2022 Tyson Invitational Results
2022 Indoor Gorilla Classic Results

Back for its second day of both the Tyson Invitational and Indoor Gorilla Classic, Academy of Art track & field spent Saturday collecting numerous Indoor Nationals provisional qualifications inside the country's top 25.

"Great steps in the right direction in all event areas," said Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Kevin LaSure.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Urban Knights' jumps squad wrapped up the Tyson Invitational with an impressive personal record from Yacouba Gnacko in the triple jump inside the Tyson Indoor Track Center on Saturday.

Competing against an 18-jumper field that included just three non-NCAA Division I representatives, Gnacko started his series with his best mark of the day and the season at 51-0.25 (15.55m). The distance bettered his previous record by nearly six inches, had him eighth on the day, still second in program history and third in NCAA DII. Teammate Mathieu Tshani ended 12th with a 49-6.25 (15.09m) effort that was a little over an inch off his season-best.

In the men's high jump, Daniel Cortes Gonzalez finished tied with four other jumpers for fifth overall at 6-7 (2.01m).

PITTSBURG, Kan. – Once again inside Robert W. Plaster Center for the Indoor Gorilla Classic, Academy of Art had a bevy of highlights from the women's 60m, women's and men's 400m races, success in the middle-distances, and both genders' 4x400m relays.

Closing out the weekend in record-tying fashion, Selena Arjona-Alcazar matched the program's best 60m originally run in 2013 by multi-time hall of Famer Vashti Thomas. After taking second of 28 with a personal record 7.49 in the prelim, Arjona-Alcazar went a blistering 7.40 in the event final to take over the third spot in the country.

"On Friday, Selena ran a personal best in the 200m with a top 10 time nationally at 24.34 in only her second 200m of the season," LaSure said. "She followed that up with great performances on Saturday, first in the 60m finishing second overall with a time of 7.40, which ties the school record held by Hall of Famer Vashti Thomas. Any time you are mentioned with a legend like Vashti in track & field you are doing something amazing. She followed that up with a 55-second split on the 4x400m relay to improve upon our season-best by more than four seconds."

The team's best mile of the season came from Natalia Novak Saturday as she took fifth of 73 runners with a 4:51.76 Indoor Nationals provisional qualification. The time elevated her significantly into the nation's top 20 while Delanie Dykes added her own season-best at 5:03.99, climbing closer to the fourth spot in ART U history. Though she did not improve upon her Indoor Nationals provisional and program record 9:40.06 in the 3000m, Novak still led all 55 competitors in the event on Saturday, crossing the finish line at 9:45.98.

In the women's 400m, Ombretta Picciolie Minkue Meye cut nearly a half second off her previous season-best with a 56.03 mark that put her among the nation's top 15 toward Indoor Nationals. She finished sixth out of 56 on the day and was followed by two teammates with season-bests as well in Alice Coisne (58.83) and Erine Collard (59.64). At the day's conclusion, Minkue Meye and Coisne teamed with Arjona-Alcazar and Lina Hanich for a breakout 3:47.10 time in the 4x400m that was third out of 36 teams and inside the top 12 in NCAA DII.

"Ombretta was able to improve her national standing in the 400m, moving into the top 15 nationally and there is so much more left in the tank for her," LaSure said.

Shareez Hamm excelled both individually and with his teammates in the 4x400m relay on Saturday. He started with a personal record 48.20 in the 400m to cut nearly a full second off his previous best from the week prior. He finished ninth out of 56 in the event and entered the country's top 20 as an Indoor Nationals provisional qualifier. Hamm later joined Makarios Page, Ajani Ince, and Abdelouakil Mustapha for another provisional in the 4x400m relay as the quartet turned in a time of 3:15.16 good for sixth out of 45 teams on the day and top 20 in the nation, nearly two seconds under the standard.

"Shareez ran great all weekend, first on the DMR, then on Saturday in the 400m and 4x400m relay, positioning himself in the top 20 nationally in the 400m," LaSure said. "Makarios and Ajani ran really well on the 4x400m relay to close out the weekend. They showed amazing toughness and stepped up with us being without some of our other top guys this weekend."

There were season-bests all around in the women's 800m as Lina Hanich led the way in eighth of 77 runners with a 2:13.58 Indoor Nationals provisional qualification. She rose to third in program history and entered the country's top 35 with the mark and fellow 2021 PacWest Cross Country Championship teammates, Dykes (2:16.26, fourth in ART U history) and Audrey Rosencrans (2:26.31), joined her with their best times in the event thus far in 2022.

Individual success also came for Mustapha in the men's 800m where he ran the fastest time of his career, 1:51.67, to take sixth out of 68 and get into the top 35 marks in NCAA DII. He also moved up one spot to third in Academy of Art history with the effort.

"Lina and Abdelouakil ran really well in the 800m, both improving their season-bests and moving up the national qualifying list with NCAA provisional performances," LaSure said.

The Urban Knights will have their first week off from competition since the indoor season began in mid-January and return to action for the Fastrack Last Chance Invitational in New York on Feb. 25 followed by the BU Last Chance Meet in Boston on Feb. 27.