2024 NCAA Division II Indoor Nationals Results (Day 1)

PITTSBURG, Kan. – A return to the podium came for Academy of Art track & field's Marie-Jeanne Ourega as her fifth-place finish in the long jump joined a new personal record and 200m dash final qualification for Lauryn James in highlighting the first day of NCAA Division II Indoor Nationals inside Robert W. Plaster Center on Friday.

Entering the 19-jumper field in a loaded second flight, Ourega was able to reach the long jump final with two marks of 19-4.25 (5.90m) or better. From the seventh position at 19-6.25 (5.95m) out of the preliminary round, the Communications & Media Technologies major soon elevated herself to fifth overall with a 19-11.75 (6.09m) on her fifth attempt. That positioning held up through the remainder of the competition which was won by Nicole Warwick who broke the NCAA DII record with a 21-6 (6.55m). Also in action in the 60m hurdles prelims, Ourega finished at 8.60, putting her 11th overall out of 14 competitors and just 0.02 seconds from qualifying to the final.

Two Urban Knights contended in the prelims of the 200m dash as James and Juvonna Cornette both ended up inside the top 10 qualifiers. James was the one to advance to Saturday's championship race, however, as she delivered her fastest time of her collegiate career at 23.91. Battling Southwest Baptist's Collinique Farrington for the top spot in their heat, James ended up second by just 0.01 seconds and would take seventh overall to qualify through while rising to third in ART U history with the time.

Meanwhile, Cornette was not far off in 10th after she went 24.09 in her 200m prelim, ending less than 0.15 seconds from the eight-runner cutoff to the final. Additionally, Cornette placed 12th in the 60m dash prelims with a time of 7.48 that ended up 0.04 seconds from the top eight.

Shareez Hamm immediately impressed in his 400m prelim heat, pushing past Tiffin's Joshua Page, the national leader coming into the competition, with a 47.87 across the finish line. Though he won his heat, Hamm would wind up taking ninth overall, barely missing a spot in the final by 0.02 seconds as a 47.85 from Pitt State's Caden Williams in the heat that followed edged Hamm out for eighth.

A total of 17 competitors vied for qualification to Saturday's 800m final and, though she was second for more than half of her heat, Lina Hanich took fifth with a 2:10.43 mark. The result had her in 11th overall and a little more than a second from eighth place.

Opening the day for the Urban Knights in the prelims of the 60m hurdles, Robin Black went 8.02 to take 14th and later finished 16th in the 200m prelims.

NCAA DII Indoor Nationals concludes tomorrow with Ourega first in the women's triple jump at 1:05 p.m. PT then Yacouba Gnacko in the men's triple jump (3:35 p.m. PT), James in the 200m (4:55 p.m. PT), and ART U in the men's 4x400m relay at 5:45 p.m. PT to end the day.