2013 Grand Valley State Big Meet with Multi's Complete Results


Concluding the weekend's action again at two separate meets on Saturday, the Academy of Art University Track & Field team had several more of its athletes hit important provisional qualifying marks for the NCAA Indoor Championships. The Urban Knights were simultaneously competing at the Grand Valley State Big Meet with Multi's in Allendale, MI as well as the University of New Mexico Don Kirby Invitational in Albuquerque, NM.

"Overall we had a pretty big weekend," head coach Charles Ryan said. "It's not often that we split our teams for competition, but both meets served our needs well and we walked away with some big performances."

Albuquerque, NM -- Among the highlights at Don Kirby on Saturday was Emil Tolliver's 21.84 mark to provisionally qualify him for the championships and Dinesha Bean delivering a pair of provisional qualifiers with an 8.52 in the 60m hurdles and a 7.68 in the 60m dash.

Tolliver, who was the top ART U finisher in the 60m (7.04), truly demonstrated his speed in the 200m. His 21.84 time was fractions of a second off the program record and was undoubtedly a new career best. He puts himself in the Top 30 in the country with that mark. Tolliver would also later team with Erik Piedad, Ricco McCloud, and Stephen Peevy for the men's 4x400m relay. Their 3:21.42 performance came close to the Academy of Art record set at the beginning of this indoor season on Dec. 1.

"Emil has really stepped up and is making the most of his last season," Coach Ryan said. "He ran a great race in the 200m and put himself in a good position to break into the NCAA Championships. Emil has embraced new challenges this year and has grown into one of our most consistent performers."

Bean excelled in the 60m hurdles Saturday, going 8.73 to take 6th of 24 and qualify from the preliminaries. She would follow that up with an 8.52 in the finals and effectively provisionally qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships with that mark. In the 60m prelims, Bean was only fractions of a second from qualifying to the finals with her 7.68 time in 9th place of 35 competitors.

"Bean is starting to get her rhythm together in the hurdles and that is going to mean trouble for a lot of people in the near future, but the best thing about Dinesha is she is a pure competitor," Coach Ryan said. "When it's time to run, you know she will be ready because she hates to lose. That sounds so simple, but so many athletes don't bring that kind of mentality to the track and she always does. She is in the best shape of her life and gets better every week."

Julian Purvis dominated the 60mH along with ART U assistant coach Lauren Smith. The University of Michigan transfer claimed 2nd overall of 24 in the preliminaries with her 8.45 mark. Then, as Bean did, Purvis dropped her time down to an 8.37 which is a provisional qualifier and the fourth-best mark in NCAA Division II currently behind teammates Vashti Thomas and Briana Stewart.

"Juju has been dealing with a nagging injury and has been so frustrated not being able to run the way she wants to, so for her to have her first race back equal to her lifetime best is a big moment for her and this team," Coach Ryan said. "Julian is a big part of our NCAA plans and it was great to see her get back on track [Saturday]."

A memorable performance was turned in by Keanna Moody in the 400m dash as the freshman went 57.20 to surpass 29 other runners. Her 11th place finish also was the third-best time in program history as well as a provisional qualifier for Nationals.

"The 'baby' got on her big-girl spikes this weekend," Coach Ryan said. "She set a personal best every time she stepped on the track. She ran an amazing lead off for us in the 4x400 and set the team up perfectly to go set our new school record/NCAA Auto mark. Then to come back and run two PR's the next day is a testament to the work she is putting in and the maturity she is starting to gain from the competitions. Every week she gets more competent about her race model. A big break through is on the way for her."

Chantel King, who was a key contributor in the women's 4x400m relay that hit the NCAA AQ on Friday, added individual highlights in the 400m on Saturday. She posted a 58.47 which was an indoor personal best for the 21st place finish.

"I'm so proud of 'Jersey,'" Coach Ryan said of the Sayreville, NJ native. "Not only did she step up to the plate when called upon for the 4x400 on Friday night, delivering her best indoor relay leg ever exactly when we needed it, but then she also came back [Saturday] and ran a big PR in the 400m. Chantel is such an important part of our team. For the past two years, time and again when her team needs her, she has always delivered. I know I can trust Chantel to go out and be herself. She does not shy away from pressure. Every team needs a few Chantel King's."

Coach Ryan also praised Ashley Austin for her efforts at Don Kirby after the Inglewood, CA native posted indoor personal records in the long jump (16-7.25), 60m (8.06), and 200m (26.32).

"Nothing Ashley did [Saturday] will gain national attention, but this sport is about maximizing your talent and Ashley had a big meet," Coach Ryan said. "She continues to improve and it's really fun to watch an athlete when you know they are dialed in and doing things better then they ever have before. I'm very proud of her performances this weekend."


Allendale, MI – ART U wrapped up the GVSU Big Meet with Multi's with two teams partaking in the distance medley event. In the women's distance medley, the foursome of Arianna Michaels, Dominique Berry, Heather Castro, and Jenny Bergren produced a time of 12:23.26 to take 12th of 22. On the men's side, it was Clemens Kammer, Shaquille Howard, Jens Alban, and Nicolas Rifflard who posted a 10:16.82 to claim 9th of 16.

"Overall, we left Michigan with some quality performances, NCAA auto marks, and NCAA provisional marks," Coach Ryan said. "We also gained a better understanding of the work we still have to get done to put all the pieces to this puzzle together. It was a great competition and we got a lot accomplished. I'm very happy with the small crew we sent to Michigan."

ART U heads to former Director of Athletics Dr. Jamie Williams' alma mater and current employer, the University of Nebraska, for the Nebraska Tune-Up (Feb. 15) while senior Vashti Thomas heads to the 2013 Millrose Games on Feb. 16.