EMPORIA, Kan. – And so 14 years of Division II experience comes to an end with success as Hannah Richardson added to Azusa Pacific's point total at the Track and Field national championships with a 5th-place finish in the women's shot put.

Richardson managed to exceed 15 meters on five of her six attempts in the event, and it was her third throw of the day that ended up being the best, a toss of 15.49 meters (50' 10"), which placed her in fifth at the time, and that was where it held up over the final three rounds of competition.

The fifth-place finish earned Richardson all-American status, the third Cougar to do so this weekend, joining Kristina Rakocevic (discus) and Mark Burdin (decathlon).  It also earned four points toward the team standings, which means Azusa Pacific finished with 12 points in the women's standings, which placed them 23rd out of the 92 schools that sent athletes to the competition.  On the men's side, Mark Burdin's one-man effort placed the Cougars 33rd out of 90.

In many ways, it's fitting that the final competition for the Cougars in the D2 era was in women's track and field, as that was the scene of many of their greatest successes during that time.  Most notably, it was women's track and field that captured the school's two NCAA team national championships, claiming the title in both 2021 and 2023.  It leaves an impressive legacy for future athletes and coaches to build on as Azusa Pacific transitions into the Division III area, starting this summer.