2017 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field National Championships
Birmingham, Ala. – Two NCAA Division II National Champions and the program's sixth All-American of the weekend made for an exciting final day of Indoor Nationals for Academy of Art University track & field.
Mobolade Ajomale was absolutely on fire Saturday, successfully defending his title in the 60m dash before turning around and being named the 200m National Champion less than two hours later. The women's high jump also saw
Hannah Hensley take home All-American honors after a clutch performance.
Coming in having dominated both the 60m and 200m prelims, Ajomale was poised for an impressive ending to the weekend inside the Birmingham Crossplex. The
2016 Olympic Bronze medalist began with the 60m dash at 2:50 p.m. CT and, not only defended his
2016 title in the event, but did so with a season-best 6.60 that put him a full 0.05 ahead of second-place Reginald Thomas of Tiffin.
The finals of the 200m followed at 4:30 p.m. CT and Ajomale was once again was way out in front. His heat ended up containing the top three finishers and yet the Richmond Hill, Canada native would finish 21.05, a full 0.13 ahead of McKenderre's Demontez McCray, for the championship. In the end, he would raise his seventh career All-American honor and his third career national title.
With Ajomale's results Saturday plus long jumpers
Michane Ricketts and
Craig Mattox both earning
All-American honors, the men's collective team score rose them to fifth overall with 27 points. Tiffin captured the title with 63 points followed by Ashland (52), St. Augustine's (46), and Adams State (41). The Urban Knights had come into the weekend ranked
10th nationally.
Up against an impressive field that included both defending indoor high jump champion Natalie O'Keefe (Southwest Baptist) and outdoor champion Emilee Iverson (Pitt State), Henlsey rose to the challenge back inside a Birmingham Crossplex facility she knows well after transferring to ART U from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. After the majority of the jumpers cleared the first two heights, Hensley was challenged at 5-7 (1.70m), but she bounced back from two missed attempts to hit her third and advance. With 11 jumpers moving through, it was at 5-8 (1.73m) that she solidified her All-American status with a clear in her second attempt. She would not surpass the 5-9.25 (1.76m) that O'Keefe needed to become the National Champion, but ended up in a proud moment at fifth overall.
The women's 4x400m relay squad went up against eventual All-Americans Lincoln (Mo.) in its heat and despite a strong effort, ended up with a time of 3:47.57 that put them 12 of 13.
In the women's triple jump,
Rian Young-Werner fought through two fouls in her first two attempts to record a 38-8.25 (11.79m) in her third, but it was not enough to get her into the final.
Academy of Art will soon be back on the track to continue its outdoor season on Mar. 17-18 with Sacramento State's Hornet Invitational.
