2023 Cardinal Classic Results

STANFORD, Calif. – One week removed from Indoor Nationals, all of the Academy of Art track & field Urban Knights who hoisted All-American trophies were busy highlighting the start to the outdoor season with Stanford's Cardinal Classic on Saturday at Cobb Track & Angell Field. Among the highlights was the third-fastest men's 4x400m time in program history which quickly vaulted ART U to the first spot in NCAA Division II.

The meet ended on quite a memorable note as the men's 4x400m team of Makarios Page, Omodiaogbe Oboh, Ajani Ince, and Shareez Hamm stepped onto the track for the fastest of two heats. Battling NCAA DI opponents like Cal, BYU, and San Jose State throughout, ART U claimed a lead early on and fended off all but the Golden Bears in a finish that came down to the wire. Ultimately, Academy of Art collectively delivered a time of 3:10.32 which ranked second to just two others in program history and bettered the Outdoor Nationals provisional standard by almost four seconds for first in NCAA DII.

Saturday's action also started emphatically with Marie-Jeanne Ourega dominating the long jump competition. She offered her best attempt of the day on her third try, going 20-6.25 (6.25m) to debut at first in the nation as the program's first Outdoor Nationals provisional qualifier of the season. The mark, which kept her first of 27 other jumpers, was also three quarters of an inch from the meet record set by Florida State's Jogaile Petrokaite (20-7/6.27m). Ourega would later assume the country's top position in the triple jump as she challenged numerous NCAA DI opponents and finished seventh in the competition with an Outdoor Nationals provisional distance of 40-2.75 (12.26m) on her second attempt.

Both opening their outdoor campaign inside the nation's first three in the men's triple jump, Yacouba Gnacko and Mathieu Tshani bookended the competition with their best marks. Gnacko began by launching himself to a 49-11.25 (15.22m) and Tshani closed at 49-11 (15.21m), making both Outdoor Nationals provisional qualifiers right off the bat and owners of the second and third-longest NCAA DII distances, winning the competition over a pair from Fresno Pacific as well as a jumper from Stanford.

Of the 54 runners who would contest the 200m dash, Selena Arjona-Alcazar crossed the finish line with the fourth-best time back of a pair from Stanford at 23.84. She would start at second in the country with the Outdoor Nationals provision effort. Additionally, the nine-time All-American would team with Britney Clark, Darria Matthias, and Yanique White to go 46.28 in the women's 4x100m relay for the fourth-fastest mark thus far in 2023 as the quartet provisionally qualified for Outdoor Nationals. 

Apart from the 4x400m, Hamm shined individually in the 400m hurdles where he went 52.83 to finish between two competitors from BYU. The mark has him already an Outdoor Nationals provisional qualifier and sixth in the country.

The ART U pair of Duncan Agyemang and Page found themselves locked in between a group of Cal and Stanford competitors when the 400m reached its conclusion on Saturday. Agyemang delivered a time of 47.67 to make him an Outdoor Nationals provisional qualifier and seventh in the country. Meanwhile, Page would end up just 0.01 seconds from the standard at 47.84 though both were among the top five of 27 on the day. Page later contributed to the Knights' aforementioned 4x400m debut, but it was Agyemang who anchored the men's 4x100m relay with Emmanuel Ajiroba, Ince, and Hamm which, after going 40.89, had ART U fifth in the nation, provisionally making Outdoor Nationals.

Coming off bettering the program's indoor 800m record, Lina Hanich achieved a new outdoor best to start her season. A photo finish with Stanford's Lily Flynn saw the Fashion Merchandising major go 2:11.64 (specifically 2:11.636) for the third-fastest mark of the day out of 28 others. Hanich, who remains fifth in ART U history with the performance, instantly became an Outdoor Nationals provisional qualifier and third in NCAA DII thus far in 2023.

For its second weekend of action, ART U will continue the outdoor season by sending contingents to the Mike Fanelli Track Classic (Mar. 30-Apr. 1), the West Coast Relays (Mar. 31), and Stanford Invitational (Mar. 31-Apr. 1).