2024 Tyson Invitational Results (Day 1)
2024 GVSU Big Meet Results (Day 1)

Academy of Art track & field delivered some of its best performances of the season and in individual careers across two meets on Friday. An opportunity to challenge many of the top NCAA Division I long jumpers came for Marie-Jeanne Ourega in Arkansas' Tyson Invitational while both Robin Black and Daniel Cortes Gonzalez broke their own previous program records and the men's 4x400m relay returned to the country's top spot at the GVSU Big Meet.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Inside Randal Tyson Track Center for the start of the Tyson Invitational, Friday saw Ourega of the No. 8 ART U women's team compete against elite opponents in the long jump invitational.

A field that featured two professional athletes as well as holders of four of the top 15 spots in the NCAA DI event had Ourega seventh overall following her 20-1.75 (6.14m) mark on her third attempt. She would remain in that position after matching the distance on her final attempt and finished ahead of Florida's Anthaya Charlton and Isabella Sokolova of Bulgaria among others. Former NCAA DI pentathlon National Champion Taliyah Brooks placed first overall at 21-7.25 (6.58m) as she had one of two season bests and a personal record throughout the day's competitors.

ALLENDALE, Mich. – A majority of Urban Knights were in action inside Kelly Family Sports Center for the first day of the GVSU Big Meet as the fastest mark to date in ART U history was turned in by Black in the 60m hurdles, Cortes Gonzalez elevated to a new top height in the high jump, and the men's 4x400m relay closed the day with the nation's quickest time among numerous highlights.

After taking second of 38 in the 60m hurdles prelims, Black took more than a full 0.1 seconds off his initial time to better six others in the event final. He crossed the finish line at 7.91 to break his own Academy of Art record of 7.95 while simultaneously rising into a four-way tie for eighth in the country as an Indoor Nationals provisional qualifier. Black would add a third-place result among 23 after going 21.31 in the 200m dash.

Bettering the time that had St. Augustine's previously first in the nation, ART U's 4x400m relay squad of Shareez Hamm, Omodiaogbe Oboh, Black, and Josh Marlin turned in a combined 3:10.53 mark. The Indoor Nationals provisional effort was that combination of four's third time running under 3:11.00 this season and gave them first of 14 on the day by nearly a full second.

Both Lauryn James and Juvonna Cornette ran their fastest times of the season in the 200m on Friday, lighting up the track to marks of 24.13 and 24.47 respectively. James came through at first of 27 overall while Cornette was sixth and the tandem of Indoor Nationals provisional times took James up to seventh while Cornette can now be found among the country's top 25. The performance also put James now fourth in program history.

Continuing to close in on the 800m mark that been holding inside the nation's top 10 since December, Lina Hanich did one better and produced a season-best 2:10.24 on Friday. The effort has her currently sixth in the country as an Indoor Nationals provisional qualifier and yet closer to her personal record of 2:10.07 set last season. Joining her teammate among the first seven of 28 runners to finish, Michaela Andrews posted a season best as well, going 2:11.52 to take more than half a second off her previous top mark. Andrews joins four others inside NCAA DII's top 13 who ran their fastest 800m time of the year in Friday's start to the GVSU Big Meet.

Cortes Gonzalez, who was competing in just his second high jump event of the season, showed he was ready to join the country's Indoor Nationals provisional qualifiers as he cleared a new indoor personal record of 6-9 (2.06m). Taking fourth of 11 behind three jumpers from Grand Valley State, Cortes Gonzalez slotted himself inside the top 30 in NCAA DII, breaking his own ART U record from five years ago.

Along with their dominance in the 4x400m relay, strong individual performances were offered by Hamm, Marlin, and Oboh in the 400m as well. Hamm's 47.78 earned him fifth in the field of 25 (though his 47.47 from January still has him among the top 10 in the country), Marlin added his name to the list of Indoor Nationals provisional qualifiers after a 48.35 brought him up to 32nd in the nation, and Oboh ended just off the national cutoff at 48.53.

There were three total Knights competing in the 60m dash final as Cornette won her opening heat while placing second of 54 in the prelims and she was followed by James as well as Darria Matthias. The trio all bettered their prelims marks in the following round with Cornette taking second at 7.44, James in third at 7.59, and Matthias ninth at 7.71. Though they did not move up in the national rankings, all are still Indoor Nationals provisional qualifiers this year.

Two of that trio, Cornette and James, contested the 4x400m relay, powering through with Hanich and Erine Collard for another top 20 national mark. Combining to go 3:47.35, the quartet took sixth of 17 teams on the day and made Academy of Art one of four teams with multiple marks inside the top 16 Indoor Nationals provisional qualifiers.

Ajani Ince put himself inside the top five of 47 competitors in the 60m dash prelims, winning his heat at 6.86 before dropping slightly to 6.85 good for seventh in the final.

Among the day's early action, Taj-Leon Wisdom offered a new personal record in the 600m, going 1:23.17 while remaining third in ART U history.

The Urban Knights will finish this week's action in both meets tomorrow as full contingents return to the GVSU Big Meet while Ourega will contest the triple jump in the Tyson Invitational.