he would just be like 'where are you? I'll just come get you and we'll walk there together,'" said Iamarone.
The bond didn't form overnight. The duo thanks Hendricken's tightknit community and stellar cross country program for shaping them into the teammates they are today. The all-boy catholic powerhouse has 24 Rhode Island State Championships that date back to 1978.
The high caliber mindset is noticeable as the two finished 30th and 31st at the 19th annual Nassaney Invitational to open the season. Dagrin and Iamarone finished with the exact same time of 26:17.8 jolting Iamarone to a Northeast Conference Rookie of the Week nod.
"In high school, our mentality was mental toughness, pack up, and run with your teammates. Jon passed me at about the four-mile mark and yelled 'don't quit'. Then I started to come back and I yelled back at him 'let's go!'," recalled Dagrin.
"Towards the last two miles, us being together definitely helped me. When our guys started to go, I was like 'okay I have to go with them'," said Iamarone.
After successfully finishing side by side, it's no question that the pair trained tirelessly together in the summer months before coming to campus. Being local and opening the 2019 season at home also had its advantages as well.
"We're very lucky," Dagrin stated. "We don't really see ourselves in places where we're unfamiliar. Being local and being close to where we trained from high school and where we train when we're home is nice. It gives us more comfort and helps us perform better. It's really convenient in the summer because we get to meet up and train with each other, whereas other guys on the team aren't able to do that."
With years of training together and years of friendship under their belts, the two have watched each other flourish into ever-improving leaders and teammates. Iamarone admires how far Dagrin has come as a leader after Dagrin led the Hendricken track and field team as a captain during his senior season. Since his freshman year, Dagrin has always been one of the Bulldogs' top finishers. When Dagrin isn't running, he leads Bryant's Student Athletic Advisory Committee as the Vice President.
"Jordan's leadership skills have skyrocketed since high school," proclaimed Iamarone. "The coaches at Bryant are more hands-off than they were in high school, so there is a lot of responsibility that falls on him."
On the flip side, Dagrin noticed the strides that his rookie counterpart has made since his Hendricken days.
"I noticed a big change in Jonathan from his senior year to now," noted Dagrin. "He's always been one of the more mature guys in the group, and fundamentally such a hard worker. He's more understanding of things and always willing to put his leg up there for others. He's a great teammate."
Dagrin, Iamarone, and the rest of the Bulldogs are back in action next Saturday, Sept. 28 when Bryant competes in its first of three meets hosted by Central Connecticut with the Ted Owens Invitational.
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