GENEVA, Ohio - For the second-straight day,
Esther Seeland cruised into the final of an NCAA Championship Event, winning the second heat of the 800 Meter prelims in a time of 2:08.80. Seeland made it look easy on Friday afternoon, sitting in the middle of the pack until the final 200 meters to claim the top spot in the heat. Seeland punches her ticket to the 800 Meter Final on Saturday afternoon that will take place at 1:50 p.m. at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio.
Entering the event as the top seed, Seeland conserved her energy through the first lap and a half of Friday's prelim. She sat in third place at the midpoint with an opening split of 1:03.42. She made her move on the final turn, passing two runners and taking the lead down the homestretch. In the final straightaway, Seeland was able to keep an eye on the field as she crossed the line first in a time of 2:08.80. Her second split was a 1:05.38.
In Seeland's heat, Nebraska Wesleyan's Reagan Janzen took second place nearly a full second behind Seeland with a time of 2:09.73, earning the other automatic qualifying time into the Finals.
Overall, Middlebury's Cassie Kearney turned in the top prelim time on Friday with a mark of 2:08.50, while running in the first heat.
As mentioned, Seeland will race in the 800 Meter Final on Saturday afternoon at 1:50 p.m. She will be looking for her four National Championship in the event after winning the Outdoor Title in 2019 and 2021 and the Indoor Championship in 2022. Prior to the 800 Meter Final, Seeland will run in the 1500 Meter Final at 12:25 p.m.
800 Meter Final Field
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Name - School - Prelim Time
    Cassie Kearney - Middlebury - 2:08.50
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Esther Seeland - Messiah - 2:08.80
    Emma Kelley - Washington U. - 2:09.11
    Delaney Sall - Calvin - 2:09.17
    Reagan Janzen - Nebraska Wesleyan - 2:09.74
    Elizabeth Donnelly - Gustavus Adolphus - 2:09.96
    Zanzie Demco - Wis.-Oshkosh - 2:09.58
    Nicky Johnson - Middlebury - 2:09.80
    Margaret Trautner - Caltech - 2:09.97
