Azusa Pacific track & field opened the 2021 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Thursday in Michigan. The Cougar women's team produced three All-Americans, qualified for the finals on Saturday in three track events, and are in second place in the team standings with 12 points entering day two. On the men's side, Jermel Jones II achieved All-American status in the long jump, and Daniel Bessolo earned his spot in the 400 meter finals on Saturday.

All-American Performances

Jones II was the first Cougar to claim All-American distinction, as he took eighth in the long jump. He delivered his podium-worthy mark on his third attempt of the day, when he reached a distance of 7.36m (24' 1 ¾"). 

The next Cougar to reach All-American status was Nicole Warwick in the long jump. In her second attempt of the day, she posted a leap of 5.95m (19' 6 ¼"), which ended up being a mark worthy of a sixth-place finish. While the All-American honor naturally carries an immense amount of achievement, it was even more significant for Warwick, as she has had to overcome several injuries over the past two years in order to compete this season at an elite level. 

Elle Alexander showed grit and determination in the hammer, needing all six of her attempts to eventually earn a spot in the top-8 for All-American status. Alexander stepped into the pit for her final attempt in ninth place, and the three-time NCAA Outdoor qualifier was calm, cool and collected, which resulted in a mark of 55.97m (183' 7") and an eighth-place finish that scored a much needed point towards Azusa Pacific's team total.

To close things out in the 10K, Jenny Sandoval became an All-American with the highest-finish for Azusa Pacific on day one, as the graduate transfer took second place with a time of 34:05.83. Throughout the entire race, Sandoval never dropped below second, and she ran a lap-time of 1:21 or faster in eight of the final 11 laps of the race.  

Team Scores

Through just four events, the Azusa Pacific women are in second place with 12 points. Eight of those points were scored by Sandoval in the 10K, Warwick tallied three points with her performance in the long jump, and Alexander added a point in the hammer. The Cougars will have the chance to add more points in two events tomorrow, as the heptathlon wraps up and Alexander will compete in the discus. 

After four of seven events in the heptathlon, Meagan Warwick is in second with 3,228 points, Nicole Warwick is fifth (3,132), Jordan Hammond is ninth (3,036), and Alysa Henry is 12th at 2,827 points. Meagan used a career-best effort of 11.90 (39' ½") meters in the shot put to place first in the event for 654 points, and she also picked up 912 points in the 200 meters with a time of 24.73 which was the second fastest time. Nicole set two personal records on day one, as she was second in the shot put with a distance of 11.80m (38' 8 ¾") for 648 points and cleared a height of 1.63m (5' 4 ¼") in the high jump for 771 points. 

On the men's side, Jones' eighth-place finish scored a point for the Cougars. The only scoring opportunity for the Cougars on Friday is in the decathlon, where Lincoln Krog will finish out the final five events. Through the first five events, Krog is in 12th place, and trails the eighth-place athlete by just eight points. 

Finals Qualification

On day one, Azusa Pacific was represented in the preliminary rounds across four different events. In each of those events, the Cougars were able to claim a spot in the finals on Saturday. In the men's 400, Daniel Bessolo ran the second-fastest prelim time at 47.28 seconds. On the women's side, the Cougars' 4x100 relay team (Meagan Warwick, Jaylah Walker, Kiayra Holmes, Mechaela Hyacinth) posted a time of 46.20, Hyacinth will compete in the 100 final after a prelim race of 11.68, and Walker earned her spot in the 400 Hurdles at a time of 58.90. 

Up Next: The Cougars will be back at it tomorrow. To watch the meet live, visit NCAA.com, and to follow along with live results, head over to Leone Timing. Below is the schedule of events in which Azusa Pacific will be represented: 

DAY TWO - Friday, May 28 (All times listed are Eastern)

Decathlon 110 Meters Hurdles | 9:00 am - Lincoln Krog

Heptathlon Long Jump | 9:30 am - Jordan Hammond, Alysa Henry, Meagan Warwick, Nicole Warwick

Decathlon Discus | 9:40 am - Lincoln Krog

Decathlon Pole Vault | 11:00 am - Lincoln Krog

Heptathlon Javelin | 11:15 am - Jordan Hammond, Alysa Henry, Meagan Warwick, Nicole Warwick

Heptathlon 800 Meters | 12:30 pm - Jordan Hammond, Alysa Henry, Meagan Warwick, Nicole Warwick

Decathlon Javelin | 1:20 pm - Lincoln Krog

Decathlon 1500 Meters | 2:25 pm - Lincoln Krog

Women's Discus | 5:00 pm - Elle Alexander

Women's 200 Meters Prelims | 5:20 pm - Mechaela Hyacinth

Women's 100 Meters Hurdles Prelims | 6:00 pm - Jaylah Walker

Women's 4x400 Relay Prelims | 6:40 pm - Kiayra Holmes, Jaylah Walker, Jordan Hammond, Nicole Warwick, Marian Ledesma (alternate)