2024 NCAA Division II Outdoor Nationals Results (Day 1)

EMPORIA, Kan. – The start to NCAA Division II Outdoor Nationals was loaded with impressive Academy of Art track & field performances as Yacouba Gnacko and Marie-Jeanne Ourega each raised All-American trophies in their respective long jump events while Juvonna Cornette's new 100m dash record highlighted seven prelim qualifications by the Urban Knights inside Emporia State's Francis G. Welch Stadium on Thursday.

The afternoon opened with Gnacko immediately achieving a new personal record in his first long jump attempt. Soaring to a wind-legal 24-10 (7.57m), the Industrial Design major put himself in the sixth position through the first three jumps and ultimately seventh overall. Gnacko emerged with the seventh All-American honor of his career with the effort.

Following a similar sequence as Gnacko, Ourega also flew to her best jump of the competition on her initial attempt, going 19-10.75 (6.06m). The Communications & Media Technologies major was into the final round while holding the seventh spot and, though she would not collect her fourth consecutive National Championship, her eventual eighth-place result would put her on the podium as a 22-time All-American.

Two prelim heats of the women's 100m dash saw successive program records broken as Lauryn James first bettered her own top mark with a wind-legal 11.40 for third in her heat and ultimately eighth overall. That record lasted for only a matter of minutes as Cornette proceeded to deliver a wind-legal 11.39 across the finish line two heats later, also taking third in her heat as well as seventh overall, joining her teammate in Saturday's final.

Though wind was at the back of all runners in the men's 100m dash, it was the lowest in the heat of Ajani Ince who sprinted to the third-fastest time in ART U history at 10.16. He would come through just behind Tiffin's Malachi Adams for second in their heat while grabbing the eighth and final slot toward the championship race this weekend.

In the women's 4x100m relay prelims, Academy of Art's quartet of Ourega, James, Toni-Ann Lindsay, and Cornette barely finished back of Pitt State in their heat, going 44.83 for what would be fifth overall. The mark was second by the team this season, just off fifth-fastest in Urban Knights history, and punched ART U's ticket to the final.

As the sun was beginning to set on the day, Katharina Goetschl stepped onto the track for the first of what would be two 3000m steeplechase races in as many days and dominated. Staying in the front pack for the entirety of the race, the Industrial Design major led at times then stayed with Adams State's Ava O'Connor for much of the second half before passing her down the final stretch to not only win their heat, but produce the fastest of 18 times across both heats at 10:30.11. The performance sent Goetschl into Friday's event final as the overall leader.

Remaining focused and technically strong in a pair of heats with wild endings, the men's 400m hurdles prelims featured two Knights among the top three when all was said and done. Shareez Hamm and Josh Marlin were both not far from separate competitor falls in the final straightaway and ended up winning their respective heats at 51.20 and 51.48 respectively. The duo placed second and third overall out of 19 hurdlers and now set their sights on Saturday's final.

In the men's 4x100m relay prelims, the combination of Nathaniel Mark, Emmanuel Ajiroba, Hamm, and Ince would turn in a time of 40.40, finishing 11th overall and 0.27 seconds from reaching the final.

ART U returns to Francis G. Welch Stadium for the second day of Outdoor Nationals tomorrow.