Chilliwack native Sarah Sawatzky is competing in the last track meet of her collegiate career this week.
The Simon Fraser University senior is one of two Clansmen athletes who’ve traveled to Allendale, MI for the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship.
The meet is hosted by the Grand Valley State University Lakers.
She’s accompanied by Abbotsford native Oliver Jorgensen.
Sawatzky competes in the 800 metre run while Jorgensen tackles the 3000m steeplechase.
Sawatzky’s last season has been a successful one.
She competing in the NCAA Championship and won a Great Northwest Athletic Conference title during the indoor portion of the schedule.
Sawatzky had a second place finish in the 800m at the GNAC outdoor championship, edged at the finish line by Seattle Pacific University’s McKayla Fricker.
Fricker’s time was 2:09.15.
Sawatzky’s time was 2:09.25.
She qualified for the NCAA Championship with a time of 2:09.15, recorded at the Oregon State University High Performance Meet.
Her time was an NCAA provisional standard, just shy of the automatic mark of 2:09.00 but by far good enough to qualify as Sawatzky enters the championship with the 10th best time in NCAA division II this season.
“I feel ready to go and hope to run a fast time at nationals,” Sawatzky said. “My goal is to make the final and leave the race having no regrets. I’m really excited to see what happens.”
Sawatzky is a former Sardis secondary school student.
Live coverage of the race including video is available through athletics.sfu.ca or in the track and field section of NCAA.com.
