Academy of Art University Athletics

Academy of Art men's track & field's Yacouba Gnacko soared to a new season-best distance in the triple jump at the Nevada Invite/Multis, rising in the NCAA Division II national rankings.

On his very first attempt on Jan. 25, Gnacko wedged himself between two professional athletes in Italy's Emmanuel Ihemeje (53-9.75/16.40m) and Premier Elite's Myles Massie (49-9.25/15.17m) with a significant improvement to his longest triple jump of the year. Gnacko added more than a full foot onto his previous top mark, going 50-5.5 (15.38m) to elevate to third in the country among Indoor Nationals provisional qualifiers. Though the Industrial Design major would not better the distance thereafter, he did end with another strong 50-0 (15.24m) effort.