Academy of Art University Athletics

James Young made it not one but two national titles after placing first in the 1500m at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field National Championships on May 29.

Coming into the outdoor finale as the nation's leader in the event and the national champion in the indoor mile, Young quickly moved to the front of the 1500m pack some 30 seconds from the opening gun. He relinquished that lead briefly to American International's Benoit Champion just prior to the three-minute mark, but was back in front roughly 20 seconds later as final kicks began. Down the final straightaway, Young still held a multi-stride advantage, but Concordia-St. Paul's Benjamin Allen was suddenly on his heels despite being in seventh at 1100m. Shoulder to shoulder with the finish line steps away, an incredible dive by Young pushed him barely across first with a time of 3:52.95 that bested Allen's 3:52.96 by 0.01 seconds.

"It definitely wasn't a pretty one, but I'm just relieved I managed to get the job done," Young said. "It was a different challenge going in as the fastest seeded, which I've never been before. I felt pretty comfortable going into the home straight, but got a shock when my legs just stopped moving. Then it was a matter of just hoping the finish line would come a lot quicker than it did, but it eventually did."