2013 Sun Angel Classic Results

Tempe, AZ – The Academy of Art University track & field team made another big statement Saturday as the Urban Knights offered numerous records and NCAA Outdoor Championship automatic qualifying marks at the Sun Angel Classic hosted by Division I Arizona State out at Sun Angel Stadium.

Among the notables from a full day of competition was senior Vashti Thomas posting NCAA Outdoor Championship automatic qualifying distances in both the long jump and triple jump, junior Dinesha Bean offering a new program record in the 100m dash. The men's highlights included a NCAAs AQ for redshirt freshman Shaquille Howard, a new program record by sophomore Jaylon Hicks in the 200m, and NCAA provisional qualifying distances in both the long and triple jump events for redshirt freshman Johnny Carter.

In her first competitive jumping events of the outdoor season, Thomas showed she had not missed a beat from the memorable indoor campaign. Beginning with the long jump, the senior flew 21-11 (6.68m) for a NCAA AQ, 2nd overall in the eight-jumper field (all NCAA DI athletes), the #1 mark in DII, and #2 in the world (according to the IAAF World List). It was the third farthest distance she has posted since joining ART U. Thomas now boasts two world rankings on the IAAF list as her wind legal 12.94 100mH race from the prelims at last week's Texas Relays is currently #1 on the world ranking list for 2013.

The triple jump event was another sight to see for the San Jose, CA native. Thomas' 43-1 (13.13m) not only qualified her for NCAAs, but it also placed her 1st of 12 at Sun Angel and among the Top 8 in all divisions.

"Vashti is always at her best when she is pushed," head coach Charles Ryan said. "She has been eager to open up her outdoor season jumping and she took full advantage of a great venue and a great competition. Not too many people in this world will ever see their names atop the IAAF world list and this woman has her name up there in two events! She is amazing and we're all having so much fun watching her do her thing."

Thomas would join seniors Briana Stewart, Julian Purvis, and Jesseka Raymond in the 4x100m relay for another stellar performance. The quartet had already assured their spot at NCAAs with an AQ at the Pasadena Games, but they bettered that time with a 45.26 effort that also set a new program record.

"This team is coming together nicely," Coach Ryan said. "We still have a lot to work on, but by the time NCAAs come around, this event will be very strong for us. Chemistry is most important in the 4x100 and we get better each week."

The Urban Knights dominated the 100m hurdles with Purvis earning 2nd overall in a field of 32 with her season-best time of 13.40. Stewart and Raymond were not far behind, snagging 5th (13.49) and 6th (13.68) respectively to beat out sprinters from Illinois, UC Davis, and Oklahoma.

"The short hurdle crew had their best meet of the year," Coach Ryan said. "I was really proud of Julian for staying focused and receiving so well from a bad start. She found her zone about halfway through and was rolling. Jesseka come through with a huge PR and is finally to a point where she can really feel the changes she has been making. Briana continues to be consistent and is poised for the same kind of breakthrough that took Vashti so far below the 13 second barrier. Briana is ready!"

More quality sprinting performances on the women's side came from freshman Keanna Moody and Bean. Moody was at the top of her game in the 400m where she hit a 55.72 to provisionally qualify for NCAAs. It was good for 5th of 18 in the meet and the fastest time ever run by an Academy of Art athlete, bettering her own previous #1 mark that came in Pasadena. Moody also managed a lifetime best in the 200m dash (25.27), placing 13th out of 18.

"Keanna is on a roll," Coach Ryan said. "She just keeps going out there and delivering personal bests. It's so impressive how far she has come in such a short time. She is so young and there is no limit to how far she can go."

Bean, in her first race since coming off an injury suffered in practice, posted a 12.05 mark that put her 12th of 22 at Sun Angel and made her #1 on ART U's all-time list.

"It was great to see Bean get back out there," Coach Ryan said. "She fought hard in an event that she almost never runs and competed well. She has been missed and we cannot wait till she is back to one hundred percent."


Three members of ART U men's track & field were in action Saturday and each one achieved impressive results. First up, Shaquille Howard became the first NCAA DII athlete to automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships in the 400m after his 46.33 blew away much of the competition. He finished 2nd of 7, but his time (a new Academy of Art record) was almost a full second better than BYU's 3rd place finisher.

"Shaq has his best meet of the year so far," Coach Ryan said. "He, like Keanna, just keeps getting better and, the more he learns about himself and the 400m race, the more he will continue to drop times. He ran a very controlled poised race. It was really impressive."

Jaylon Hicks finished the day by running his second-lowest time in the 100m dash, a provisional qualifying 10.44 that was good enough to take 2nd overall in the "Premiere" section of the 100m. Hicks was energized with momentum and confidence he gained from his historic 200m performance earlier in the day. In the 200m, the sophomore dropped a provisional qualifier as well going for a 21.31 time that was a career best and the fastest time in Urban Knights history.

"Jaylon was on fire tonight," Coach Ryan said. "I was honestly unsure how he would handle having to open the meet with his secondary event (200m), but man did he step up to that challenge in a big way. He was aggressive, he was focused, and he was poised all the way through that 200m race. I think it really set him up well for the 100m. You can see that the light is starting to come on for Jaylon and, once he figures all the part of his races out, he is going to be a problem for anyone in the NCAA."

Looking to bounce back from lack-luster performances in Texas and continue his success in the horizontal jump events, Johnny Carter soared to a new seasonal best of 24-8.25 (7.52m) in the long jump. He was 1st overall in the nine jumper field and distance now currently stands #3 in NCAA DII. Carter's 50-2.5 (15.30m) triple jump put him both 2nd of 13 in the Sun Angel competition and 2nd overall in NCAA DII. Both marks were NCAA provisional qualifiers.

"It was nice to see Johnny get back to being Johnny," Coach Ryan said. "We all left Texas with a bad taste in our mouths knowing that he let an opportunity slip away there. He more than made up for it here in Tempe. Consistency is key to any jumper's ultimate success and that is the main goal over the next few weeks for Johnny. He had a great day today."

"I don't think the vast majority of the nation realize what an awesome event the Sun Angel Classic is," Coach Ryan said. "Arizona State really goes all out for this meet with fireworks, music, a primetime meet schedule, cheerleaders, mascots; the works. It's a great crowd, and those in attendance are treated to a very high quality competition across the board. We were thrilled to have the opportunity to compete here and our athletes showed up and represented Academy of Art University and the 'Be Artist. Be Athlete.' mantra very well. They caught a lot of people by surprise and made a bunch of new fans. What a great day for ART U! The journey continues!"

Another meet hosted by a Division I school comes up next weekend as Academy of Art will travel to El Paso, TX to participate in The University of Texas at El Paso's UTEP Invitational on Saturday, Apr. 13.