BRADENTON, Fla. – Sophomore William Mayhew punched his ticket to the 800m finals after running the fastest time in the prelims Friday afternoon at the NCAA Division II Track & Field Championships.

Mayhew ran the race in 1:50.49, which was his second-fastest time of the season. The transfer won the third heart by nearly a second-and-a-half and sits atop the standings after the preliminaries with Fort Hays STate's Decano Cronin running the second-fastest time today of 1:50.57.

The result comes as a bit of redemption for Mayhew after missing out on the 800m finals by just two spots at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships this past March.

Mayhew will have the opportunity to bring home the first individual championship for the Mountain Lions since Moses Tum won the 1,500m in 2006. Tum also holds the best finish in the 800m for UCCS, finishing sixth twice in both 2004 and 2005.

The 800m finals are scheduled for tomorrow evening with the start slated 5:05 p.m., MDT.