Keanna Moody
Amanda Odesjö

Men's Track & Field

Nine of Nine Qualify To Finals At Nationals

Jordan Edwards
Following the 4x100m, Moody went into the 400m dash, her second of three Thursday events. The sophomore had essentially rewritten the program's records in the event over the past two seasons and she did once again in these prelims. Coming on with a vengeance down the stretch, Moody claimed second place in her heat with a new Academy of Art record 54.63. She would end up seventh overall and finds herself among the nine (from 21) who will be in the finals mix on Saturday.

Bean continued ART U's string of prelim qualifiers with an 11.63 mark in the 100m dash. Her time initially tied her with Kaina Martinez of TAMU-Kingsville, but even after being carried to three decimal places, both qualified for Saturday's final. The marks were less than 0.03 below the 10th place finisher.

Departing the 4x100m relay for the long jump, Jones qualified through to the finals powered by her season-best 19-7 (5.97m) distance. The final round saw the senior soar even further with a 19-9.5 (6.03m) in her fourth attempt that would keep her half a foot ahead of Edinboro's Tabitha Bemis. The end result was seventh and an All-American trophy for Jones.

"Racquel came in tied for last in the rankings, but she kept her focus and delivered a seasonal personal record in the NCAA finals," Coach Ryan said. "You don't get any more clutch then that. I'm so happy to see her go out as an NCAA All-American."

Racquel Jones
Moody closed out the day in the drama-filled prelims of the 400m hurdles. With eight marks under 1:01.00 by the time of her third and final heat, it would take an effort close to her season-best to qualify the sophomore for the finals. As she began to make her move midway through the race, Ladonna Richards of Lincoln (MO) in the lane next to Moody did not clear a hurdle and experienced a vicious fall onto the track. Staying focused on the finish line, Moody continued her push and ended up second in the heat, ninth overall to reach the finals with a time of 1:00.81.

"Keke was easily the start of the day," Coach Ryan said. "She had a very difficult challenge in front of her, but she kept her poise and ran with heart. She overcame mistakes in both races, stayed focused, and earned her spot in the finals."

ART U will be back in action for day two of the NCAA DII National Championships tomorrow at GVSU's Lax Field/Track Complex once again. Among the event prelims to be contested will be the men's 200m (2:30 PM PST), women's 200m (2:45 PM PST), men's 4x400m (4:45 PM PST), and women's 4x400m (5:05 PM PST).

"We are back for more prelims on Friday and, if we can continue to deliver like this, we are going to catch a lot of people off guard," Coach Ryan said. "Today was a great day for ART U Track & Field."