Junior Chelsea Francis qualified for the 2019 NCAA Track & Field Indoor Championships in the 60-meter dash announced Tuesday by NCAA.
 
Francis, the school record holder in the 60 meter, improved upon on her 60-meter time over the weekend at the American Conference Indoor Championships. The junior came into the event with an adjusted time of 7.27 and was able improve the critical .01 that earned her a spot in the upcoming championships.
 
At the weekend's AAC Championships, Francis took home the gold in the 60-meter topping the silver medal she won in 2018. Francis also finished in fourth in the 200-meter, setting a personal record along the way.
 
Francis broke the SMU Program record in the 60-meter while competing at the MLK Jr. Invite in Albuquerque. The Junior clocked a 7.25 to take the title and break the mark set by Stephanie Kalu (7.28) in 2014. Additionally, Francis holds the second-best time in program history for the 200m trailing only her teammate from the last two seasons, Latessa Johnson.  
 
The Carrollton, Texas native will get a chance to return to the Birmingham, where the AAC Indoor were held, as the NCAA Indoors are set for March 8-9 from the Birmingham CrossPlex. Francis is the first SMU athlete to qualify for the NCAA Indoors since Kalu in 2014.  Kalu finished in 13^th in the 60 meter that season.