Urban Knight athletes are off to a flying start in track and field. Yacouba Gnacko and Shareez Hamm already have the country's top marks in their events and are the PacWest Track and Field Athletes of the Week.

2024 Results/Schedule
TFRRS Event Lists
 
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Academy of Art's Shareez Hamm, Hurdles, 6-0, Sr., Gray, Georgia        
Academy of Art's Shareez Hamm had a nice opening Saturday to his outdoor season at Sacramento State's Hornet Invitational. The fifth-year Urban Knight skimmed the 400 hurdles in a time of 51.66, the fastest mark in the NCAA Division II this year and the top collegiate time at the meet. The Georgia native also ran the lead leg on ART U's 4x400 relay team which topped 20 teams at the Hornet Invitational with a time of 3:09.76. That time is the fastest thus far in Division II. The five-time All-American also clocked a time of 22.31 in the 200 meters at the Hornet. Hamm was the Track Athlete of the Meet at the 2022 PacWest Championships.

FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Academy of Art's Yacouba Gnacko, Jumps, 6-3, Jr., Paris, France            
Much decorated Academy of Art jumper Yacouba Gnacko hop, skipped and jumped his way to a mark of 51-0 in the triple jump at the Hornet Invitational. That mark is the top leap in the NCAA Division II so far this season and it also won the competition in Sacramento by nearly two feet over the nearest competitor from Stanford. The 2023 Field Athlete of the Meet at the PacWest Championships is a third-year Urban Knight that is a five-time All-American in the long jump and triple jump. 
 
PACWEST NEWS AND NOTES: Dominican's Wakilli Bennett posted NCAA provisional marks at the Hornet Invitational in the 100 (10.35) and the 200 (21.19)...Fresno Pacific's Shemar Palmer had provisional times in the 200 (21.06) and 400 meters (46.98)...Other provisional marks already established by PacWest athletes in the first weeks of the season include APU's Ramon Harper in the high jump (6-9), Jermel Jones II (APU) in the long jump (25.2 3/4), Fresno Pacific's Chavez Grey in the discus (168-2), Azusa's Juan Diego Castro (1:50.29) and FPU's Bo Olsen (1:50.82) in the 800 meters...Jacob Resendez (FPU) in the 5,000 meters (14:09.34), Dominican's Adrian Aguirre in the 110 hurdles (14.38), Josh Marlin (ART U) and Kolobe Jimenez (FPU) in the 400 hurdles in 51.71 and 52.31 respectively, Shemar Palmer in the 400 meters (46.98), the FPU 4x100 relay team (40.71) and 4x400 relay squad (3:10.59), the Sunbirds' Jesse Franco in the hammer (199-8), and FPU's Dejan Mileusnic (229-1) and Forrest Gray (195-8) in the javelin. Lastly, three decathlon provisional marks have already been established by Concordia's Tyler Denes (6,367), Biola's Jack Ferrence (5,803) and Fresno Pacific's Jackson Paramo (5,634). 

LOOKING AHEAD: Everyone will spring back into action this week at meets throughout California. Westmont, Fresno Pacific, Point Loma and Concordia will each host events, while PacWest teams will also travel to San Diego State, CS San Marcos, Cal Poly SLO, and the University of Oregon.