2024 NCAA Division II Outdoor Nationals Results (Day 2)

EMPORIA, Kan. – Yet another Urban Knight visited the podium inside Emporia State's Francis G. Welch Stadium on Friday as Katharina Goetschl placed fourth in the 3000m steeplechase while three more prelim qualifications came for Academy of Art track & field on the second day of NCAA Division II Outdoor Nationals.

There was not much movement among the lead pack in the 3000m steeplechase with Goetschl fifth in the early going then fourth by the 1000m mark. She remained in that position the rest of the way en route to a new ART U record 10:13.58, her fourth time breaking the Urban Knights' top mark this year, and the first All-American honor of her career. Adams State's Gracie Hyde, the eventual National Champion, quickly jumped out to a sizeable lead and never let up, setting both a meet and facility record with a time of 9:36.95 across the finish line.

Starting the evening's competition on the track, Ajani Ince made a strong move following the turn of the men's 200m dash prelims to cross the finish line at 20.75, placing second in his heat just 0.08 seconds from Fresno Pacific's Shemar Palmer. The Architecture major ended sixth overall, setting him up to compete in his first two individual NCAA DII finals tomorrow, adding the 200m to the 100m dash that he qualified for on Thursday.

Ince later joined Shareez Hamm, Omodiaogbe Oboh, and Josh Marlin in producing the second-fastest 4x400m relay time in program history. The Academy of Art quartet went 3:08.48, making a late push past Lenoir-Rhyne for third in their prelim heat as well as fifth overall, securing one of the eight places in Saturday's final. It was the Knights' quickest performance of the season.

Three windy prelim heats of the women's 200m featured two ART U competitors and it was Juvonna Cornette who qualified to the final with a 23.45 effort. She ended third in her heat and was seventh overall while, two heats later, Lauryn James went 23.65 for 13th overall, missing a spot in the final by 0.17 seconds.

The prelims of the women's 800m had Lina Hanich in the second position at the end of her heat's first lap then in the lead for much of the second before three competitors moved in front down the stretch. She would finish fourth out of her heat at 2:09.48, taking 11th overall to miss the final by 0.74 seconds, but still become an All-American for the fourth time in her career.

Concluding the day, the women's 4x400m relay saw Toni-Ann Lindsay, Cornette, Hanich, and James combine for the third-fastest time in program history at 3:40.36, but fractions of a second would deny them a spot in the final. The Urban Knights were fourth in the opening prelim heat and ran the day's eighth-best time, but with two teams from each heat earning automatic qualification, Cal Poly Pomona collected the eighth spot despite the Broncos' 3:40.42 mark. Nonetheless, ART U secured All-American honors with their collective performance.

With all qualifiers to Saturday's championship events now set, the Urban Knights will begin with Yacouba Gnacko in the triple jump at 12:45 p.m. CT (10:45 a.m. PT) tomorrow.