GREENSBORO, N.C. –
Esther Seeland and
Brody Beiler both qualified for the NCAA Division III National Championship Finals in the 800 Meters on Friday afternoon. Seeland cruised to an automatic qualification by winning the first heat of the event with a time of 2:11.62 while Beiler finished fourth in his heat with a time of 1:52.41 to punch his ticket to Saturday.
Esther Seeland – 800 meter – Fifth-Best Preliminary Time – 2:11.62
Entering the preliminary stage as the defending National Champion and holding a nation-leading time of 2:03.25, Seeland coasted to an automatic-qualifier during Friday's preliminaries, winning her heat with a time of 2:11.62.
Recording splits of 1:06.19 and 1:05.43, Seeland led the pack for much of the race, separating herself from the pack in the final 300 meters. Following Seeland in the first heat was Elise Lambert of Bates (2:11.93), as SUNY Geneseo's Emily Pomainville earned the top time of the day, crossing the line in 2:10.18.
Competing in the 800 final tomorrow,
Seeland looks to repeat as National Champion, claiming first in the event (2:05.24) back in 2019. Tomorrow's women's 800 final is scheduled to begin at 1:50 p.m.
Brody Beiler – 800 meter – Sixth-Best Preliminary Time – 1:52.41
Beiler, with a 15th-best time (1:51.45) in the nation entering today's preliminary heats, managed to qualify for tomorrow's finals with a strong finish of 1:52.41. Sticking in the back of the pack for the first 500 meters, Beiler used a kick in the second half of the race to place himself fourth in his heat.
With the first three times of each heat earning automatic qualifiers, Beiler's time earned qualification following the second heat of the event. Ben Kuxmann of Millikin topped all competition in the preliminary stage, earning a time of 1:50.48.
Beiler recorded splits of 55.26 and 57.14 to clinch the sixth-best time amongst all contestants.
The men's 800 Meter final is slated to begin tomorrow afternoon at 2:00 p.m.
