The second time was a charm for Wabash sophomore runner Geoff Lambert. The Chesteron, Indiana native battled the flu back in March at the indoor nationals, but could not earn a place in the final in the 800-meter run. Friday night at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships, he finished ninth in the preliminary heats to advance to Saturday's finals at Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois.
Lambert was fifth in the first heat with a time of 1:52.17. The top-two finishers in each of the two heats plus the next five fastest times moved on to Saturday's finals. Lambert was the last of the five to have a chance to earn All-American honors. The top-eight finishers in Saturday's finals are named All-Americans.
"I'm really tired," said Lambert after the race. "I'm ready to get some food, talk to Coach Johnson and Coach Busch about tomorrow's race, then go to bed. This is a talented field of runners. I'll have my work cut out for me Saturday."
Nick Symmonds from Willamette won the first heat with a stadium record time of 1:51.42. The College of New Jersey's Jeff Zodda only let that record stand for a few moments. He won the second heat with a time of 1:50.69.
The 800 finals will be run at 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon.