2023 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships Results

PUEBLO, Colo. – Raising All-American trophies throughout Saturday, Academy of Art track & field wrapped up NCAA Division II Outdoor Nationals with quite a bit of hardware and more new program records at the CSU Pueblo ThunderBowl.

The evening began in dynamic fashion with both 4x100m relays and it was the ART U men's quartet of Ajani Ince, Robin Black, Emmanuel Ajiroba, and Duncan Agyemang who once again dropped a new program best of 39.45. Impressively their fourth time setting the record this season third, the new 0.16-second improvement earned them third place overall just ahead of UC-Colorado Springs (39.46) and back of the new NCAA DII record of 38.70 set by National Champion West Texas A&M.

Black's first of two individual All-American performances was a historic one. In the 100m final alongside an extremely strong field supported by a +5.4 m/s wind, Black was one of seven sprinters to run 10.10 or better. His 10.10 mark passed ART U Hall of Famer Mobolade Ajomale's 10.15 record (which remains the fastest wind-legal mark) and led the Music Production & Sound Design for Visual Media major to finish seventh across the finish line.

With the sun starting to set in Pueblo, Black would return with Shareez Hamm for the final of the 400m hurdles. A significant leading margin for Black around the final curve was ultimately made up by both Troy Whyte of Lincoln (Mo.) and Ja'Qualon Scott who claimed the top two spots while Black ended third at 50.23 and Hamm quickly followed at 50.38 in fourth. Hamm's mark was a lifetime best as he remains second in program history.

Next to the drama on the track, Marie-Jeanne Ourega was busy battling a 19-competitor field in the triple jump. The Communications & Media Technologies major immediately vaulted herself into fourth with her first jump of 41-7.25 (12.68m) then bettered that slightly on her second attempt. In a final where all nine jumpers had already gone 40-9.5 (12.43m) or greater, Ourega saved her best for last, posting a 42-0 (12.80m) that put her fifth when all was complete while Pitt State's Auna Childress broke the NCAA DII record with a wind-legal 43-10.5 (13.37m). Adding in her national title in the long jump two days prior, Ourega completes her third year competing with Academy of Art as an 18-time All-American.

Individual success came for Agyemang in the 400m final following his contributions to the All-American relay roughly one hour earlier. He pushed against solid competition and finished seventh overall with a time of 46.70, marking his seventh All-American honor since joining Academy of Art last year.

Though they would not make the podium, the women's 4x100m relay combination of Britney Clark, Darria Matthias, Alicia Thomas, and Selena Arjona-Alcazar still finished as Second Team All-Americans after taking ninth with a time of 45.98, a little over half a second from eighth-place Northwest Missouri.

Tying their third-highest Outdoor Nationals placement in program history, the ART U men's team collectively scored 29 points (its highest total since 2018). The Urban Knights, who came in ranked No. 8 nationally, were just shy of that projection in ninth overall, but still atop the West Region and PacWest Champion Azusa Pacific (24 points) in 13th as well as Colorado School of Mines (26 points), Harding (26.5 points), and TAMU-Kingsville (27 points) between the two California schools.

The women turned in their third-highest Outdoor Nationals total in the last eight years with 14 points. Third out of the West Region and second among PacWest schools, Academy of Art finished 21st overall just ahead of Concordia-St. Paul (13 points) and a three-way tie between Lenoir-Rhyne, Westminster (Utah), and Fort Hays State (all 12 points).

With the ART U track & field season now having reached its conclusion, make sure to check www.ARTUAthletics.com for all the latest news and information.