LACROSSE, Wis. — Senior 11-time All-American and 7-time national champion Emily Richards (Delaware/Hayes) won her heat in the prelims of the 800-meter run on the second day of the 2018 NCAA III Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Friday afternoon at Roger Harring Stadium.

She led from the start, winning her heat in 2:08.97, and advancing automatically to the finals on Saturday at 2 pm (3 pm EST). She is the two-time defending NCAA champion in the event.

"I felt good the entire way," Richards said. "It was a little bit faster than I had hoped, I thought the other women might be ready to run fast after sitting around for three hours. But it was a good run and I advanced to the finals."

The race was delayed three hours due to a thunderstorm that rolled through the area just 30 minutes before the race was scheduled to begin.

On Thursday, Richards won her heat in the prelims of the 1,500-meter run in 4:35.57.

She led the entire way in the 1,500 and comfortably advanced to the finals, where she looks to defend her 2017 national title on Saturday at 12:35 pm (1:35 pm EST).