Dan Nielsen's quest to reach the 3,000-meter steeplechase finals in his first appearance at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships fell by the wayside Thursday afternoon as the University of Minnesota Duluth junior placed 17th overall and ninth in his heat in the preliminaries. The top 12 finishers advanced to Friday's finals at the Grand Valley State University Track and Field Complex.

Nielsen, who entered the weekend with the 17th best qualifying time in the country (9:09.26), clocked in at 9:33.69.

"Dan was in a great position through the first five and a half laps of the race" said UMD head coach Paul Nisius. "But, unfortunately, the fast pace took its toll on him over the last couple of laps, as eight of the 12 qualfiers for the finals came from his heat."

NCAA II Outdoor Track and Field Championship Results  (Men's 3,000-meter Steeplechase preliminaries)