Day two of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships saw the women begin their road to being crowned national champions, competing to advance past the semifinal round.
As on opening day, it was a successful outing for the HBCU competitors, with more punching their tickets to the finals.
Southern’s Tashina Alase continued her spectacular season by gaining an automatic qualifying spot in the 100 hurdles, winning her heat in 12.90 seconds in a photo finish.
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Alase will be joined in the finals by the Howard duo of Cenaiya Billups and Yahnari Lyons, each making it to the championship final in the 400 hurdles and 200m, respectively.
Operating in a fast heat that claimed three of the top four times in the 400 hurdles, Billups clocked in at 55.44 seconds, finishing third in her heat, making her the fastest of the non-automatic qualifiers.
On the other hand, Lyons paced her 200m heat in 22.36 seconds, .02 seconds shy of tying her personal best mark.
The women’s portion of the finals will take place on Saturday.
Joining these qualifiers in the finals are field athletes Olivia Dowd of North Carolina A&T and Daedrian Beville of Alabama State, each competing in the triple jump, while A&T’s Spirit Morgan will compete in the high jump.
