2015 SF State Distance CarnivalSAN FRANCISCO – The Academy of Art University track & field team collectively ran over 43,700 meters (27 miles) on Friday afternoon at the SF State Distance Carnival. Highlighting the first of a two-day event,
Mack Marbas dropped another ART U record in the 3000m steeplechase, multiple personal records came in both 800m races, and
McKaela Christenson as well as
Chris Costa became the first two Urban Knights ever to compete in the 10,000m.
Marbas, who was about a month removed from his program record in the 3000m steeplechase at the Kim Duyst Invitational, was strong once again in the event on Friday at Cox Stadium. He delivered a 9:30.44 to take 25th overall out of 53 competitors. It was more than a 13-second improvement.
Austin Murray also bettered his time in Turlock with a 1:53.98 in the men's 800m. He inched ever closer to the NCAA provisional mark (1:52.33) and also moved his name closer to that of program record-holder Kennedy Kurgat (1:51.71).
On the women's side of the 800m,
Ericka Taylor offered a new PR of 2:16.67 which puts her third on the program's all-time list. She would claim 24th place out of 92 runners and
Kaelyn Harbison along with
Elizabeth Khuu would join her in the upper tier of finishers.
Competing in the 1 mile event with 15 others,
Valentin Pepiot ended up finishing 11th with a time of 4:10.74. He is the first Urban Knight to run in the event to date.
Also pioneering Academy of Art in new events were Christenson and Costa in the women's and men's 10,000m. A challenging race that covers roughly 6.21 miles, Christenson finished 26th out of 39 with a time of 37:58.48 while Costa was one of 81 runners to complete the event despite seven who did not finish. Costa went 33:02.14 in his debut in the 10,000m.
ART U splits its Saturday, Apr. 4 with part of the team down in Los Angeles for the Legends Invitational hosted by UCLA and the finale of the SF State Distance Carnival.
