Each one step away from qualifying to represent their respective countries at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, past and current Academy of Art Track and Field Urban Knights now enter their nation’s various Olympic Trials.
Note: Coverage will be available at the links below. Remember to follow @ARTU_Knights via the athletics app (Apple App Store, Google Play Store) and on Twitter & Instagram as well as “Like” the Urban Knights on Facebook for score updates, videos, and recaps.
Yacouba Gnacko (Triple Jump) | France
France National Championships HomepageIn his seventh consecutive appearance at the NCAA Division II National Championship (combining indoor and outdoor), Yacouba Gnacko collected his eighth All-American honor after taking fifth in the triple jump. The Paris, France native placed first in the event four times in 2024, including his season-best 51-9.25 (15.78m) at the Bryan Clay Invitational. The three-time defending PacWest Champion has a personal record of 52-3.25 (15.93m), making him second in ART U history.
Juvonna Cornette (100m) | Guyana
Emerging from her first year with Academy of Art as a six-time All-American, Juvonna Cornette broke the program record in her final 100m dash, delivering a time of 11.34 to place fifth at NCAA Division II Outdoor Nationals. That performance culminated in a campaign that saw her earn the Pacific West Conference title in the event as well as be named USTFCCCA Outdoor West Region Track Athlete of the Year.
Ajani Ince (100m, 200m) | Barbados
Barbados National Championships – Live Results | Live Video
An individual All-American for the first time in his career this season, Ajani Ince finished in the top seven in both the 100m and 200m on the final day of Outdoor Nationals, but his best times came prior to that. The PacWest Champion in the 100m turned in the third-fastest mark in ART U history at 10.16 in the Outdoor Nationals event prelims and went 20.73 at the PacWest Championships to move up to second all-time at Academy of Art.
Marie-Jeanne Ourega (Long Jump) | France
France National Championships Homepage
One of the most decorated student-athletes ever at Academy of Art, Marie-Jeanne Ourega continued to dominate in 2024, finishing with five more All-American honors to give her the most of any Urban Knight to date at 23 total. Two of those awards came in the long jump (indoor and outdoor), as the four-time National Champion (three in outdoor long jump) and three-time PacWest Champion in the long jump achieved a new personal record 21-7.5 (6.59m) at the Franson Last Chance to tie for the fourth-farthest all-conditions mark in NCAA DII history.
Shareez Hamm (400mH) | United States
United States Olympic Trials Homepage | Live Results | Live Video
Ending his collegiate career with the ultimate exclamation mark, Shareez Hamm was crowned the NCAA DII National Champion in the 400m hurdles at Outdoor Nationals. He crossed the finish line with a new personal record of 49.97 to help him become a six-time All-American (three in the 400mH). The season’s PacWest Track Athlete of the Year and USTFCCCA Outdoor West Region Track Athlete of the Year can be found second in ART U history in the event.
Robin Black (200m, 400mH) | Jamaica
Jamaica National Championships Homepage
Though he did not compete in this past outdoor track & field season, Robin Black significantly impacted the Academy of Art record books with the fastest 400m hurdles performance to date last July at the Jamaica National Championships. There, he went 49.02 to follow up a busy final day of Outdoor Nationals in which he became a three-time All-American (including a third-place finish in the 400mH). Black, who owns an outdoor best of 20.96 in the 200m dash, posted an indoor best of 21.24 at the Rumble in the Jungle Invitational during the Urban Knights’ 2024 indoor campaign.
Mobolade Ajomale (100m, 200m) | Canada
Canada Bell Track & Field Trials Homepage | Live Video
An inductee to the inaugural Academy of Art Athletics Hall of Fame, Mobolade Ajomale graduated from ART U in 2019 as a 10-time National Champion (twice in both outdoor 100m and 200m) and 20-time All-American (four times in both outdoor 100m and 200m). The 2016 Olympic Bronze Medalist, who owns the fastest wind-legal times in both the 100m (10.15 at the 2016 Canadian Championships) and 200m (20.45 at 2018 Outdoor Nationals), now sets his sights on Paris after he repeated his 100m personal record at the 2023 Canadian Championships and added a 20.87 for his fastest post-college 200m at the 2023 Pepsi Florida Relays.
Lina Hanich (800m) | Germany
German Outdoor Championships Homepage | Live Results
No Urban Knight has been faster at 800m (indoor or outdoor) than Lina Hanich. The PacWest Champion in the event this past April, Hanich broke Academy of Art’s indoor and outdoor records less than three months apart, capping the impressive stretch with a 2:06.62 at the Franson Last Chance before going on to secure her fifth All-American honor at Outdoor Nationals.
Katharina Goetschl (3000m Steeplechase) | Austria
Austrian National Championships Homepage
In just her second season with Academy of Art, Katharina Goetschl has rewritten the history books in the 3000m steeplechase. She was the event’s PacWest Champion en route to becoming an All-American at Outdoor Nationals, where she broke the program record for a fourth time, going 10:13.58 to place fourth overall.