AUSTIN, Texas – Norfolk State sophomore
Kiara Grant placed second in her national semifinal heat in the 100 meters on Thursday night at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, earning her a spot in Saturday's championship final in her signature event at Mike A. Myers Stadium.
Grant, the Jamaica native, was making her first NCAA Outdoor Championships appearance and the first-ever at the Division I level for a Spartan 100-meter runner. She nabbed the second automatic qualifying spot from the third and final heat with her runner-up finish of 11.16 seconds. She will race for a national title at 7:22 p.m. Saturday evening.
By virtue of advancing to the national final in her event, Grant will earn first-team All-America honors. She was a second-team indoor All-American earlier this year after placing 14th in the 60 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Later Thursday evening, Spartan junior
Martha Bissah fell just short of the top eight and a qualifying spot for Saturday's 800m final. Bissah was fourth in her heat and ninth overall with a time of 2 minutes, 4.12 seconds. Bissah, who this week was making her school-record third Division I national championship appearance, will earn second-team All-America honors once awards are announced following the meet.
