Division 2 Rumble In The Jungle Results

PITTSBURG, Kan. – Getting its first look at Pitt State's Robert W. Plaster Center, the site of this season's NCAA Division II National Championships, Academy of Art track & field delivered seven new Nationals provisional qualifying marks and two improvements on existing provisionals at the Division 2 Rumble In The Jungle on Friday.

Making his way onto a short list of 400m runners to better the 49-second mark, Duncan Agyemang earned Nationals provisional qualification after turning in a 48.15 time. The effort put him fifth in ART U history, third in the country thus far, and second of 41 in the event inside Robert W. Plaster Center. Teammate Makarios Page added a personal record in the event, going 49.10 to join his teammate among Friday's top five finishers.

Both Page and Agyemang later teamed with Shareez Hamm and Kaze Poitier in the 4x400m relay where the quartet rose to fourth in NCAA DII with a collective 3:14.29 mark. The Nationals provisional was second only to Pitt State's team.
 
The first indoor 800m race for Natalia Novak since 2020 was a resounding success. She bettered her previous best by more than a full second, going 2:13.37 for Nationals provisional qualification and second of 30 competitors on Friday. She begins 2020 at fifth in the nation and continues to close in on the program record at second overall.

In the triple jump, ART U's duo of Yacouba Gnacko and Mathieu Tshani both improved their previous Nationals provisional marks on their respective third attempts. Gnacko soared three full inches beyond his last, going 50-6.25 (15.40m) for third in NCAA DII and still second in program history. Tshani moved up two inches for a 49-7.75 (15.13m) flight that still has him third among Academy of Art jumpers and among the top five in the nation this year. He also took over the fifth spot in program history with a 22-10 (6.96m) long jump.

Along with finishing first out of 25 long jumpers with a 19-8.25 (6.00m), Marie-Jeanne Ourega elevated herself to fourth in the NCAA DII triple jump. At 40-8.25 (12.40m) on her second attempt, she provisionally qualified for Nationals with a near five-inch increase from her previous best that took her up to third in ART U history.

Daniel Cortes Gonzalez improved upon his previous week's high jump by nearly two full inches, getting himself into the national conversation with a provisional mark of 6-8.25 (2.04m). Just half of an inch off his own personal record which serves as the program's best, he ended first out of 12 jumpers and was the only one competing beyond 6-5 (1.96m).

A big personal record came for Selena Arjona-Alcazar in the 60m Friday as she bettered her previous best by 0.07 with a Nationals provisional qualifier at 7.64 to enter the nation's top 20. Darria Matthias was just outside of the provisional cutoff at 7.69. Finishing first across a field of 28 others in the 400m was Ombretta Picciolie Minkue Meye at 57.24.

Arjona-Alcazar and Minkue Meye joined Novak and Alice Coisne to post a Nationals provisional 3:51.79 in the 4x400m. The fastest time out of the 20 teams in action Friday, the Urban Knights rose to sixth in the country.

In ART U's first time competing in the 600-yard event since 2012, Delanie Dykes set the program record with a time of 1:30.67 good for fifth out of 13 on the day.

Ajani Ince cut 0.14 off his 60m dash time from last week by going 7.11 on Friday to finish in the event's upper tier. He would later debut in the 200m at 22.65.

It was a personal record for Audrey Rosencrans who crossed the 3000m finish line at 10:29.26 to take third out of 24 runners. Less than a second from his personal record, Hudson Lockette finished ninth out of 30 competitors with a time of 1:57.04 in the 800m.

When Academy of Art next takes the track, it will be for the Hillsdale Wide Track Classic which spans Jan. 28-29 in Hillsdale, Mich.