2022 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships Results

PITTSBURG, Kan. – Saturday's finale to the indoor season was highlighted by at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships back inside Pitt State's Robert W. Plaster Center. Selena Arjona-Alcazar turned in a runner-up finish for a national title in the 200m while Marie-Jeanne Ourega placed among the top three in the triple jump. That pair would take trips to the podium in the 60m and 60m hurdles respectively while Mathieu Tshani and Yacouba Gnacko finished one spot from one another in the triple jump and Duncan Agyemang made two podium appearances, individually in the 400m and with his teammates in the 4x400m relay.

Capping a truly memorable indoor season, Arjona-Alcazar began the day in the 60m with Azusa Pacific's Mechaela Haycinth to her left and Minnesota State's Makayla Jackson to her right. Less than eight seconds after the start, all had crossed the finish line and Arjona-Alcazar had claimed fifth overall with a time of 7.47. Jackson (7.34) ended up as the National Champion while Haycinth finished third ahead of the Communications & Media Technologies major by just 0.04 seconds.

Arjona-Alcazar ended up well ahead of Jackson later in the afternoon when the two were among the eight to contest the 200m final. Lighting up the track as the leader of her heat, Arjona-Alcazar posted a personal record 23.95, putting her second only to two-time Hall of Famer Vashti Thomas in ART U history. The time was incredibly bettered by 0.02 in the heat that followed, however, as West Texas A&M's Leah Belfield ran 23.93 to claim the national title.

Roughly 24 hours after she ended as the runner-up in the long jump, Ourega returned to compete in the triple jump with 17 others. She opened with the best mark of the first round, sporting a personal record 41-2.25 (12.55m) then added nearly five inches to that distance with a 41-7 (12.67m) on her third attempt, making the final at third overall to that point. She proceeded to deliver yet another career-best on her fourth try, reaching 41-8 (12.70m) for what would be her farthest mark of the day and putting her past Vashti Thomas for second in ART U history. It wound up earning her third back of U-Mary's D'Andra Morris (42-8/13.00m) and Taylor Nelloms (42-6.75/12.97m) of West Texas A&M.

Ourega wasn't able to accept the ensuing All-American trophy on the podium, however, as she was on the track for the 60mH final where she finished eighth overall. The performance resulted in her ninth career All-American honor and completed her busy day of action.

Playing out a narrative that Academy of Art had seen throughout the indoor season, the duo of Tshani and Gnacko both found themselves in the event final. Tshani achieved a personal record 51-4.25 (15.65) on his second attempt to sit third heading into the last three jumps then went 51-4.5 (15.66m) to eventually claim fifth overall, bettering his previous season-bets by close to nine inches. Gnacko took a bit of a different path, holding the ninth and final spot three attempts in with his 49-9.25 (15.17m), but he would surpass 50 feet twice in the last round, taking sixth overall with his best jump of the day, 50-7.25 (15.42m), on his last attempt.

Agyemang led for a portion of his heat in the 400m final and ended up going 47.75 across the finish line. The performance had him third in the first of two heats and seventh overall by the conclusion. Joining forces with Makarios Page, Ajani Ince, and Shareez Hamm in the 4x400m, Agyemang and the Urban Knights challenged three others, Ashland, Pitt State, and Lincoln (Mo.) in what would be the fastest of three heats by far. As a quartet, the Urban Knights went 3:11.24 to place fourth overall while adding their names to the fourth spot in program history.

The women's 4x400m saw Ombretta Picciolie Minkue Meye, Alice Coisne, Arjona-Alcazar, and Erine Collard turn in a 3:50.28 mark which resulted in a 14th place finish. Additionally, in the 3000m, Natalia Novak was among the leaders early, but dropped midway through and finished 19th overall.

The team scores reflected ART U in a three-way tie for seventh on the women's side as 27 points were shared by the Knights, Saginaw Valley, and Indianapolis ahead of Queens (N.C. (24), CSU-Pueblo (22), and others. The men's team took 17th overall with a collective 14 points that bested Lee (Tenn.) (13), Nebraska-Kearney (12.5), and Azusa Pacific (11) among others.

With its 2022 indoor chapter now closed, Academy of Art turns its attention to an outdoor season that will begin with Stanford's Cardinal Classic on Mar. 19.