LA CROSSE, Wisc. – Sophomore Abe Konneh ran at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships on Thursday evening, nearly qualifying for the finals of the 200-meter race with a strong performance.

Konneh entered the outdoor championships with a personal best time of 20.98 seconds in the 200-meter race.  He ran that time at Slippery Rock in April and it was the ninth-fastest time in the nation entering the championship meet, earning him one of the 22 qualifying spots in the race.

Konneh ran in the second of three heats, and he finished in a time of 21.48 seconds which was the seventh fastest time through two heats.  Unfortunately, the last heat was the fastest of the three heats.  In fact, five on the nine qualifiers for the finals came out of the third heat, and Konneh finished 12^th overall, just .12 seconds from qualifying for the final and a shot to earn All-American status. 

Despite the near miss, Konneh's performance wraps up one of the most successful sprinting seasons in program history.  This was the second championship meet he competed at this year after qualifying for the 200-meters at the NCAA Division III Indoor Championships in March.  He set the outdoor school records in both the 100-meter and 200-meter races, while also adding school records in both the 60-meter and 200-meter races in the indoor season.  Konneh also ran on both the indoor and outdoor 4x400m relay teams that broke the school record, as well as the outdoor 4x100m relay team that set a school record.  He'll enter next season as one of the best returning sprinters in the nation.