BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Senior middle distance runner Angel Piccirillo (Homer City, Pa.) continued her sensational indoor season by easily qualifying for the final of the Mile during competition at the NCAA Championships on Friday night. Piccirillo is the second-fastest qualifier for the final after she posted a time of 4:36.25 in her preliminary heat at the Birmingham Crossplex. She is set to compete in both the Mile and the 3000 meters on Saturday night.

In addition to Piccirillo, sophomore Siofra Cleirigh Buttner (Dublin, Ireland) was also in action on Friday in the preliminary heats of the 800 meters. She finished with a time of 2:04.77 and posted the second-fastest time of her career in the 800 meters but missed qualifying for the final by the narrowest of margins in a remarkably tight race.

Piccirillo ran in the second of two heats in the Mile and finished second in her heat to automatically move on to tomorrow night's final. The top four finishers in each heat and the next two fastest times moved on to Saturday's national championship race, and Piccirillo was comfortably in position to secure one of the automatic qualifying spots throughout her entire race.

Elinor Purrier of New Hampshire and Piccirillo ran just in front of the rest of the pack in their heat virtually from the starting gun. Purrier was in the lead with Piccirillo on her heels for the entire second half of the race, with Purrier eventually crossing the finish line in 4:36.15 and Piccirillo coming in a mere one-tenth of a second behind.

This is the second straight year that Piccirillo has advanced to the final of the Mile, as she was a first team All-American with a seventh place finish last season. Her time of 4:36.25 is the fourth-fastest of her career. She entered the national meet with a season-best time of 4:36.00 set at the Villanova Invitational last month. Piccirillo was ranked eighth among the 16 qualifiers for the NCAA Championships going into the meet.

Cleirigh Buttner ran in the first of two heats in the 800 meters and placed fourth in her heat. She had been pushed to the back of the back at the starting gun and didn't gain the space to make a serious push towards the leaders until just before the start of the final lap. Her kick was an impressive one. Cleirigh Buttner was in seventh place with 200 meters to go and then reeled off a split of 30.79 for her final lap. It was the second-fastest closing lap in her heat and pushed her up three spots to a close in fourth place.

Less than a tenth of a second separated the runners in second through fifth place in the heat, with Cleirigh Buttner only four-hundredths of a second behind the third place finisher. The top three finishers in each of two heats and the next two fastest times advanced to Saturday night's final. Cleirigh Buttner's time of 2:04.77 was narrowly beaten by the fourth and fifth place runners in the second heat, who tallied times of 2:04.54 and 2:04.67.

Saturday night's schedule for Piccirillo will include the final of the Mile at 5:10 p.m. Eastern time (4:10 p.m. Central) and the final-only race in the 3000 meters at 7:25 p.m. Eastern/6:25 p.m. Central. The races can be seen on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN mobile app.

Women's Mile ââ'¬" Qualifiers for the Final

Elinor Purrier, New Hampshire ââ'¬" 4:36.15
Angel Piccirillo, Villanova ââ'¬" 4:36.25
Heather MacLean, Massachusetts ââ'¬" 4:36.55
Megan Moye, North Carolina State ââ'¬" 4:37.40
Erin Teschuk, North Dakota State ââ'¬" 4:37.47
Sophie Connor, New Mexico ââ'¬" 4:37.67
Grace Barnett, Clemson ââ'¬" 4:37.72
Kaela Edwards, Oklahoma State ââ'¬" 4:37.79
Andrea Keklak, Georgetown ââ'¬" 4:37.87
Eleanor Fulton, Washington ââ'¬" 4:38.37

Women's 800 Meters ââ'¬" Results of Preliminary Heats

Raevyn Rogers, Oregon ââ'¬" 2:03.13
Shea Collinsworth, BYU ââ'¬" 2:04.38
Cecilia Barowski, Princeton ââ'¬" 2:04.44
Savannah Camacho, Oklahoma State ââ'¬" 2:04.50
Hanna Green, Virginia Tech ââ'¬" 2:04.54
Anima Banks, Duke ââ'¬" 2:04.67
Ce'aira Brown, Hampton ââ'¬" 2:04.72
Olivia Baker, Stanford ââ'¬" 2:04.73
Siofra Cleirigh Buttner, Villanova ââ'¬" 2:04.77
Annie Leblanc, Oregon ââ'¬" 2:04.79
Olicia Williams, Baylor ââ'¬" 2:04.81
Sabrina Southerland, Georgetown ââ'¬" 2:05.41
Morgan Schuetz, LSU ââ'¬" 2:05.84
Brooke Feldmeier, Oregon ââ'¬" 2:06.49
Chelsea Jarvis, Florida State ââ'¬" 2:08.29
Claudia Saunders, Stanford ââ'¬" 2:08.45