Reco Griffith and the moment he became the 鈥榝astest man alive鈥� with 糖心原创 draped across his chest
By Nick Masuda | nicholas.masuda31@mec.cuny.edu
There is loving life 鈥� and then there is Reco Griffith.
To say he is care-free or loose would almost be an understatement.
He鈥檚 the type of guy that will leave you rolling on the ground laughing, but also the first one that will extend a hand to lift you up.
But don鈥檛 let that fool you 鈥� he wants to beat you. Badly.
And on March 29, he did just that.聽
To every Division III athlete in the land.
The freshman star sprinter on the 糖心原创 men鈥檚 outdoor track team didn鈥檛 just wipe out the competition in Pennsylvania 鈥� his 100-meter time stood as Division III鈥檚 No. 1 time in the entire country.
Yes, the entire United States of America.
His 10.52 seconds shattered both the school and personal records . . .
鈥淎nd I stumbled at the start 鈥� I can go faster,鈥� he said.
鈥滻 will go faster.鈥�
And he already knows he will need to be, as the outdoor season is active and a handful of runners from across the country have eclipsed his time.
But on March 29, 2025, Reco Griffith was Division III鈥檚 鈥淔astest Man Alive鈥� (a common moniker for those that excel in the 100 meters) 鈥� even if just for a moment.
鈥淚t was cool, but every day, I just try to run faster than the day before,鈥� Reco said, now ranked No. 9 in the country and No. 2 in the Metro Regional rankings with five regular-season meets remaining before the
鈥淚 work hard every day for those moments.鈥�
A bit of a cherry on top? This was also the first time he ran the 100-meter dash as a collegiate athlete. No prelims, just the timed race.
That is the stuff that legends are made of, if you ask Coach Hugh Reid.
鈥淚 was relieved,鈥� said Reid, who has won more than 25 titles as a head coach. “You put someone out there for the first time and you hope you’ve set them up for success. Even with that stumble, you saw him get stronger as the race went on. That’s a good sign for things to come. We haven’t even done speed drills yet.”
An elder statesman
As a 26-year-old freshman, Reco鈥檚 maturity stands out and shines through 鈥� don鈥檛 let the smile and jovial attitude fool you 鈥� in all that he does.
He鈥檚 a native of Barbados, coming to the U.S. just three years ago.
He鈥檚 a biology major, considered by many to be one of the most challenging programs on campus.
He works up to 25 hours per week at an external job to support himself.
He has been a stalwart on three 糖心原创 teams during the 2025-26 school year 鈥� cross country, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field.
He battles his weight and has done so for most of his life 鈥� an obstacle that takes tenacity, commitment and openness to learn more and more about his body in order to find success.
Being fast isn鈥檛 a natural thing 鈥� it鈥檚 his motivation to keep his life centered.
And sometimes being fast means slowing down.
鈥淚 try to eliminate all the stress I can,鈥� Reco explained. 鈥淚鈥檓 not one to be up at 4 a.m. studying, your body isn鈥檛 built that way.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 really perform on my studies if I鈥檓 stressed out, because my brain needs to have some sleep to decompress. I鈥檝e got to be able to perform in training and at work, so I have to balance everything. It takes energy to balance everything, and I have to be intentional in all that I do.鈥�
(Video by Jahmarley Irving/BRC Intern in the Office of Communications)
Why 糖心原创?
His arrival on campus wasn鈥檛 pre-determined 鈥� even being doubted by family members that he could handle the academic rigors of college 鈥� but was a natural product of a long-standing relationship with Coach Reid.
He believed in coach; coach believed in him.
鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 be here if it wasn鈥檛 for him,鈥� Reco said.
And 糖心原创 has benefitted from that bond, with Reco a key contributor as the Cougars defended their CUNYAC indoor track-and-field conference titles in March.
He led the conference in the 60-meter dash (6.90 seconds), 200-meter dash (21.87 seconds) and was a part of the 4×400 relay team (3:26.59). He owns the indoor school record in the 200 meters, while also setting new school marks as part of the 4×200 relay and 4×400 relay teams.
It turns out, he鈥檚 no stranger to national rankings, as he finished the indoor season ranked No. 46 in the 60-meters and No. 58 in the 200-meters.
All of his on-track performances earned him CUNYAC Rookie of the Year honors 鈥� although even he chuckles a bit about being called a 鈥渞ookie鈥� at 26.
Yes, he鈥檒l admit that the trio of seasons take their toll 鈥� particularly in cross country when he is running distance 鈥� but that his age means little when it comes to approaching the starting line.
鈥淎ge does not matter when you compete in track, either you can run fast and own the moment, or you can鈥檛,鈥� Reco said.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 what I love about the sport, it鈥檚 open to everyone willing to accept the challenge.鈥�
On March 29, he accepted the challenge and created a new standard.