Meghan Heuer
The Northern Illinois University track and field team kicked off the NCAA West Preliminary Round in a big way Thursday, as Meghan Heuer (St. Charles, Ill./North) broke the school record in the 800 meters and advanced to today’s quarterfinals round.
Heuer placed 17th overall with a time of 2:07.79 to move on to the next round. Meanwhile, teammate Ali Olson (New Auburn, Wis./Bloomer) made her NCAA meet debut by placing 40th in the 800 meters at 2:12.26.
“Meghan and Ali competed today with heart and conviction,” said NIU head coach Connie Teaberry. “We are proud of their efforts and excited that Meghan will once again exhibit her confident race tactics tomorrow in the quarterfinal round.”
With both Huskies running in the fourth heat, Olson and Heuer crossed the halfway point in sixth and seventh place, respectively. However, Heuer made a comeback in the second lap by running the fastest 400-meter split in the heat to move all the way up to fourth, beating Kansas’ Whitney Adams to the line with the school-record clip. Meanwhile, Olson finished seventh in the heat, beating Iowa’s Katharina Trost.
The competition continues for NIU today in Arkansas when Sidra Sherrill (Fort Wayne, Ind./Northrop) competes in the discus at 3 p.m. For Heuer, she runs in the quarterfinals of the 800 meters at 7:15 p.m. and can move on to the NCAA National Championships by placing in the top 12.
For more information on NIU track and field and Huskie athletics, visit www.niuhuskies.com.
