2023 Fasttrack Last Chance Invitational Results

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – Opening up its final week of action before NCAA Division II Indoor Nationals, Academy of Art track & field had several Urban Knights run their fastest and jump their highest at the Fasttrack Last Chance Invitational inside Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex on Friday.

Competing in the 60m dash invitational prelims, Britney Clark (7.54), Selena Arjona-Alcazar (7.55), and Darria Matthias (7.75) could all be found among the top five before Arjona-Alcazar and Matthias walked away from the final with not only day's top two spots, but a pair of season-best Indoor Nationals provisionals as well. Arjona-Alcazar moved up into the country's top 15 with a 7.48 while Matthias' 7.59 elevated her into the top 35.

That trio would again put dominate in the 200m dash, leaving the remaining 33 other competitors all nearly 0.30 seconds behind. Each under the Indoor Nationals provisional standard, Arjona-Alcazar was the leader at 24.35, Clark offered her top time of the season at 24.54 (top 30 in NCAA DII), and Matthias crossed the line at 24.80.

Clark took more than a full half second off her best 400m, going 56.06 to lead 16 others on Friday. A tightly-bunched top 25 in the country now includes the Writing for Film, Television, & Digital Media major.

Continuing her steady improvement in the 800m this season, Michaela Andrews was one of three Urban Knights among the top four in the day's event. At 2:11.23, she not only moved up to third in program history, but also top 20 in the nation as an Indoor Nationals provisional qualifier alongside Lina Hanich, whose season-best 2:11.61 put her 21st in NCAA DII, and Katharina Goetschl, whose 2:14.41 was more than a half-second improvement from her last 800m.

Goetschl covered quite a bit of ground on Friday, putting herself fifth in Academy of Art 3000m history with a time of 9:56.41. First overall by nearly 20 seconds from the next collegiate competitor, her mark was a small fraction of a second from the Indoor Nationals provisional cutoff.

In something of a recurring pattern, another trio of Knights paced the men's 400m with Duncan Agyemang's season-best 48.07 first overall. The time, good for top 25 in the nation currently, was ahead of Shareez Hamm (48.27) and Makarios Page (48.64) as just five from the day's 38-competitor field finished under the 49-second barrier.

The first high jump event for Daniel Cortes Gonzalez this season was a strong one as he battled Oklahoma Baptist's Trey Bartholomew for the top spot after both cleared the bar at 6-6.75 (2.00m). The duel ended in a tie after Cortes Gonzalez surpassed 6-8.75 (2.05m) on his second attempt to match his own program record and add his name to this year's Indoor Nationals provisional qualifiers in the process.

One final regular season meet remains for Academy of Art ahead of Indoor Nationals (Mar. 10-11) and it takes place this Sunday, Feb. 26 in Boston as the Urban Knights are set to compete in the Last Chance Indoor National Qualifier.