(Portions of this story courtesy of Texas Lutheran University and Trinity University)
DELAWARE, Ohio - For the second consecutive season, Texas Lutheran senior Monique Anderson will race for an NCAA Division III national title in the women's 100 meters.
At Ohio Wesleyan University's Selby Stadium and the 2014 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships, Anderson posted the fifth-fastest time of the three 100 preliminary heats on Friday. She advanced to Saturday's championship race with a season-best, wind-legal time of 11.95 seconds.
"I'm excited for tomorrow," said Anderson, a five-time NCAA All-American looking for a sixth. "The fastest time run in the prelims is a time I have run this season, so I know I have a shot. I'm ready."
Anderson ran a time of 11.77 earlier this season, but the wind reading was not in the allowable range. She entered the championships with a wind-legal qualifying time of 12.06.
Saturday's final in the 100 is set for 2:15 p.m. central (3:15 p.m. eastern). Live video for the national championship final will be available at http://www.ncaa.com/liveschedule.
Anderson finished second in her heat - behind Central College's Abigail Davis, 11.89 - and had to wait for the third heat to finish before learning of her advancement. The three heat winners plus the next five fastest times advanced to the championship final.
Carly Fehler of Wisconsin-Eau Claire is the top championship final qualifier. Fehler won heat one in 11.86 with a +1.7 wind.
Heat two, Anderson's heat, was the only round that had a headwind. The wind reading was -0.2. Only two runners from heat two - Davis and Anderson - made the championship final. All eight qualifiers for the final broke 12 seconds Friday.
"Mo has lots of room for improvement for the final," said Head Coach Darlene Holland. "She's hitting the ice bath tonight and will be ready for tomorrow."
Anderson is the only returning NCAA All-American in the 100 final for 2014. She finished eighth a year ago. The top eight in the 100 claim NCAA All-America honors. Only eight runners will contest the 100 final on Saturday.
Anderson already has five All-America honors (four outdoor citations, one indoor award) on her list of career accomplishments. She has one previous All-America honor in the 100, from the 2013 championships. Anderson's other All-America awards have come in the outdoor 200 (twice), the outdoor 4x100 relay, and the indoor 200.
In other action, Trinity University senior George Warren finished 18th in the high jump competition at the NCAA Championships on Friday.
Warren was competing at nationals for the second straight season, finishing 14th at last year's competition.
In Friday's competition, Warren cleared 1.95 meters to start his evening, but failed to connect on the next height. Christian Patterson from Wilmington (OH) was the winner with his jump of 2.12 meters.
Warren qualified for the event with his jump of 2.08 meters at the University of Incarnate Word Invitational earlier this season. That mark would have been good enough for fifth place at the NCAA meet.