2021 NCAA Division II Nationals Results

ST. LEO, Fla. – Prior to sunrise on the West Coast, Pacific West Conference Champion and No. 23 Academy of Art women's cross country and senior Natalia Novak were already busy making history with their respective first NCAA Division II Nationals appearances at The Abbey Course on Saturday morning. Novak incredibly passed 18 other runners over the 6k race's final 1,000 meters to place 31st and become the second All-American in the history of the ART U women's cross country program.

The Pacific West Conference Runner of the Year and individual champion, Novak was once again the Urban Knights' top finisher, but her journey to that result was different than the team's previous two races. Through the first 550 meters, the Békéscsaba, Hungary native was 90th overall and she would continue to make her way through the competition's 250+ runners thereafter, rising to 79th at 1.3k then top 60 halfway in.

"Today's race was definitely a tough one," Novak said. "I don't think any of my fellow runners would disagree with that statement. It was kind of a hilly course, nothing that we haven't had to deal with earlier in the season, but Nationals will always be a tough race. Everyone goes out hard, there are lots of bodies around you, and people are falling left and right. In the first 1500m or so, I was just trying not to fall; I didn't have a great start and didn't position too well to be honest. And the race just got harder and harder as it went on."

Novak was up to 46th at the 4.3k mark and, despite a brief drop to 49th, her final one kilometer was something to behold. The Communications & Media Technologies major overtook 18 other runners during that stretch (the most by anyone in the top 50) to break into the top 40 All-American cutoff, claiming 31st with a new 6k personal record 21:20.7 good for the third-fastest mark in ART U history. The second Academy of Art women's cross country All-American to date following Jenny Bergren's 2012 run and the only one from the West Region on Saturday, Novak also turned in the second-highest placement by an Urban Knight at Nationals.

"My legs were hurting, but I did my best to stay mentally strong and keep fighting," Novak said. "When I got to the 5k mark and I knew there was only 1k left, I knew I had to fight even harder. And although I already felt like I was giving my all, I still found some strength in me to finish strong and passed quite a few people in the final stretch. It was definitely the hardest race of my life, but I gave it my all. I left everything on the course. And the fact that I became an All-American in cross country as a 800m and 1500m runner is just something that I never even dreamed of."

"I've been pleased with the training Natalia has put in all season, which led to an All-American finish," said PacWest Coach of the Year Bruce Jackson. "She's set up to carry this momentum into the winter."

Though Novak made her late move, it was graduate student Hasna Kaarour who led ART U for the majority of the race. She began strong among the top 30 and never dropped below that position until the final 1,000 meters. The Strasbourg, France native rose as high as 13th in the early going then was 23rd approaching the final stretch and ended up crossing the finish line in 75th with a time of 21:54.6, her second-fastest mark of the season.

"I'm extremely proud of Hasna's effort today," Jackson said. "She truly put it all on the line. Although the last 300m didn't go as planned, we're grateful for the impact she has had on this program."

Holding down the third position for Academy of Art for the second half of the race was sophomore Delanie Dykes who opened in 60th and was battling for 86th by the 3k mark. She maintained her spot in 95th over the final portion and came through with a time of 22:08.4. Steady improvement was the mark of redshirt junior Audrey Rosencrans' race as she moved past 60 runners over the first half of 6k then worked her way into 134th (22:34.5) by its end. Freshman Lina Hanich wrapped up Urban Knights' five qualifiers with a time of 24:32.7 good for 236th place.

The lone PacWest team to compete, ART U (499) placed 19th out of 34 total squads, bettering CSU-Pueblo (507) and Walsh (546) most immediately. From 24th initially, the Knights rose as many as seven spots before settling within the upper tier inside the top 20. Despite Grand Valley State's Hannah Becker (20:22.0) and Klaudia O'Malley (20:26.9) finishing first and second individually, Adams State (59) won the team title by 20 points for its second consecutive championship and 19th overall.

"The women met the challenge of finishing higher than they came in ranked," Jackson said.

The Urban Knights will return to action for Academy of Art's 2022 indoor and outdoor track & field seasons. For all the latest news, check www.ARTUAthletics.com.