Seattle, WA--- The Academy of Art University's Track & Field program competed in the Flotrack UW Husky Classic (Feb. 11-12) and the UW Indoor Open (Feb. 13) this weekend held at Dempsey Indoor in Seattle, WA. ART U, right in the midst of their first ever indoor season, is making great strides towards becoming a feared program. With just three meets under their belts, Head Coach Charles Ryan is already seeing vast improvements amongst all of his athletes.
“Both teams are showing a lot of growth each time they compete,” said Ryan. “Each week you can see more and more of their new found confidence.”
The Academy of Art University distance runners started the weekend at the UW Husky Classic held on Friday and Saturday, February 11-12. Several athletes made vast improvements in their respective events.
Amos Maru and
Kennedy Kurgat ran the mile for the Urban Knights. Kurgat finished in 4:18.51, a clear eight seconds faster than his season opener time from one month ago. In Maru's first race of the season, the junior finished with a time of 4:23.56. That is an excellent place to start since he will mainly be a 5k runner during the outdoor season. Daveson Marinchich placed second in the 3000m run with a time of 8:34.55. “Daveson's run today if put into the equivalent of a 5k is very near his personal best,” said Assistant Coach Ben DeLand.
For the women distance runners,
Kylie Long ran the 800m along side a plethora of athletes from competitive DI programs. “This race was by far the most intense atmosphere for her, she got excellent experience in a competitive atmosphere, which is our long term goal for her,” DeLand added.
Remigius Roskosch owned the pit on Saturday, out jumping athletes from Division I programs such as; UCLA, Cal Berkeley, and Washington State to name a few. The sophomore placed second in the long jump with a final mark of 7.47m (24' 6.25")
The UW Open held on Sunday, February 13th was filled with a handful of top 10 and top five finishes. Both the men's and the women's relay team's took first in the 4x400 relay.
The men's team comprised of
Aric Armon,
Alexander Craig,
Erik Piedad, and
Mark Bretan beat out the competition with a time of 3:24.49.
The women's team that was made up of
Jazmin White,
Kristen Lee,
Emily Allis, and
Briana Stewart also emerged victorious over runners from tough Division II programs. The women finished the race in 3:53.13. The quartet's time ranked them 12th in all of Division II in the 4x400 according to MileSplitU.com.
“
Jazmin White and
Kristen Lee had great performances today. Jazmin's 57.2 lead off leg in the relay and Kristen's 57.4 on second leg of the race really gave us the momentum to win,” said Ryan.
Aric Armon was the Academy of Art's top finisher in the men's 400m dash. The senior placed second in his heat and 12th overall.
Kristen Lee ran the 60m dash for ART U and placed fifth overall and second in her heat with a time of 7.84. Lee next garnered another top 10 finish in the 400m dash. She finished ninth in the race with a time of 59.54. Teammate
Jazmin White excelled in the 400m dash as well. White finished first in her heat and sixth overall with a 58.28 mark. Their accomplishments didn't go unnoticed, “Both women are really close to having some breakthrough performances, I am very proud of them,” said Ryan.
Pearson Crichlow rounded out the successful day for ART U in the 200m dash. The UH transfer clocked in with a time of 22.80 which earned him a sixth place finish in the meet.
“I'm very pleased with the way the team is starting to see the big picture. The indoor season has gone well [so far] and I'm very excited to start the outdoor season in March,” Ryan closed.
The Urban Knights take next weekend off before returning to the track on February 25th. They will participate in the Run For The Dream Invitational presented by the California Milk Advisory Board.
