The second of three days at the 2021 NCAA DIII Outdoor Track & Field Championships took place on Friday. The 400m was scheduled for early in the afternoon and Roanoke College sprinter Sam Crawford was slated to compete in the first of the three preliminary heats.

The 400m field of 17 runners was broken into three different heats with the top two in each race as well as the remaining two fastest overall times advancing to the Finals on Saturday. Crawford would face five other runners in the first heat. Less than one second would separate the six runners with Crawford posting a 48.20, finishing just .70 of a second from claiming one of the two automatic qualifying spots. 

Once the three heats were finished, the sophomore would finish 12th in the 17 sprinter field, .25 of a second short of earning a spot in the Finals of the 400m.