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.