The Rowan women ran a season-best 47.22 and advanced to the finals of the 400-meter relay Thursday at the NCAA Division 3 Championships outside Cleveland.
The team of sophomore Sidney McLeod-Whitener of Friends Central, junior Aaniyah Robinson of Passaic County Tech, sophomore Myiah Sturdivant of Timber Creek and junior Darielle Cross of Matawan takes the seventh-fastest time in the finals, scheduled for 12:05 p.m. Saturday at the SPIRE Institute track in Geneva, Ohio.
Rowan’s best previous time this year was a 47.40 at a meet at Widener last month with a slightly different lineup — freshman Kierston Johnson, McLeod-Whitener, Robinson and Cross.
Emory led all qualifiers at 46.55. The top two placers in each of two heats advanced automatically, along with the next five-fastest times. Rowan placed fifth in the second heat, which produced all the non-auto qualifiers.
Emory (46.55), Rhode Island College of Providence (46.77) and Loras College of Dubuque, Iowa (46.90) broke 47 seconds and then there were five schools between 47.15 and 47.31.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 