Bama Track Teams Gear Up for NCAA Regional Championships
5/30/2003 12:00:00 AM
The regular season behind them, the University of Alabama men's and women's track teams are ready to hit the post season running as both teams travel to Columbus, Ohio for the inaugural NCAA Mideast Regional Championship.
The 2003 season marks the first time that teams have to go through a regional meet before advancing to the NCAA Championships and neither team disappointed in their representation. The two teams will send a combined 19 athletes (men, 10; women, 9).
The men will be represented by Peter Etoot, Todd Fayant, Jeff Fedler, Curtis McBride, Isaac Robinson, Brian Rohrer, Matt Vogtner, Gabe Warren, Latonel Williams and O'Neil Wright.
Competing for the women will be Aymara Albury, Christy Fairley, Natalie Kinion, Judyth Kitson, Beth Mallory, LaTasha Pharr, Andree Pickens, Tissilli Rogers and Jihan Trone.
Etoot and McBride will be competing in the 800m. Etoot's best time in the event this season is 1:47.71 while McBride's top time is 1:51.02. Todd Fayant will compete in the 3k Steeplechase having posted a top time of 9:03.74. Jeff Fedler, along with McBride, Williams and Wright, is a part of the Tide's 4x400m relay team that posted a season best time of 3:10.01. Robinson will participate in the long jump, where he posted a season high mark of 24'07.75". Rohrer and Vogtner will both compete in the pole vault. Both vaulters had a team and season high mark of 16'00.75". Warren will compete in the high jump after qualifying with a jump of 6'07.75". Williams is a member of the 4x400m relay team and also qualified for the 100m dash with a season best time of 10.28. Like McBride and Williams, Wright will also be pulling double duty. He too is a member of the 4x400m relay team and will also be competing in the 400m hurdles with a top time of 51.53.
On the women's side, Albury will compete in the shot put after posting a season high mark of 50'04.50". Kinion will participate in the discus throw where she posted a season best throw of 165'02. Kitson along with Mallory will be the busiest Tide tracksters on the weekend as both are competing in the most events (Kitson in four, Mallory in three). Kitson in the 100m where her season best is 11.26, in the 200m where her fastest time of the season is 23.67 and in the long jump with her longest jump this season measured at 20'06.25". Mallory will compete in the shot put where her season long is 50'01.75", which is also a team high. She will also be in the discus throw with a season long and team high throw of 177'11 and the hammer throw where she threw a team high 189'11. Pharr, a member of the 4x100m relay team, will also compete in the 100m hurdles with a season best time of 13.36. Two-sport star Pickens will compete in the pole vault where she set a school record with a mark of 12'00.00". Rogers will be a part of the Tide's 4x100m relay team along with Pharr, Trone and Kitson.
Competition is scheduled to begin Friday at 12 p.m. (ET) with the men's hammer throw and the meet will conclude on Saturday at approximately 9:15 p.m. with the men's 4x400m relay.
