2019 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field National Championships Results (Day 1)
KINGSVILLE, Texas – Thursday's start to the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field National Championships saw Academy of Art turn qualify through three event prelims inside Javelina Stadium to begin to build an exciting finale on Saturday. The men's 4x100m relay,
Victor Moreau (1500m), and
Mobolade Ajomale (100m) thrived on the big stage, all finishing third or higher in their respective prelims.
Setting the tone early, the men's 4x100m relay saw
Grant Swinton, Ajomale,
Christian Carter, and
Arrun Palacio combine for their best race of the season in the prelims. Ajomale handed the baton off after he and Swinton had the quartet out to a healthy lead, and though Texas A&M-Commerce fought back to win the heat at 40.26, the Urban Knights claimed the heat's second automatic qualifier with a time of 40.63, bettering their previous low (
40.65) for what would end up as the third-fastest time on the track out of the prelims.
Later in the prelims of the 100m, Ajomale set himself up for a title defense on Saturday with a blistering 10.16. The time, though aided by a +4.1 wind that swept through amid many ominous dark clouds, improved upon the 10.17 that earned him the
2017 title in Florida. The 17-time All-American finished the day first of 20 from the prelims and 0.06 better than Tiffin's Jonte Baker who earned the
indoor 60m championship in another race where he was just one lane over.
Lying in wait to make his move, Moreau's race in his heat of the 1500m prelims was an absolute thrill ride. Across the first 300m, he was seventh and had even dropped to ninth amid a tightly bunched pack at 700m. The Frenchman's biggest move came over the next 400m as he rose six places and was then right on the heals of eventual winner Daniel Wallis from Queens (N.C.). Eight of the 12 qualifiers came out of that heat and Moreau's second-place 3:55.24 ended up a mere 0.16 from Wallis.
Coming in ranked among Division II's top 10 in the 100m,
Ombretta Picciolie Minkue Meye placed sixth in her prelim heat and ended up taking 11th overall, finishing 0.15 off of qualification to the final. She will earn Second Team All-America honors as a result. Minkue Meye was also in action in the 4x100m, teaming up with
Selena Arjona-Alcazar,
Hava Turner, and
Darria Matthias at the start of the day's evening portion. Academy of Art improved on its 11th-place ranking from the regular season, but missed out on qualification for the final after going 47.18, just 0.11 back of the eighth spot. They also took home Second Team All-America honors.
In the women's 1500m prelims,
Hasna Kaarour was out in front for the first portion of her heat, but as the field began to make moves, she dropped back and finished 19th overall with a time of 4:51.24.
ART U returns to Javelina Stadium tomorrow for day two of three of the NCAA DII Outdoor National Championships. It will feature Minkue Meye in the 200m prelims at 5:35 p.m. CT (3:35 p.m. PT), Ajomale in the 200m prelims thereafter at 5:50 p.m. CT (3:50 p.m. PT), and the men's 4x400m prelims closing out the evening at 8:10 p.m. CT (6:10 p.m. PT).
