2022 APU Last Chance Meet Results

AZUSA, Calif. – On the final day of the regular season, Academy of Art track & field unleashed numerous personal records, season-bests, and one program record across a busy afternoon and evening of competition at the Azusa Pacific Last Chance Meet inside Cougar Stadium.

The first completed long jump for Marie-Jeanne Ourega on Saturday was her best not just on the season, but also matched her personal record of 21-7.25 (6.58m). The mark also came with a +1.6 m/s legal wind and elevated her into a tie for the second-farthest distance in the nation. The Communications & Media Technologies major remains second in program history back of multi-time Hall of Famer Vashti Thomas.

Running head-to-head with Azusa Pacific (45.17), ART U's 4x100m relay quartet of Ourega, Darria Matthias, Ombretta Picciolie Minkue Meye, and Selena Arjona-Alcazar posted the day's fastest mark of 44.83. The best time by four Knights in 2022, the performance settled them at fourth in Academy of Art history as well as third in DII to leap both the Cougars and Fresno Pacific in the process.

A strong personal record came from Alisha Wilson in the 400m as she delivered 54.89 mark to find herself inside the nation's top 17. After ending just off Fresno Pacific's Danae Manibog (53.66) for the top collegiate spot on the day, Wilson becomes one of just four Urban Knights to run sub-55.00 in a career, now sitting at third on the ART U all-time list. Also in the event, Alexandria Okon ran the fastest time of her collegiate career at 57.65 while Alice Coisne posted a 57.79 season best.

Just over 24 hours removed from running a new program record in the 800m, Natalia Novak was strong in the 1500m as well. She ended up less than half a second from the race's winner, Jennifer Sandoval of APU, crossing the finish line at 4:22.43 which rose her more than 15 spots to eighth in the country, once again solidifying a place in the event at Outdoor Nationals.

Audrey Rosencrans added her second program record of the weekend with another new best in the 3000m steeplechase. For the third time this season, she broke the record she owned coming into the year, working to drop over 28 seconds from that mark to 10:45.13 on Saturday. Along with furthering the best in Urban Knights history, she joined the nation's 30 best.

The evening's leader in the men's 3000m steeplechase was none other than Saba Khvichava who rocketed up the country's ranks with nearly a full 10-second improvement on his previous best. Well in front of the next collegiate competitor, he went 8:50.40 to settle into the top 10 in NCAA DII. Hudson Lockette offered his own personal record of 9:36.29 to remain fourth in program history.

In the first 100m dash of his collegiate career, Duncan Agyemang put himself among the ART U historical leaders, turning in a time of 10.44. Accompanied by a +2.4 m/s wind, the effort was fourth-fastest on the program's all-time list and tied for 37th in NCAA DII as an Outdoor Nationals provisional qualifier.

On the men's side of the 4x400m relay, Academy of Art produced its best time of the season at 3:12.90 to wind up less than a second from the day's top spot. Nevertheless, the Knights' combination of Makarios Page, Agyemang, Kaze Poitier, and Shareez Hamm walked away with their first Outdoor Nationals provisional qualification of the season as a top-31 quartet in the country.

ART U's top performer in the 200m dash, Matthias turned in a season-best 24.25 to finish sixth among collegiate student-athletes. Bettering her previous 24.30 mark at the Pacific West Conference Championships, the time moved the Fashion Styling major up to slightly inside the country's top 45.

Placing first in a triple jump event for the third time this season, Yacouba Gnacko surpassed 50 feet (15.24m) in three of his four attempts on Saturday with his best, 51-5 (15.67m), coming on his second try. On his final legal attempt, Mathieu Tshani soared to a 51-3 (15.62m) mark, rising to second on the day behind his teammate.

For those Urban Knights who qualify, the last meet of the season will be NCAA Division II Outdoor Nationals hosted by Grand Valley State in Allendale, Mich. on May 26-28.