KINGSTON, Jamaica—South Dakota freshman Demar Francis advanced to the semifinals of the 400 meters at the Jamaican National Championships held at National Stadium.
 
Francis finished second in his heat with a time of 47.12 seconds to earn an automatic qualifying spot. He had the 10th-fastest qualifying time among the 16 men who will race in tomorrow's semifinals at 6:05 p.m. (CT). The finals are set for 9:20 a.m. (CT) Sunday.
 
A native of St. Thomas, Jamaica, Francis clocked a personal best of 46.45 seconds en route to winning a Summit League crown this past May. He qualified for the NCAA West Preliminaries in both the 400 meters and the 4x100-meter relay to cap off his inaugural Coyote campaign.