PUEBLO, Colo. – Junior Amy Varsell (Burlington, Conn./Lewis S. Mills HS), Bentley University's three-time All-America, won her heat in the preliminaries of the 800 meters Friday night in the NCAA Division II Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships at the Neta and Eddie DeRosa Thunderbowl, on the campus of Colorado Sate-Pueblo.

The finals will be Saturday evening at 8:55 pm ET (6:55 MT) with Varsell having the third best advancing time, 2:09.95. Seven of the finalists came out of heat one, and Varsell was one of only two to qualify from the second heat.

Varsell was in fifth place at the merge and gradually moved up into second, behind Grand Valley State's Chanelle Caldwell, who entered the meet with the nation's best time (2:07.74) and led virtually from the start. The Bentley standout caught and passed Caldwell over the final 50 meters, reaching the finish line eight-hundredths of a second before Caldwell.

The top two in the opening heat were Hillsdale's Amanda Putt and Lincoln (Mo.)'s Twishana Williams, with times of 2:09.63 and 2:09.77.

Putt, Caldwell and Varsell went 1-2-3, in that order, in the 800 at the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships in March.

NCAA Division II Championships

                           Colorado State - Pueblo                          

         Neta and Eddie DeRose Thunderbowl  - 5/24/2012 to 5/26/2012 

Event 4  Women 800 Meter Run

    Name                    Year School                 Prelims  H#         

Preliminaries                                                                

  1 Amanda Putt               JR Hillsdale              2:09.63Q  1         

  2 Amy Varsell               JR Bentley                2:09.95Q  2         

  3 Twishana Williams         JR Lincoln (Mo.)          2:09.77Q  1         

  4 Chanelle Caldwell         SR Grand Valley St.       2:10.03Q  2         

  5 Jaylen Rodgers            FR Angelo State           2:09.97q  1         

  6 Melissa Agnew             JR U-Mary                 2:09.98q  1         

  7 Alycia Wright             SR Saginaw Valley         2:10.52q  1         

  8 Lexi Williams             SR Minnesota-Duluth       2:10.72q  1         

  9 Ayesha Rumble             JR Abilene Christian      2:10.95q  1         

 10 Ewa Zaborowska            FR Harding                2:11.13   2         

 11 Jennifer Shaffer          SR Hillsdale              2:12.71   2         

 12 Valerie Sanchez           JR Cal St. Los Angeles    2:13.61   2         

 13 Kaley Temaat              SR Pittsburg St.          2:15.66   2         

 14 Taylor-Ashley Bean        FR Virginia State         2:16.34   1         

 15 Rachel Webb               JR Western State          2:17.15   2         

 16 Lindsay Bingaman          SR Shippensburg           2:19.56   2         

 17 Amanda Raudabaugh         SR Shippensburg           2:20.72   1         

 18 Sierra Clayton            SR Virginia State         2:24.94   2