ALLENDALE, Mich. (May 27) – California University of Pennsylvania junior Divonne Franklin (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop John Carroll) qualified for the finals of the 100-meter dash at the NCAA Championships on Thursday evening.

Franklin placed eighth overall in the preliminaries while in Michigan by posting a posting a time of 11.793 seconds. Racing in temperatures in the mid-50s with strong winds, she finished fifth in the opening preliminary heat that featured the top seed in the country. Franklin was seeded 15th on the national performance list in the 100 meters this spring.

Sophomore Rajiah Andrews of Tiffin recorded the fastest time in the preliminaries by two-hundredths of a second with a time of 11.57 seconds.

Franklin will compete in the finals of the 100-meter dash on Saturday, May 29, at 6:25 p.m.