Simon Fraser University’s Sarah Sawatzky finished just shy of an appearance in championship 800-metre women’s final, posting the ninth-fastest time after the preliminary heats at the NCAA Division II indoor track and field championships in Salem, North Carolina.
"We all believed Sarah was capable of making the finals and contending for an NCAA Championship," said SFU head coach Brit Townsend in a school press release. "Unfortunately, she has been battling sickness all week but kept positive and was very motivated. She was just unlucky today. This is going to make Sarah more determined than ever for the outdoor season, which is just around the corner. She is a great competitor and I know she will be back at outdoor nationals in two short months."
The field boasted 17 of the top 800-metre runners from across NCAA Division II and Sawatzky was slated to race in heat one.
With three heats, the winner of each race and the following top five times would advance to the final on Saturday.
Sawatzky placed third in her heat, running in a time of 2:10.98, finishing less than half a second behind Chante Roberts of Adams State in heat one.
At the end of three heats, Sawatzky sat in ninth place, just behind Jaylen Roberts of Angelo State, who finished second in her heat in a time of 2:10.93.
Sawatzky’s time was just five-100th's of a second behind the final qualifying eighth-place runner.
Sawatzky's senior indoor track season included capturing the 2014 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Indoor Championship in the 800-metre. She will now turn her attention to the outdoor season.
