GENEVA, Ohio – Running first paid off for Whitworth University's Amelia Hewson, who qualified for the finals of the women's 100-meter hurdles out of the first heat on Friday at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Hewson is the seventh of nine qualifiers into Saturday's final with a time of 14.20.  Five of the nine runners to advance came out of the first of three heats during Friday's preliminaries, with two each from the second and third heats.  Hewson was fifth in the first heat.

Hewson's time was only one-one hundredth off of her personal-best and Whitworth record time of 14.19.

The nine advancing runners will race in the 100 hurdles finals on Saturday at 9:50 am (PDT).  Only the top eight finishers will score and earn All-America recognition.  Birgen Nelson of Gustavus Adolphus, who won the first heat, has the fastest time into finals (13.72).

Hewson will try to join teammate Lauryn Rawls as an NCAA Division III All-American in 2022.  Rawls finished fourth in the women's discus on Thursday.