Near miss for Heitman in national 400-meter race
Central College
GENEVA, OHIO — In Friday afternoon’s prelims of the 400-meter dash at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Central College sophomore Hope Heitman (Guttenberg, Clayton Ridge HS) finished just .54 seconds away from a spot in the finals.
Her time of 56.57 seconds was the 12th fastest mark in the 22-runner field. The ninth and final qualifying spot went to Maddison Zimmer of Illinois Wesleyan University in 56.13 seconds.
“I was really proud of Hope,” coach Joe Dunham said. “I felt like she was very focused and competed hard. She ran a great time and unfortunately was in a field with some incredible athletes. Anytime you can compete at the national meet, it’s a big deal.
“The last three weeks of her season were great. A lot of credit to her for working hard, but also to Coach Graupmann and his ability to get her running fast at the right time.
Wadeline Jonathas of UMass-Boston, tied the all-time Division III record of 53.45 seconds in the prelims and is the top qualifier for Saturday’s finals.
Just a sophomore, Heitman can take her experience from three national meet appearances and learn for her final two seasons in the red and white according to Dunham.
“This experience will help here in the future,” he said. “As always, our goal with her moving forward is to continue to compete at the national level.”
