2014 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Nationals Results

Allendale, MI – The 2014 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field National Championships and Academy of Art University's postseason came to a thrilling conclusion on Saturday out at Grand Valley State's Lax Field/Track Complex. A grand total of 10 All-Americans were crowned, including 400m individual champion Jordan Edwards, as the Urban Knights furthered their tradition of excellence in track & field.

"I think it's safe to say that Jordan answered all doubters today," head coach Charles Ryan said. "He executed his race model extraordinarily well. Not too bad for a guy who just started running the open 400 in February. He will be back and much more dangerous next year. He has just begun to realize his talents in the longer sprints."

Edwards lit up the track in the men's 400m final, showing exactly why he was named USTFCCCA West Region Track Athlete of the Year just prior to Nationals. The Denver, CO native powered his way to an incredible 45.99, the only sub-46.00 mark of the weekend. An ART U program record led Edwards to be named All-American for the second time on the day. Check out his Flotrack interview here!

Later in the finals of the 200m, Edwards did not relent as he finished fourth overall. Contending for the title with TAMU-Kingsville's Tim Price and a pair from St. Augustine's, Edwards went 21.01 which was not far off his personal record.

Starting the day on a positive note, the men's 4x100m relay team of Ronald Spears, Jr. , Edwards, Marlon Britton, and Alexander McNally secured their All-American trophies with a seventh place finish in the finals. The Knights would deliver a 40.75 to edge Emporia State as well as Ashland in the end.

"We ran a solid race," Coach Ryan said. "Not our best, but four more All-American awards are never a bad thing. We return three-fourths of this team next year so the 4x100 is in good hands."
The collection of Keanna Moody, Dinesha Bean, Racquel Jones, and Kayla Pritchett were on top of their game in the women's side of the 4x100m relay on Saturday. Pritchett pushed hard down the final stretch to put ART U into third with a 45.80, ensuring their All-American finish.

"We talked all year about maxing out on hand-offs and running with precision," Coach Ryan said. "Today the ladies nailed those aspects and ran a very good race. We simply got beat by better teams and that's always something that you will live with as a coach. The race was exciting and we put a lot of pressure on the other teams; we just didn't have enough firepower to hold them off. I'm proud of the bronze medal finish and, with how young this team is, I know we will be back to contend next year."

In the men's 1500m, Nicolas Rifflard battled 12 others for a shot at NCAA Division II glory. He remained in the top three for much of the race, then as Tarleton State's Chase Rathke made a major move around the final corner to claim the title, Rifflard found himself in fifth place across the finish line. He would earn his first career All-American honor with the new school record of 3:48.37.

"Nico was the lone representative of the distance crew and he used his opportunity well," Coach Ryan said. "A new PR, program record, and All-American status. Torrey Olson and Nathan Warstler did a fantastic job this year with our distance runners and I'm happy for them to see it all pay off here at the championships."

Though many saw Johnson C. Smith teammates Samantha Elliott and Danielle Williams battling it out in the finals of the women's 100m hurdles, Dinesha Bean was not far behind as the senior secured a third place finish. She turned in a new personal record of 13.23 to make it 2013 and now 2014 back-to-back All-American trophies in the event.

"Bean ran the best race if her life in the hurdle finals today," Coach Ryan said. "No better way to go out then to PR in your final race at the NCAA Championships. Though I know she wanted to accomplish more I'm proud if what she has done here in this program."

The women's 400m saw Moody display her skills en route to a new school record for the second time at this year's National Championships. She would drop down to a 54.14 for the All-American honor and sixth place in the finals.

Edgar Panford, after patiently waiting two days for his turn to compete, flew against the country's elite in the triple jump. He began with a 49-8.5 (15.15m) distance that had him third following the opening attempts. Then, though he dropped to 11th with the completion of the second round, the senior went all out for a 50-10.5 (15.50m) in his third jump. An injury would keep him from competing in the finals, but at the end of the day, Panford claimed fifth place overall to become an All-American.

Moody was back to work in the 400m hurdles where she started strong and rallied back at the end to beat out Angelo State's Jasmine Ambowode for the eighth spot. The sophomore posted a 1:00.88 for her third All-American honor of the afternoon.

"Keke had a great day!" Coach Ryan said. "New lifetime best and All-American status in her primary event (400m). She backed that up with another All-American award in an event she just picked up a few months ago for the first time. Her future is very bright in both races."
 
After competing in the 4x100m and 100mH, Bean had unfortunate results in the 100m and 200m. She would miss a placement among the All-American cutoff with marks of 12.27 and 24.72 respectively.

In the team standings, Academy of Art finished tied for ninth with Lincoln (Mo.) on the men's side with 25.00 points while the women tied Indianapolis for 14th with 18.00 points. The Urban Knights conclude their 2014 outdoor track & field season with a total of 10 individuals bringing back 16 NCAA DII All-American trophies, including Thursday's long jump honor for Racquel Jones.

"Overall I happy with the performances we put out today," Coach Ryan said. "We brought eight men to the meet and six are walking out as All-Americans. For the women, four of the seven that competed landed All-American status. A Top 10 overall finish for the men and a good showing in a 'rebuilding year' for the women. In total we walk away with 16 All-American awards, numerous program records, and of course another NCAA champion. It's a great way to close out another big year for ART U Track & Field."