UMass grad Heather MacLean posted a season-best time but couldn't break out of the pack in the women’s 1,500-meter final at the USATF Outdoor Nationals on Saturday in Eugene, Oregon.

She placed seventh in 4 minutes, 5.29 seconds. That was more than two seconds behind national champion Nikki Hiltz (4:03.1) and 1.81 seconds away from third-place Cory McGee (4:03.48) and qualifying for the world championships team. The top three finishers will represent the USA in Budapest, Hungary, in late August.

MacLean, a 2021 Olympian, started the race near the back of the pack but jumped from 10th to seventh after 400 meters. She pushed as high as fifth after the first three laps but couldn’t run down the lead group over the final circuit.

Florence’s Gabby Thomas was in the 200 meter finals on Sunday night. That event took place after print deadline.

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