UMD’s Cailee Peterson advances to NCAA Outdoor Track & Field 1500m finals
UMD's Cailee Peterson.
Racing in her first-ever NCAA DII Outdoor Track and Field Championship Thursday, University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) graduate student Cailee Peterson finished first in heat two of the 1500 meter with a time of 4:32.85.
The win guarantees Peterson a spot in Saturday’s championship race. The top four racers in the two heats, plus runners with the next four fastest times advance. For full results from Thursday, Click Here.
Peterson is the sole representative for UMD at the national meet. Also having raced in the NCAA DII Indoor Track and Field meet she said it’s been a bittersweet week as she prepares to close out her collegiate career in Pueblo, Colorado.
“Obviously this was the goal the whole time to get to the Outdoor National Championships. So kind of basing my season around that, and knowing that my first races of the season that I wasn’t going to be at peak fitness because we were building for this meet. Taking a break after indoor, having some slower races right away is kind of all part of the plan, so hopefully it all pays off,” Peterson said.
Peterson next races for in the 1500m championship race Saturday at 6:35 p.m. at Colorado State University Pueblo. For more race information, Click Here.