GREENSBORO, N.C. - Freshman sprinter Tristie Johnson will compete in the NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field East Region Semi-Final of the 200m on Saturday evening at Irwin Belk Track, advancing from the opening round on Friday night.

Though Johnson was not on pace for a career mark in the event but earned the advance. The Jacksonville native ran a time of 23.91 in the 200m to finish second in her heat and 12th in the standings, qualifying her for an appearance in the meet's Semi-Final round at 7:35 p.m. on Saturday.

The top 12 runners in the Semi-Final earn an automatic qualification bid for the NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore., hosted at the University of Oregon's Hayward Field on June 5-8.

In Johnson's first attempt at the meet, Thursday in the 100m, she narrowly missed another advance to the Semi-Final, running a personal best time of 11.58 to finish fourth in her heat and 25th overall. 24 runners advanced to the Semi-Final, including the top three finishers automatically from each heat.

“She is disappointed but excited about how fast she could have gone and will go in the 200m,” Head Coach Donald Cooper said. “There's a lot of great talent here.”

An advance in the 200m will grant Bethune-Cookman a national championships performer for the third consecutive season and appearances in four of the last five years.

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-B-CUathletics.com-