WALTHAM, Mass. -- Brandeis junior Kelsey Whitaker (Kingston, Mass./Notre Dame Acad.) will has earned a berth at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships for the second year in a row.

Whitaker will compete in the mile run as the ninth-ranked competitor in the 17-woman field. Her best time of 5:00.90 came at the New England Division III Championships, where she placed fourth overall. She will be one of five New England runners at the NCAA meet in the mile run, and the only one representing the University Athletic Association in the event. 

Whitaker, who has qualified for two NCAA Cross Country championships as well, was ranked fifth in Division III in the mile headed into NCAAs in 2014, but finished in 13th place, out of All-America placement.

The championships will be held March 13-14 at the JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, with Roanoke College serving as the official host. Whitaker will compete in the preliminaries at 1:30 p.m. on Friday and hope for a berth in Saturday's finals at the same time.