By Jim Fenton

GENEVA, Ohio -- The Bridgewater State University 4x100-meter women's relay team made an impressive debut at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships Thursday.

The quartet of graduate student Alison McDonough (Halifax, Mass.), senior Kiara Abrantes (Somerset, Mass.), freshman Grace Inacio (Taunton, Mass.) and graduate student Jailene Escalera (Rockland, Mass.) qualified for this weekend's final race in the event.

The Bears finished fourth out of 16 squads in the preliminary race by breaking its own school record with a time of 46.30 seconds.

This marks the first time a BSU women's relay team has competed in the NCAAs.

It marks the third straight meet that the Bears have broken the BSU record.

The Bears will now go against eight other teams in the championship race on Saturday at 1:15 p.m.

BSU finished behind defending champion Wisconsin-La Crosse (45.83), Wisconsin-Whitewater (45.98) and Elmhurst University of Illinois (45.98) in the preliminary race held at the Spire Institute & Academy.

The Bears broke a school record set in 2023 on May 10 at the New England Intercollegiate Amateur Athletic Association Championships, placing fifth in 46.97.

On May 15, BSU broke that mark by finishing second at the MIT Qualifier with a time of 46.58 seconds.

McDonough, Abrantes and Escalera have been on the relay team together since 2022 and won a pair of Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference championships.

This season, the addition of Inacio has helped boost BSU onto the national stage.

The Bears were one of four New England teams in the 4x100 preliminary race.

Colby College was eighth and Wheaton College finished 15th while Williams College did not finish.

Joining BSU and the top three finishers in Saturday's final will be Washington University (46.44), SUNY Delhi (46.53), John Carroll (46.53), Colby (46.67) and Wisconsin-Eau Claire (46.83).

Inacio and Escalera are taking part in the NCAAs for the first time while McDonough is in her sixth national championship event (three indoor, three outdoor). Abrantes made her debut this past winter.

On Friday, three BSU athletes will be competing in individual events.

Senior Serenity Sands (East Bridgewater, Mass.), a two-time indoor All-American, will be in the high jump at 11:30 a.m.

McDonough has qualified in the 100-meter hurdles with the preliminary race at 2:30 p.m. and the final taking place Saturday at 2 p.m.

Abrantes races in the preliminary 400-meter event at 3:15 with the finals on Saturday at 2:20 p.m.