2021 State Center Invitational Results
FRESNO, Calif. – In its second outdoor meet of the season, Academy of Art track & field had Urban Knights from both the men's and women's side add their names to the program's top five with one of those a new program record (
Natalia Novak's 3000m) and another a NCAA Division II Nationals provisional leading the country (
Marie-Jeanne Ourega's long jump).
"It was a good effort all around," said Director of Track & Field/Cross Country
Kevin LaSure. "It was great to get out and be able to apply some of the things we have worked on over the past few weeks, while also getting a chance to see what we need to focus on going forward."
Fresh off her
All-American effort in the long jump at Indoor Nationals, Ourega debuted with the best outdoor long jump NCAA DII has seen thus far at 20-3.75 (6.19m). The distance is currently more than a full foot in front of the next closest mark, a Nationals provisional, and second in ART U history only to multi-time Hall of Famer
Vashti Thomas.
Novak became Academy of Art's program record-holder in her second event on Saturday, finishing with a time of 10:17.91 in the 3000m to also take first out of 18 competitors in Fresno. Among those were
Hasna Kaarour (10:35.36),
Audrey Rosencrans (10:36.84), and
Giulia McIsaac (10:41.10) who all crossed the line in the top five.
Fourth in program history in their respective events,
Hudson Lockette completed his 3000m in a time of 8:55.53 while
Shareez Hamm went 55.25 in the 400m hurdles.
Nearly a Nationals provisional qualifier in every event she contested,
Darria Matthias clocked in at 12.00 (0.10 off qualification) in the 100m, 25.43 (just over a second off qualification) in the 200m, and joined
Hava Turner,
Ombretta Picciolie Minkue Meye, and Ourega to go 46.78 (0.05 off qualification) in the 4x100m relay.
Dropping more than a 10th of a second in his second 100m of the year,
Ajani Ince delivered a 11.02 mark which ended up 0.05 from the provisional standard. He later ran alongside five of his teammates in the 200m, leading the entirely sub-23 second quintet with a 22.22. In the men's 400m,
Grant Swinton found himself in a similar situation, pacing four of his teammates with a time of 50.24.
Academy of Art will make its third consecutive trip to Fresno this outdoor season for FPU's Wildflower Invitational on Apr. 10.
