Tide Men?s Track Heading to the Drake Relays
4/27/2006 12:00:00 AM
After taking last weekend off, the Alabama men’s track and field team is traveling to Des Moines, Iowa this weekend to compete at the 97th annual Drake Relays.
The Tide comes into the meet having qualified for NCAA Regional competition in nine events and will be looking to add to their total this weekend and improve their times this weekend with the distance runners leading the way.
Abraham Kutingala will be looking to lower his regional qualifying time in the 3,000m steeplechase. Jeff Fedler and Ian Rawlinson are set to compete in the 800m and the 1,500m, respectively.
Alabama’s star hurdlers, Byron Gibson and Marcus Siwemuke are both set to compete in the 110m hurdles.
In the field events, Jason Dixon and Stephen Boozer will compete in the discus while Grant Stone participates in the javelin throw. Brandon Schneider and Matt Vogtner will represent the Tide in the pole vault and Charlie Coleman will compete in the long jump.
Alabama is set to run in four of the relay races. The Tide is scheduled to compete in the 4x800m, the 1,600m sprint medley relay, the distance medley relay and the 4x100m.
The Tide has a strong history at the prestigious event. Alabama holds two of the relay records, the 4x100m and the sprint medley relay, both set in 1983. Tide great Calvin Smith holds the University-College division record in the 100m dash and was named outstanding performer of the meet in 1983. Thomas McCant holds the meet record in the high jump.
Alabama head coach Harvey Glance also holds the meet record in the 100m dash in the men’s invitational. Glance sprinted to the finish line in 10.01 seconds to set the mark in 1976 and the record is one of the oldest standing records at the meet.
The Tide competes on Friday and Saturday at the Drake Relays.
