GENEVA, Ohio – Brandeis University sophomore Emily Bryson of Quincy, Mass., has qualified for the finals in the 1,500-meter run at the 2017 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio, today.
Bryson, seeded ninth headed into the championships, ran in the first of two heats needing to finish among the top four in the heat or among the next four fastest times to advance to Saturday's final. She was among the top five for the first two laps of the race, but dropped back a bit through the third 400. As the race entered the bell lap, heat winner Bryn McKillop pulled away, but Bryson moved into the front of the pack chasing her. Bryson finished with a time of 4:33.11, about two seconds off her season's best time, but good enough to finish in fourth place in the heat.
"Emily ran really smart, stayed on the inside and found her way out to kick home to reach the top four," said head coach Sinead Evans. "She was kicking with some fast women in the home stretch, so she should be proud of her performance today and excited for Saturday."
With a second heat that was about a second-and-a-half faster, Bryson posted the 11th-fastest time in the prelims. She will be one of three University Athletic Association runners in tomorrow's final – Bryson won the conference title in April. She will also look to face off against two other New England runners after finishing eighth at the New England Division III championships.
Bryson's final will be run at 12:25 on Saturday afternoon as she goes for her third career All-America honor and her first in track and field. Bryson's two previous All-America finishes came during cross country season.
The Judges will have two more competitors at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships tomorrow afternoon. Senior Irie Gourde of Portland, Ore., will represent the men in the first of three heats of the men 400-meter run at 3:00 p.m., while sophomore Doyin Ogundiran of Dix Hills, N.Y., joins Bryson on the women's side, running in the first of three heats in the 800 at 3:45 p.m.
Full coverage of the NCAA Division III Track and Field Championships is available at http://www.clevelandsports.org/ncaa.
Results from today's women's 1,500-meter run: http://results.deltatiming.com/ncaa/tf/2017-ncaa-d3-outdoor-championships/170525P009.
