On Wednesday, Boston College track's Caroline King ran the 800M in 2:03.03, finishing third in the second heat and qualifying for the NCAA Championship Final on Friday. Her 2:03.03 time broke her own personal best and school record, which she set previously at the ECAC Championship on May 13 (2:03.21).
The BC captain got out strong and took second at the break. Riding Nachelle Mackie's shoulder, King went into the bell lap at 59-and-change as the rest of the field gave chase. Mackie picked up the tempo on the final backstretch, but the Eagles closed ground and heading into the final bend. King looked to earn the auto-bid with a win in the heat, but Mackie stayed strong to the line and Oregon's Anne Kesselring snuck up on the inside to bump the Maroon and Gold to third in the heat.
King will run for a National title on Friday at 7:20 PM. Friday's title run can be seen live on espn3.com or viewed through the host institution's web site godrakebulldogs.com.
If King hopes to bring home a National Championship, she'll likely have to set yet another school record and personal best. In addition to King, the 800M Final Field includes Tennessee's Chanelle Price (2:01.66), Oregon's Laura Roesler (2:02.09), BYU's Nachelle Mackie (2:02.58), Oregon's Anne Kesselring (2:02.66), Cincinnati's Kathy Klump (2:03.35), LSU's Charlene Lipsey (2:03.76) and Georgia's Megan Malasarte (2:04.18).
Go Eagles!