Nicole Johnson and Cassie Kearney qualified for the final in the 800-meter during the preliminaries on Friday at the NCAA Championships. The event took place at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio.  
 
Kearney finished first out of 22 racers, clocking in with a time of 2:08.50. Johnson placed second in her heat and eighth overall, crossing the finish line in 2:09.80. The top-two athletes in each of the three heats automatically advanced plus the next three best times. 
 
The duo will compete for a national title in the event on Saturday at 1:50 p.m. Kearney will start the day with the finals of the 1,500 meters at 12:25 p.m., as she also finished the prelims of that race with the top time. Cady Barns is the final Panther to compete at the championships, with the triple jump beginning at 1:45 p.m.