2024 USTFCCCA Indoor Regional Award Winners

NEW ORLEANS – Following the conclusion of its indoor season, Academy of Art track & field had three student-athletes and two coaches earn regional recognition as announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Friday. Indoor West Region selections featured Shareez Hamm as Men's Track Athlete of the Year, Yacouba Gnacko as Men's Field Athlete of the Year, and Lauryn James as Women's Track Athlete of the Year, while Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Kevin LaSure was awarded Men's Coach of the Year and Assistant Coach Nkosinza Balumbu was named Men's Assistant Coach of the Year.

In his ninth year at ART U's helm, LaSure was the West Region's Coach of the Year following the men's team finishing first in the region at Indoor Nationals (30th overall). A total of six All-American honors emerged from the finale including Gnacko in the triple jump, Hamm in the 400m, and the men's 4x400m relay. As a whole, the indoor season featured multiple new program records, 13 Indoor Nationals provisional qualifications, and 15 separate All-Region selections all before five Urban Knights visited the podium in Kansas.

Balumbu wrapped up his fifth indoor season with Academy of Art as the West Region's Assistant Coach of the Year, a year highlighted by Gnacko securing a fifth-place finish in the triple jump to collect his sixth career All-American honor. Along with Gnacko, the Urban Knights' jumps side also had another Indoor National provisional qualifier in Daniel Cortes Gonzalez who broke his own Academy of Art record in the high jump with a clearance of 6-9 (2.06m) at the GVSU Big Meet on Feb. 9.

En route to multiple All-American performances at Indoor Nationals, Hamm could be found holding the baton first for the regular season's fastest 4x400m relay as well as ranked 10th in the 400m (first in the West Region), and 36th in the 200m dash (third in the West Region), both on new indoor bests run this year. The Gray, Ga. Native had a Spokane Indoor Challenge to remember as he turned in his fastest 400m (47.47) and 200m (21.47) on the same day (Jan. 13), earning him places among the program's top five to date in both events. Helping the Knights dominate the 4x400m relay, the Photography major was a contributor to three sub 3:11.00 marks including the 3:10.53 from the GVSU Big Meet (Feb. 9) that had ART U in the top position by the regular season's end. A three-time All-Region honoree this season, Hamm barely missed the 400m final by 0.02 seconds, but would hoist a trophy on the podium alongside his 4x400m teammates in seventh overall at Indoor Nationals, becoming a seven-time All-American.

Peaking with some of his best performances of the season in the final two meets, Gnacko was not only among the West Region leaders, but also NCAA Division II as a whole in the triple jump in 2024. The Industrial Design major remained within the 49-5.5 (15.07m) to 49-8.25 (15.14m) range for the month of January, but at the Fastrack Last Chance Invitational on Feb. 23, he launched to a season-best 51-3.5 (15.63m), his fourth time surpassing 51 feet in the indoor version of the event, to take the third spot nationally (first in the West Region). Gnacko, who had placed first three times during the regular season, then turned an All-Region selection into his sixth All-American honor with a 50-9.25 (15.47m) distance good for fifth overall (first in the West Region) at Indoor Nationals.

A first debut season with Academy of Art saw James quickly make her mark, ending among the West Region and ART U program leaders in multiple sprint events. The native of Philadelphia was an Indoor Nationals provisional qualifier in both the 60m and 200m at her debut meet, the GVSU Holiday Open (Dec. 8), and proceeded to conclude the regular season inside the country's top 25 in those two events (top five in the West Region in both) as well as the 4x400m relay (third in the West Region). James' best 60m of 7.48 (fourth in ART U history) came at the GVSU Big Meet on Feb. 10 and she joined her teammates for the Knights' fastest 4x400m of 3:46.58 at the Fastrack Last Chance Invitational on Feb. 23, but her best 200m of the year was saved for Indoor Nationals. To reach the event final, the three-time All-Region honoree dropped a 23.91, second only to multi-time Hall of Famer Vashti Thomas and 11-time All-American Selena Arjona-Alcazar in Academy of Art history, to finish seventh overall (first in the West Region).

This is specifically the sixth West Region Men's Indoor Coach of the Year honor in LaSure's career (10th Coach of the Year combining the indoor and outdoor men's and women's sides) and is the second Indoor Men's Assistant Coach of the Year award for Balumbu (fourth combining the men's and women's sides). For Hamm, Gnacko, and James, it is each their first time earning USTFCCCA Regional Athlete of the Year awards in their respective careers.