The Hope College women's track and field team delivered a strong start to the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Thursday in La Crosse, Wisconsin, advancing to the title races in two events and opening the first day of a multi-event in contention for All-America First Team accolades.
The NCAA Championships resume on Friday, May 22. Live streaming on ncaa.com will begin at 2:50 p.m. Central.
The Flying Dutch qualified senior Sara Schermerhorn of Traverse City, Michigan (Traverse City West) and sophomore Sofia Fisher of Lombard, Illinois (Montini Catholic) for the 200-meter final on Saturday, May 23, and senior Molly Durow of Glenview, Illinois (Glenbrook South) in the 3,000-meter steeplechase on Friday.
Freshman Jaidyn Klimp of Galesburg, Michigan (Galesburg Augusta) sits in eighth place after the first four events in the heptathlon with 2,915 points. Claudia Oulmet of Johns Hopkins is the leader with 3,094 points.
Klimp placed fifth in the high jump at 1.59 meters (5 feet, 2 ¼ inches), eighth in the 200 meters at 25.81 seconds, 12th in the shot put at a season-best 12.46 meters (40-10 ½) and 14th in the 100 hurdles at 15.19 seconds.
Friday's finale will feature the long jump, javelin and the 800 meters.
In the steeplechase, Durow reached Friday's 7 p.m. final by posting the seventh-fastest qualifying run at 10:29.56.
In the 200 meters, Schermerhorn and Fisher advanced to Saturday's 4:40 p.m. final.
Schermerhorn placed eighth during qualifying with a season-best time of 23.96 seconds. It is Schermerhorn's second consecutive trip to the national final after placing fifth last season.
Fisher reached her first national final with a ninth-place, personal-best run of 24.25.
Hope placed 16th in the 4x400 relay. Freshman Savana Monville of Auburn, Michigan (Bay City Western), senior Frances Cozzens of Lyman, New Hampshire (Saint Johnsbury Academy), freshman Eliana Kotsonis of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin (Hamilton, and Klimp clocked a time of 4:02.08.
The 4x100 relay team of senior Ava Schmidt of Saline, Michigan (Saline HS), Schermerhorn, Klimp, and Fisher is scheduled to race in the preliminaries at 3 p.m. The relay is seeded 12th.
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