MEDFORD, Mass. – Ursinus College senior Andrew Mackin took his best shot at qualifying for the Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships, competing in the 800-meter run one last time at Thursday's Final Qualifying Meet hosted by Tufts University. Testing his mettle against a stacked field, Mackin placed fourth overall with a time of 1:54.89.
Four days removed from a historic performance at the Centennial Conference Indoor Championship, Mackin registered his second-best clocking in the event, where he finished behind only three other competitors in a field of 23. The first section, which included ten student-athletes, started slowly through 400 and bunched up with about 200 meters to go. Mackin was able to outkick several of his counterparts down the final straightaway; he posted splits of 27.6, 29.1, 29.0, and 29.0.
Last Sunday, the senior star became the first Ursinus man to win the 800 at the indoor conference meet, posting a blazing time of 1:54.05 that landed only .15 seconds back of the school record, which has held firm since 1987. The mark ranked 24th in Division III entering Thursday's action.
Mackin will now await possible selection to the NCAA Championships, which will be held at Grinnell College in Iowa from March 11-12.