2022 St. Thomas Aquinas Spartan Invitational Results
2022 MLK Collegiate Relays Results

Across the country to begin its 2022 indoor campaign, Academy of Art track & field split its roster across the St. Thomas Aquinas Spartan Invitational and MLK Collegiate Relays both in New York.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – The four Urban Knights who competed in the St. Thomas Aquinas Spartan Invite at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex walked away with four top-five NCAA Division II Nationals provisional marks.

In her first long jump event since her All-American effort and 2021 championship runner-up performance, Marie-Jeanne Ourega immediately began putting herself in contention for the top spot again with a 19-7.5 (5.98m) performance in her final of six attempts. She rose to third in the country with the Nationals provisional mark. The L'Haÿ-les-Roses, France native added the best triple jump, 38-1.5 (11.62m), out of a 15-jumper field as well.

Ourega also placed first out of 18 in the 60m hurdles, debuting at 8.78 with a Nationals provisional that was top 15 in NCAA DII. It was the first time she had competed in the event.

Starting his ART U career second in program history and currently third in the nation in the triple jump, Yacouba Gnacko soared to a 50-3.25 (15.32m) mark to lead all of the day's 16 competitors including a slight distance ahead of Mathieu Tshani who went 49-5.75 (15.08m) for sixth in NCAA DII and third in Academy of Art history. The tandem also contest the long jump where they matched one another with 22-4.5 (6.82m) efforts atop the list of 29 jumpers.

In his first action since 2019, Daniel Cortes Gonzalez achieved the tallest high jump mark out of 11 others. The final of three attempts saw him clear 6-6.75 (2.00m).

NEW YORK – ART U demonstrated unity throughout its various races in the MLK Collegiate Relays held at The Armory on Friday.

"Extremely proud of the way the team competed today as a whole in all event areas," said Director of Track & Field/Cross County Kevin LaSure. "Looking forward to see how they respond tomorrow after a tough day of competition like today."

The women's and men's 4x200m relay squads each finished first overall with a historical effort coming from Ombretta Picciolie Minkue Meye, Darria Matthias, Selena Arjona-Alcazar, and Hava Turner. Their 1:41.34 effort not only bested the program's previous top mark from Jan. 12, 2018, but it also moved Academy of Art up to the top spot in NCAA Division II history. The Urban Knights now own four of the top seven times in the national record book.

It was Duncan Agyemang, Ajani Ince, Shareez Hamm, and Kaze Poitier who produced a top-five time for the men as well with their 1:29.64 collective performance.

An assortment of sprint and distance runners were among those on each of two 4x400m relay teams. The women's contingent of Alice Coisne, Natalia Novak, Audrey Rosencrans, and Delanie Dykes wound up first at 4:12.19 while the men's team of Poitier, Abdelouakil Mustapha, Hudson Lockette, and Owen Day crossed the finish line at 3:34.87 for third.

A host of firsts also came for the program with both the men and women competing in their respective 1600m sprint medley relays as well as a mixed 1000m sprint medley as a co-ed team. Two women's sprint medley relay squads featured Turner, Erine Collard, Coisne, and Novak in the winning group (4:10.16) and Matthias, Arjona-Alcazar, Minkue Meye, and Dykes in another quartet (4:13.82). The men's side included first-place Ince, Hamm, Agyemang, and Mustapha at 3:31.29.

The co-ed sprint medley relay saw Matthias, Arjona-Alcazar, Hamm, and Agyemang combine to finish in the top spot with a 2:01.99 mark.

Academy of Art returns to The Armory tomorrow for the TCNJ Lions Indoor Invitational.