GENEVA, Ohio – Esther Seeland began a busy weekend at the SPIRE Institute for the 2022 NCAA Division III Track and Field National Championship with a dominating performance in the 1500 Meter Prelim on Thursday, punching her ticket to the National Championship Final on Saturday afternoon. Seeland cruised to a first-place finish in her heat with a time of 4:32.81 to advance into the final on Saturday at 12:25 p.m.
 
Seeland was content to sit a stride behind the leader, Sarika Temme-Bapat from Chicago, for the first two laps of the race, but put her foot down over the final lap and a half to jump out in front and cruise to the top time in the heat. Seeland crossed the 700-meter mark in second place with a time of 2:13.16, but lowered her splits across the final two laps with marks of 1:12.98 on her third lap and 1:06.68 on her final trip around the track to edge the field with a time of 4:32.81.
 
Her time won the event by about a quarter of a second, edging Emory's Annika Urban (4:33.06) who finished second. Zazie Demco (Wis. Oshkosh, 4:33.17), Sadie Heeringa (Calvin, 4:33.31), Maddie Hannan (Wis. La Crosse, 4:33.66), and Abby Scott (Williams, 4:33.67) also qualified for the finals alongside Seeland and Urban.
 
Six runners in the second heat finished faster than Seeland's time of 4:32.81 with Middlebury's Cassie Kearney turning in the quickest time in the prelim with a mark of 4:27.95.
 
Seeland is slated to be back on the track tomorrow afternoon in the 800 Meter Prelims at 4:00 p.m. Should she advance, Seeland will race twice on Saturday, beginning with the 1500 Meter Final is scheduled to take place at 12:25 p.m. the 800 Meter Final would follow on Saturday at 1:50 p.m.
 
1500 Meter Final Field
    Runner – School – Prelim Time
    Cassie Kearney – Middlebury - 4:27.95
    Windsor Ardner – SUNY Geneseo - 4:31.03
    Hope Murphy – Baldwin Wallace - 4:31.55
    Brittany McCauley – Mount Union - 4:31.65
    Maddie Kelly – U. of Chicago - 4:31.68
    Emily Konkus – Washington U. - 4:32.26
    Esther Seeland – Messiah - 4:32.81
    Annika Urban – Emory - 4:33.06
    Zanzie Demco – Wis.-Oshkosh - 4:33.17
    Sadie Heeringa – Calvin - 4:33.32
    Maddie Hannan – Wis.-La Crosse - 4:33.67
    Abby Scott – Williams - 4:33.67
 

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