2024 New Mexico Collegiate Classic Results
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Academy of Art track & field closed out the New Mexico Collegiate Classic with an exclamation mark as a Saturday of action finished with the ART U men's 4x400m relay team improving upon its top mark of the year.
Combing for the 4x400m relay for the third time this season,
Shareez Hamm,
Omodiaogbe Oboh,
Robin Black, and
Josh Marlin bested seven NCAA Division I quartets, winning their heat by edging out Arkansas. At a 3:10.33 (converted to 3:10.77 for altitude), it was not only the best time the collection of Urban Knights had delivered this season, but also the second-fastest in the country, closing further in on St. Augustine's 3:10.68 for the first position. Only powerhouses from Tennessee, Texas Christian, and Iowa ended ahead of ART U in Saturday's event.
Black was also strong in the 60m hurdles prelims where he placed in the middle of a loaded field. Though not better than his top-30 mark from last week (8.11), he still was well under the Indoor Nationals provisional standard at 8.14 (converted to 8.16 for altitude), taking third ahead of Rice's Vincent Arousell in the event's third heat.
The men's 60m dash invitational prelims saw
Ajani Ince nearly reach his personal record (6.83) as he finished 6.86 (converted to 6.88 for altitude) across the line, extremely close to the marks of Alabama's Tyler Davis and Arizona's Tyson Tippett in the 33-competitor field. Meanwhile,
Nathanel Mark's first time competing as an Urban Knight was in the unseeded 60m dash where he finished fourth of 20 sprinters at 6.98 (converted to 7.00 for altitude).
Each with marks faster than the Indoor Nationals provisional standard,
Juvonna Cornette and
Lauryn James of the
No. 5 women's squad were both among the top six in their opening prelim heat of the 60m dash. Challenging NCAA DI competition in the other five lanes, Cornette went 7.46 (converted to 7.48 for altitude) and James came across at 7.63 (converted to 7.65 for altitude) to put the pair 18th and 30th on the day. The two remain among the nation's top 30 in the event this season.
ART U will split action over two states next weekend as Urban Knights will be in action both at the GVSU Big Meet in Michigan and the Tyson Invitational in Arkansas on Feb. 9-10.
