Last year, a mere one second kept Bard College's Perry Scheetz from qualifying for the NCAA Championships in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

This year,  a mere one second is getting her in.

Scheetz found out on Sunday morning that her best time in the event this spring - 11:07.22 - made her the 22nd and last entry into the event for the NCAA Championships, being held Thursday-Saturday at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

There will be two heats in the event, starting Thursday night at 8:50 p.m. Eastern Time. The finals will be held on Saturday at 2:45 p.m. Eastern Time.

The news was a relief for the senior, who felt that she needed to improve on her time at last week's ECAC Championships to get in. Admittedly, she went out too fast and didn't improve on the standard she set at the Oneonta State May Meet the week before. She got in anyway.

Qualifying marks the culmination of a long rehabilitation for Scheetz. As captain of the women's soccer team this past fall, she played most of the season with a torn meniscus in her knee. She ran one cross country event after the soccer season ended - placing ninth at the ECAC Championships - then finally had surgery on her knee in December.

The entire spring has been a comeback of sorts, and although she hasn't eclipsed her personal best and Bard record in the event (11:02.32) so far, she has one more shot at it with no pressure, being the last seed in the field.

A chemistry major, Scheetz has already decided to pursue a Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry at Dartmouth College after graduation. Last week, she shared the Female Student-Athlete of the Year Award with freshman basketball player Tytravia Riley and also won the Female Scholar-Athlete Award at the Department of Athletics & Recreation Awards Reception and Ceremony.