2019 Pacific West Conference Championships Results (Day 1)

AZUSA, Calif. – Academy of Art captured a total of four medals in Friday's start to the Pacific West Conference Track & Field Championships inside Azusa Pacific's Cougar Stadium. Michane Ricketts won the javelin throw and placed third in the long jump, Camille Jouanno finished runner-up in the long jump, and Giulia McIsaac's first career 10,000m saw her also earn silver with a new program record. Meanwhile, the Urban Knights had a grand total of 31 qualifications through prelim races to Saturday's finals.

Building off his program record in the javelin set at these same PacWest Championships in 2017, Ricketts added over 10 feet to his previous mark with a 184-3 (56.17m) in his final attempt, but led for the entirety of the event. Also in action in the long jump, Ricketts offered a season-best 23-3.5 (7.10m) in his second attempt and went on to take third overall. Arrun Palacio would also make it to the final, finishing ninth overall with a 21-8.25 (6.54m).

Jouanno, like Ricketts, competed in two events on Friday, scoring in the long jump and qualifying out of the 100m hurdles prelim. Her first jump attempt saw her go 18-9.25 (5.72m) and it would be her best of the day, keeping her as the event leader until Concordia's Sarah Herron jumped 18-11.25 (5.77m) in her final attempt for the top placement. In the 100mH prelim, Jouanno took second (14.04) to Concordia's Tamia Prince (13.90).

Contesting the 10,000m for the first time in her four-year career, McIsaac challenged Azusa Pacific's Elise Larson and a collection of three Biola runners at the front of the race. She would place second overall, crossing the finish line at 37:12.19 to set a new ART U record by more than 45 seconds. On the men's side of the 10000m, Markus Anderson Deakin took sixth with the second-fastest time in program history at 32:16.66.

The only other Urban Knight to compete in a final on Friday was PacWest Cross Country Freshman of the Year Audrey Rosencrans who broke the program record in the 3000m steeplechase, taking more than 14 seconds off the previous top mark. She would come in at 11:25.33 for fourth overall in the event.

Multiple ART U runners qualified out of the 1500m prelims on both the men's and women's side. Freddie Hessian's 4:02.35 mark won the prelim itself and led qualifiers Victor Moreau (4:02.76, second), Joshua Browne (4:03.30, fourth), Charlie Messai (4:03.31, fifth), and Hudson Lockette (4:03.93, 11th) into the final. For the women, Hasna Kaarour was first of 16 out of the prelim at 4:43.59 and she will be joined by Alyssa Winter (4:49.59, eighth) and Ashley Brown (4:51.06, 11th) tomorrow.

Though it was the prelims of the 400m, Mobolade Ajomale still ran an outdoor-best 46.91 to break the meet record set by former Urban Knight Shaquille Howard in 2013. Remaining third in Academy of Art history, Ajomale moved up to sixth in NCAA Division II with his second Nationals provisional qualification of the year. Also competing in tomorrow's final will be Christian Carter (48.64, second), Roshard Williams (48.03, third), and Grant Swinton (48.97, fourth). Qualifiers out of the women's 400m were Latavia Hawkins, who took fourth with a time of 56.32, and Mia Avila, who followed closely in fifth at 56.37.

Following his achievement in the 400m, Ajomale was not finished. He had a very brief break before winning the 100m prelim with a time of 10.42. Saturday's final will be loaded with Urban Knights as Arrun Palacio posted a lifetime-best 10.82 for second, Swinton clocked in at third (10.85), Daquan Berry picked up fifth (10.89), and Ashony Williams came in at eighth (11.05). The prelims of the women's 100m had Ombretta Picciolie Minkue Meye lead the way with a fourth-place qualification (11.77) followed by Darria Matthias in sixth (11.94).

Returning from their success in the 1500m, Browne and Messai both qualified out of the 800m prelims at second (1:56.64) and fifth (1:57.17) respectively. A lifetime-best 2:14.80 led Kaarour to place fifth on the women's side while moving her closer to the third-fastest mark in program history.

In his final race of the day, Ajomale won the 200m prelim with a 21.30 and he will be able to look across at a large collection of teammates in the final. Swinton was Ajomale's runner-up at 21.51, Roshard Williams posted a lifetime-best 21.67 for third, Berry ran the fastest time of his career (21.68) in fourth, Carter also delivered a lifetime-best 21.88 for fifth, and Ashony Williams picked up a qualification in seventh (22.16), making it six Urban Knights in the final's eight lanes. The women had Matthias (24.34, seventh) and Allysia Parry (24.55, eighth) both qualify as well.

The Urban Knights will return to Cougar Stadium tomorrow for the second and final day of the PacWest Championships. Field events begin with the shot put at 10 a.m. and the opening ceremony on the track is slated to take place at noon.