June 12, 2008
DES MOINES, Iowa -
Junior Brie Felnagle secured her spot in the 1500-meter run final on Thursday as she posted the top time during the prelims on the second day of the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa. Felnagle entered the Championships with the top time in the nation and lived up to the billing as she ran a 4:15.56 to win her heat and claim the top spot in the preliminary round. Joining Felnagle in a final will be LaToya James who finished third in the second round of the 400-meter hurdles to advance to the finals. Action continues in Des Moines on Friday.
Felnagle opened her 2008 NCAA Championships with a solid showing as she clocked the fastest time in her heat of the 1500-meter run to claim a spot in Saturday's final. The Tacoma, Wash. native entered the event with the top time in the country with a mark of 4:08.54 and posted a 4:15.56 on Thursday to punch her ticket for the final. Megan Kaltenbach was also in action on Thursday in the 1500-meter run but was unable to qualify as she finished 14th in her heat in a time of 4:46.02.
The freshman James continued her strong showing at her first outdoor championships as she will finish as one of the top eight 400-meter hurdlers in the country. The Burlington, N.C. native finished second in her heat and third in the semifinals as she ran a time of 56.82, improving upon her mark of 57.56 in the opening round. James finished behind LSU's Nickeisha Wilson and UCLA's Nicole Leach for the second straight day but closed the gap on the duo on Thursday. James will look to top the duo and the seven other finalists in Friday's finale.
Dominique Jackson fell short of qualifying for the final in the 800-meter run on Thursday. The Fairfield, Calif. product clocked a time of 2:08.03 in the second round of qualifying en route to finishing 14th overall in the event.
Action continues in Des Moines on Friday as freshman jumper
Austin Davis will look to qualify for the final in the triple jump, while fellow jumpers
Donte Nall and
Patience Coleman will compete for high jump titles.
Charles Cox and
LaToya James will also be looking for national titles on Friday as Cox will be featured in the 400-meter dash final and James will vie for the 400-meter hurdles crown. Friday's track action will be televised on the CBS College Sports network from 8-10 p.m. ET.
