MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - St. Norbert College senior Mitch Van Vooren qualified for the finals of the 400-meter hurdles by the slimmest of margins at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championship at Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium.
 
Van Vooren finished as the eighth and final qualifier for Saturday's championship race. He ran a time of 52.73 seconds to finish fourth in the first of three heats. Two more spots were scooped up in the second heat. The third heat winner automatically moved to the finals, leaving just one spot to give for the final at-large berth.
 
Two spots in the third heat finished ahead of Van Vooren's time, while the final at-large spot came down to the third-place finisher in the final heat. Rowan University's Marquise Young finished in 52.74 seconds, with the 0.01 difference enough to send Van Vooren to the final.
 
Van Vooren, who is assured of a first-team All-America finish, will compete in the championship race at 6:25 p.m. EDT Saturday.