Johnson to run for title

A Jay County High School graduate will run for a national championship.

Alyssa Johnson, class of 2006, earned a berth in the championship race of the 1,500 meter run at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Outdoor Track & Field Championships, which began Thursday and ends today. She will compete for Taylor University in today's championship race at Southern Illinois Unviersity at 3 p.m.

The junior finished sixth in her heat in Thursday's preliminary round. The top four athletes in each of two heats, as well as the next four fastest runners overall, earned berths in the finals.

Johnson's time of 4:38.29 was second best among those outside the top four, earning her a chance to run for the national title.

She is seeded 10th out of 12 runners for today's race, but less than three seconds separated the entire field in the preliminary round. The No. seed is Wayland Baptist's Purity Biwott, who had a time of 4:35.74.[[In-content Ad]]