GREENSBORO, N.C. – Junior Ellen Mickelson of the St. Olaf College women's track and field team qualified for the finals in the 1,500-meter run with a 12th-place finish in the prelims at the 2021 NCAA Division III Track & Field Championships on Thursday afternoon at Irwin Belk Track Complex.

Mickelson entered the prelims as the No. 13 seed and grabbed the 12th and final spot in Saturdaý's finals with a time of 4:38.56. The junior's time was good for sixth in the second heat as the top four in each heat plus the next four fastest times qualified for the finals.

After finishing as the runner-up to Concordia-Moorhead's Josie Herrmann at the MIAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships on May 15, Mickelson edged Herrmann by a little over half a second for to clinch the last spot in the finals.

SUNY Geneseo's Emily Pomainville broke the seven-year-old NCAA Division III all-time record and 17-year-old NCAA Division III Outdoor Championship meet record with a time of 4:13.69.

Mickelson will be one of two Oles competing on the final day of the meet on Saturday, May 29. She will run in the finals of the 1,500-meter run at 11:25 a.m. CDT before Paige Woldt is in action in the triple jump at 1 p.m. CDT.