Abrantes Places 5th in the 400 at NCAA Championships to Earn First Team All-American Honors

By Jim Fenton

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The first time she competed for the Bridgewater State University women's track & field program was on Dec. 5, 2021.

Kiara Abrantes (Somerset, Mass.) was a freshman who placed seventh in the 200-meter race at the Art Kadish Elm City Challenge, hosted by Southern Connecticut State University.

Four years and three months later, Abrantes brought her sensational BSU career to a close on a national stage Saturday afternoon.

Abrantes finished fifth in the 400-meter face at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships at the Birmingham CrossPlex.

As one of the top eight finishers in the country, Abrantes has earned first team All-American honors.

Abrantes finished the race in 55.58 seconds, just off her school record of 55.24 seconds set earlier this season.

She ran in the second of two heats and was clocked at 26.47 seconds through the first 200 meters.

Senior Sara Schermerhorn (Traverse City, Mich.) is the national champion with a time of 54.406 seconds, crossing the finish line first by a fraction of a second.

Senior Grace Yarkosky (South Lyon, Mich.) of the State University of New York Plattsburgh was second in in 54.41 while sophomore Ariella Rogahn-Press (Albuquerque, N.M.) took third in 54.50.

Wisconsin La Crosse junior Anna Plautz (Stevens Point, Wis.) was fourth in 55.45 followed by Abrantes in fifth. The BSU sprinter entered the weekend seeded No. 5 in the country.

Sixth place went to junior Shalom Sulungaine (Blaine, Minn.) of Bethel University, who ran in 55.76, and the University of Rochester junior Nora Chen (Wallingford, Pa.) was seventh in 55.87.

An eighth finalist who had reached the championship race was disqualified after the two heats had taken place.

On Friday, Abrantes was fifth out of 20 runners in the preliminary race with a time of 55.71.

Abrantes had one season of indoor track & field eligibility remaining this winter and returned to the program for the 2025-26 season.

She leaves BSU with six records, the 60, 200, 400 and 500 indoors and the 200 and 400 outdoors.

Abrantes was making her third trip to the NCAAs. She placed 15th at the indoor meet last year in Rochester, N.Y., and 16th at the outdoor championships last spring in Geneva, Ohio.

Abrantes was part of the 4x100 relay team that finished sixth and earned All-American honors last spring in Ohio.

The group was the first BSU women's relay team to qualify for the nationals. Abrantes, Grace Inacio, Alison McDonough and Jailene Escalera set the school record in the race.

This season, Abrantes won two titles at the Massachsetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship and earned two All-New England honors at the Division III Championships.