Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Barowski Wins Heat, Advances to NCAA Final
March 12, 2016 | Women's Track and Field
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (3/11/16) - Princeton senior Cecilia Barowski won Heat 1 of the 800-meter semifinals to advance to the finals of the 2016 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships.
Barowski posted a time of 2:04.44 to beat out the other seven competitors in the first heat. She had the third-fastest time overall behind the favorite Raevyn Rogers (Oregon) who ran 2:03.13, and Shea Collinsworth (BYU) who ran 2:04.38 in heat 2.
The final will be contested on Saturday, March 12 at 5:40 p.m. CT and can be seen on ESPN3.
Barowski had a 29.18 in the first 200 meters, the second fastest time time off the line, and clocked 32.42 in the next 200 meters to sit at 1:01.59 at 400 meters. She pushed out a 32.16 in the third 200 and outkicked the competition in the final 200 with a blistering 30.70 split - the fastest time in the final 200.
"It was the goal: think about today - advance to tomorrow," Barowski said post race in an interview with LetsRun.com. "It was executed according to plan. Though it was 80 percent 800 and 20 percent boxing out there which is very different than any race I've had so far, so it was a really good physical experience. It's a lot more bodies, at the exact same time, trying to execute the same race. Fighting for the inside rail. It's much more about racing the actual bodies around you, than hitting your splits."
Barowski qualified for the NCAAs with a time of 2:03.24 from the Princeton Invite in February. She has a PR of 2:02.14 in the event, which she ran in 2014 at a race in Sacramento.
"I would love to go under 2:03, and hit the trial standard. If I run under 2:03, I don't care if I come in dead last - as long as I secure a spot for July - that's my ultimate goal. A place is just icing on the cake."
This is the first time Princeton has had a female in the 800-meter final in program history.