Academy of Art University Athletics

Academy of Art track & field's Grace Southern turned in a pair of NCAA Division II Outdoor Nationals provisional times in a two-hour span with season-best efforts in both the 1500m early on at the West Coast Last Chance and in the 5000m nearing the meet's conclusion.

Covering 6500m total on May 7, Southern first went 4:27.50 in the 1500m, ending less than a second from event-winner JJ Escalera from NCAA Division I Santa Clara. The mark moved the Textile Design major up one spot to second in program history while also elevating her to 37th in NCAA DII. Showing little fatigue from her earlier race, Southern quickly jumped out to the front of the nine-competitor pack in the 5000m and never looked back. She ended across the line at 17:03.46, more than 42 seconds ahead of second place, and put herself third in Academy of Art history. The strong run marked her first Outdoor Nationals provisional in the event this season, upping her to 49th in the country.

Southern can also be found inside the country's top 40 in the 800m after she went 2:11.02 at the Bryan Clay Invitational.