BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Brandeis University sophomore Peterly Leroy of Malden, Massachusetts, earned her third career All-America honor today, placing 10th in the 400-meter dash and setting a school record in the process, at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships at the Crossplex in Birmingham, Alabama.

Leroy, who was seeded 11th at the meet, ran from the inside lane in the second of five heats, with the top eight advancing to tomorrow's finals. She ran a split of 26.25 seconds on the first lap and 30.00 seconds on the final lap to finish in 56.24 seconds. 

Leroy was third in her heat behind the fastest and third-fastest times in the preliminaries. She was in fifth place after two heats, dropping to seventh after three and 10th after four. Her 10th-place finish came by just 0.002 seconds over a runner from Washington and Lee University, and she missed out on the finals by 0.42 seconds. It marked a four-place improvement for Leroy over her first year and exceeded her seed entering the meet by one. 

"Peterly ran a strategic race and just missed making the finals to become a first-team All-American," said head track and field coach Miles Ketchum. "Peterly is relatively new to the sport, learning how to navigate the regular and championship seasons. She is knocking on the door of the top eight in the country, and I am excited for what she can accomplish during the outdoor season."

Brandeis will be represented on Day Two of the NCAA Division III Championships by sophomore Sarai Sealy of New York, New York, who is the sixth seed in the triple jump. Her competition begins at 3 p.m. Eastern (2 Central).