Stockton junior Kayla Kass ran her fastest 800 of the year Friday and advanced to the final at the NCAA Division 3 Championships in Pittsford, N.Y.
Kass ran 2:11.05 on the flat track at Nazareth University’s Golisano Center, the 6th-fastest time among qualifiers for Saturday’s final.
She came through 600 meters in 1:38.28, the 14th-fastest in the three heats, but she closed in 32.78, the fastest final 200 of any runner in the field. She was second in her heat to earn a large-Q qualifier.
The final is scheduled for 5:05 p.m. on Saturday.
Kass was 8th in last year’s indoor championship in Virginia Beach last March, earning her first All-America honor, and 9th in the outdoor NCAA Division 3 800 in Myrtle Beach this past May.
Her 2:11.05 is 3-100ths of a second off her indoor PR and school record 2:11.02, set on a banked track at last year’s indoor nationals.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 