2019 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field National Championships Results (Day 1)
PITTSBURG, Kan. – It was a productive start to the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field National Championships for Academy of Art inside the Pitt State's Robert W. Plaster Center on Friday afternoon. ART U had three Urban Knights qualify through preliminary races highlighted by first-place finishes in both the 60m and 200m for
Mobolade Ajomale.
Action began in the women's 60m where both
Darria Matthias and
Ombretta Picciolie Minkue Meye found themselves four lanes apart one another in the same heat. Across the finish line, it was Matthias who would reach the finals after her lifetime-best 7.50 mark satisfied one of the five non-first place qualifiers. The time put her second in program history and fifth overall out of prelims. Minkue Meye missed out on qualification for Saturday's final by 0.05 after her 7.55 mark.
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With a season-best 6.64 to lead all 15 competitors in the prelims, Ajomale set himself up to defend the 60m title that he has held each of the past three years. Tiffin's Jonte Baker was less than a blink behind Ajomale at 6.65, however, should the 14-time All-American win the championship in Saturday's final, he will become just the first student-athlete in NCAA DII history to win the title four consecutive times (currently second to win any event title only to Western State's Michael Aish who accomplished the feat in the 5000m in 1999-2002).
Just over two hours later, Ajomale returned to qualify out of the 200m prelims. A blistering 20.86 had him in front of Mason Philips of Northwood (Mich.) by 0.05 and put the Richmond Hill, Canada native in position to defend his 200m crown. The champion in the event the past two years, Ajomale's five career individual indoor titles are currently second among NCAA DII student-athletes only to Adams State's Sydney Gidabuday, who earned his sixth after winning the 5000m today.
In the men's mile,
Victor Moreau led for a portion of the first heat and would make a strong push down the final straightaway, but he ended up just 0.04 back of the man who would be the final prelims qualifier, Calahan Warren of Embry-Riddle, who ran 4:18.60. Regardless, Moreau will still have a shot at becoming an All-American tomorrow in the 3000m.
In what will be a busy final day of the NCAA DII Indoor Track & Field National Championships, Academy of Art will contest seven events on Saturday back inside the Robert W. Plaster Center. The women's 60m final starts the action at 5:20 p.m. CT (3:20 p.m. PT).
