Tide Women Set to Compete at the SEC Championships
5/11/2006 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field, Cross Country
After taking last weekend off, the Alabama women's track and field team returns to action at the Southeastern Conference Outdoor Championships in Fayetteville, Arkansas beginning Thursday afternoon. The Crimson Tide finished seventh at last year's conference championship meet and took sixth place at the SEC Indoor Championships in February.
The Tide will be looking to win the SEC Championship for the first time since the 1994 season.
"I think the team will do really well," Alabama head coach Sandy Fowler said. "We've been talking to the team about taking chances and just going for it. We have some folks that are going to have to step up and I think that they are ready to do that."
The Tide's throwers will have a big impact on where Alabama finishes in the meet. Beth Mallory is the defending conference champion in both the discus and the shot put, placed third in the hammer throw a season ago and earned the Commissioner's Trophy as the highest scorer in the meet.
"I think Beth's training this week has gone really well," Fowler said. "I think the Commissioner's Trophy is on her mind. She has been asking if anyone has ever won two in a row. It's one of the things that is motivating her to really go after it."
This season, Mallory has the longest discus throw in the conference as well as the second best mark in the hammer and is third overall in the shot.
Mallory will be joined in the hammer throw and shot put by Aymara Albury and Lorna Finn. Albury, the school record holder in the shot, has the top throw in the event in the SEC this season and won the 2006 SEC Indoor Championship. Albury also has the fifth best hammer throw in the league this season.
Also in the field events, Miruna Mataoanu should provide the Tide a scoring opportunity. She ranks third in the high jump in the league this season and was All-SEC in the event during the indoor season. Mataoanu is also tenth in the SEC this season in the triple jump.
Kayla Natale and Lynda Cooper will compete in the pole vault for the Tide and Kendall Clifford will open the meet for Alabama by competing in her first heptathlon of the season.
Tahesia Harrigan will lead the Tide sprinters. Harrigan holds the sixth fastest 100m time in the world this year, 11.16 seconds, and will compete in the 4x100m relay as well as the 200m dash where she has the sixth best time in the SEC.
Joining Harrigan in the 100m, 200m and 4x100 will be Chealsea Taylor. The Colorado native will be a busy athlete for Alabama. In addition to the three sprints, the Tide freshman will compete in the high jump and the long jump. Majik Reed will also run the 100m dash for the Tide.
Kou Luogon ranks third in the league in both the 400m dash and the 400m hurdles. Luogon will also run a leg of the 4x100m relay for Alabama and compete in the triple jump.
In the 100m hurdles, LaTasha Pharr and Rachel Wilson will compete for UA. Pharr has the sixth fastest hurdles time in the SEC this year and both athletes have qualified for the Mideast Regionals in the event. Pharr is also ranked sixth in the triple jump.
The Tide's distance runners are coming off of their two best meets of the season.
"They have had a great couple of meets," Fowler said. "I think Megan Carnes and Julia Hicks are on the verge of something great. I think if they just let it all out and run they will do really well.
Hicks, Carnes and Elizabeth Wancowicz will lead the way for the distance runners. Hicks is set to compete in the 1,500m and the 5,000m. Carnes will run the 3,000m steeplechase for the Tide. Wancowicz is set to compete in the 1,500m and the 800m.
Also competing in the 800m for Alabama are Jen Gray and Megan Betts. Gray will also compete in the 1,500m as well.
The SEC Championships begin Thursday with the multi-events and conclude Sunday night.
