ALLENDALE, Mich. – Azusa Pacific wrapped up three days of competition at the 2022 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Saturday, and the Cougars achieved All-American status in six different events to close out the season.

In the final event of the Championships, the women's 4x400 relay, the Cougars' quartet of Alayna Verner, Jordan Hammond, Jaylah Walker and Kiayra Holmes closed things out in historical fashion, as they broke their own Azusa Pacific school record by posting a time of 3:38.56. Their time beat their previous record by two full seconds, and it earned them a fourth-place finish and All-American distinction. 

A few minutes prior to the Cougars' relay record, Jenny Sandoval became an All-American for the second time this week, running a time of 16:19.86 in the 5K to cross the finish line in sixth-place. This week was certainly a special one for Sandoval, as she became the NCAA Division II 10K National Champion on Thursday, picked up All-American honors in the 5K today, and to cap it all off, Sandoval now holds the title of 'fiancé,' as she was proposed to by her boyfriend, Anamacio Cardenas Jr., following the conclusion of the competition this evening. 

Walker, who entered Nationals as a nine-time All-American (six indoor, three outdoor) in her career, added three more All-American honors to her name on Saturday. In addition to her efforts in the 4x400 relay, Walker was an All-American in the 100 hurdles (8th place, 13.84 seconds) and the 400 hurdles (8th, 59.56 seconds). Walker is just the seventh Cougar in program history to have earned 12 or more All-American honors in a career.

In the women's 100 meters, Mechaela Hyacinth became an All-American for the third consecutive time, as she crossed the finish line with a time of 11.88 seconds to finish 6th. 

On the men's side, freshman Dominic Gonzalez-Shelmire capped off a memorable first collegiate season, as he ran his way to All-American status in the 400 meters. Gonzalez-Shelmire posted a time of 47.27 seconds in the final, which earned him an eighth-place finish.

"We had a lot of near misses for points at this meet, and we had several key athletes with nagging injuries," said head coach Jack Hoyt, "but it was so awesome to see the fight all the way to the end with a great effort from Jenny and a new school record for the 4x400 relay team."

At Nationals this year, Azusa Pacific finished with eight All-American performances on the women's side, and four for the men's team. In the team standings, the Cougars finished 6th on the women's side with a total of 38 points scored, while the men's team was 26th with nine points tallied. 

Azusa Pacific All-Americans
Jermel Jones II - Men's Long Jump (6th)
Jenny Sandoval - Women's 10K (NATIONAL CHAMPION), Women's 5K (6th)
Lincoln Krog - Decathlon (6th)
Nicole Warwick - Heptathlon (2nd)
Alysa Henry - Heptathlon (6th)
Nixon Korir - Men's 3K Steeplechase (7th)
Jaylah Walker - Women's 100 Hurdles (4th), Women's 400 Hurdles (8th)
Dominic Gonzalez-Shelmire - Men's 400 Meters (8th)
Mechaela Hyacinth - Women's 100 Meters (6th)
Alayna Verner, Jordan Hammond, Jaylah Walker, Kiayra Holmes - Women's 4x400 Relay (4th)

To view the full recaps for day one and day two, click on the following links: DAY ONE RECAP | DAY TWO RECAP.

The 2022 season comes to a close for Azusa Pacific track & field. The Cougars turned in another great year under head coach Jack Hoyt, as both the men's and women's teams won their sixth-consecutive PacWest team titles this season, while also posting several top times and marks in the nation. While several talented athletes closed out their careers at Azusa Pacific this week, the Cougars will return a group of athletes that will play huge roles in the pursuit of seven straight PacWest titles on both the men's and women's side, as well as ensure Azusa Pacific's reputation as one of the elite programs nationally.