NAPIERVILLE, Ill. -- Senior Alex Kramer (No. Andover, Mass./No. Andover) finished in 12th place in the mile run at the 2013 NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships at North Central College, missing out on a spot in the finals by less than a third of a second.
Running in the first heat of the day, Kramer and five other runners watched Bates College junior Tully Hannan run out to a large lead - stretching to nearly 50 meters at one point - over the first three laps. The field caught Hannan on the final lap, however. Wisconsin-Stevens Point junior Dan Sullivan won the heat with a time of 4:16.39, but the next five competitors were within 0.51 seconds of Sullivan. Kramer was the last of those within a half a second at 4:16.90.
The day's second heat proved to be much faster, however, as all six runners were faster than Sullivan's winning time in the first heat. After the top three finishers in each heat advanced to the finals, the next four fastest times were selected. Three came from the second heat, while Hannan earned the remaining berth in the finals at 4:16.58, just 0.32 seconds faster than Kramer.
Kramer will move on to the outdoor season at the end of March.