EMPORIA, Kan. --- Tusculum University advanced three more runners to Saturday's finals of the NCAA Division II Women's Outdoor Track & Field Championship in Friday's preliminaries.
Senior Jahzara Hart and sophomore Qitarah Castlin qualified for the finals in the 200 meters and sophomore Kori Moore advanced in the 100-meter hurdles during Friday's events.
Hart and Castlin will run in both the 100 meters and 200 meters on Saturday along with the 4x100-meter relay, where they are the top seed along with Moore and senior Shanice Cox.
In the 200 meters, Hart ran in the first heat and had the slowest time of the eight qualifiers, but earned an automatic advancement by finishing second in the heat with a time of 23.51 seconds. Castlin, who was in heat three, was third in her race at 23.45 seconds but grabbed one of the two wild-card spots in Saturday's final. Moore was 15th at 23.80 seconds and will receive second-team All-American honors.
Moore ran in the 100 hurdles about an hour after the 200 meters and was third in the first heat with a school-record time of 13.46 seconds. Her time stood as fourth overall and advanced her into Saturday's final.
Tusculum will have a total of six entries across four events in Saturday's finals. Prior to this year, the Pioneers had a total of five entries in running finals at the outdoor championship (one male, four female). The Pioneers have never won an individual national championship, with the best finish coming in 2024 when Caley Sosnowski was runner-up in the women's javelin.
Saturday's competition for the Pioneers will begin at 4:40 p.m. with the 4x100 relay, followed by Moore in the 100 hurdles finals at 5:25 p.m. Castlin and Hart will run in the 100 finals at 6:05 p.m., and follow up with the 200 finals at 7:20 p.m. (all times Eastern).
Tusculum has finished inside the top 25 in the final team standings each of the last two years, taking 21st place in 2024 and 23rd place in 2025.
- TU -
NCAA Division II Women's Outdoor Track & Field Championship
at Emporia, Kansas - Day 2 of 3
Tusculum results
100 hurdles prelims: 4. Kori Moore, 13.46 (advances/school record).
200 prelims: 6. Qitarah Castlin, 23.45 (advances); 8. Jahzara Hart, 23.51 (advances); 15. Kori Moore, 23.80.
