Symmonds, Smith Qualify For Saturday Finals at NCAA Division III Championships

Bearcat women qualify for finals in 1600 relay.

Salem-News.com Sports

LISLE, IL - Senior Nick Symmonds began defense of his two NCAA titles as he easily qualified for the finals of the 1500 and sophomore Jordyn Smith qualified for the finals in the 400 hurdles at opening day action of the NCAA Division III Track and Field Championships at Benedictine University in Lisle IL Thursday.

Smith, was the last of eight qualifiers in a very fast race where four runners exceeded the best Division III time previously posted this year, and two broke the stadium record. Smith ran a 62.30.

That time betters Smith previous best this season by over a second.

Teammate Roseanne Kassebaum suffered through a difficult race in her heat and failed to qualify for the finals, finishing in 64.30.

Symmonds cruised to a second place finish in his heat and fourth overall as he ran a comfortable 3:50.57. Pomona`s Will Leer set a stadium record at 3:50.10 to lead the qualifiers. The finals of the 1500 will be run Saturday.

Symmonds, the defending title-holder in both the 1500 and 80 meters, will run Friday in the prelims of the 800.

The Willamette University women`s 1600 meter relay team of Mariah Hanson, Lindsey Patterson, Jordyn Smith and Andrea May qualified for Saturday`s finals at the NCAA Division III Track and Field Championships Thursday at Benedictine University, finishing second in their heat and seventh overall in a time of 3:48.60.

Beating their season best time by nearly four seconds, the Bearcats exploded into contention with their strongest race of the season.

Hanson will compete Friday in the prelims of the 400. Teammates Alanna Pledger and Sophia Dentzel are slated to compete in the high jump and javelin respectively.

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