O'Brien wins preliminary heat, advances to 800-meter final at NCAA Division III Championship

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Senior All-American Jimmy O'Brien won his preliminary heat in the 800-meter run at the NCAA Division III Championship in a time of 1:53.96 Friday evening on the campus of Rose-Hulman (Ind.).

By winning his heat, O'Brien will now compete in the finals tomorrow afternoon at 3:45 pm.

The top four runners from O'Brien's heat were all within less than a second of each other and qualified for tomorrow's final.

O'Brien's time was the third fastest qualifying mark of the preliminary races, as the first two finishers in the second heat ran slightly faster.

Brian Sames of St. Thomas (Minn.) ran the fastest time in 1:53.70 and Emmanuel Bofa of Whitworth (Oreg.) ran the second fastest time in 1:53.83.

O'Brien will look to win his second national indoor title in the 800-meter run and his third overall in the event.