Abraham Kutingala Competes 10,000 Meters at NCAA Championships
6/11/2009 12:00:00 AM
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Abraham Kutingala was the lone competitor for the Alabama men's track team on Thursday at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships being hosted by the University of Arkansas at John McDonnell Field.
Kutingala brought an end to his illustrious career at Alabama in the 10,000 meter race. The senior posted a 19th place finish running a time of 29:47.58. Kutingala, with about seven laps to go, was spiked causing him to lose his shoe and had to take a few strides to get it back on, which unfortunately cost him a chance for an All-American bid.
Oregon's Galen Rupp, an Olympian, won his fifth national championship of the 2008-09 year running a time of 28:25.85.
"Abraham looked extremely good in the middle of the race," head coach Harvey Glance said. "He was in that pack of about 10-12 guys that were chasing the front group until he got spiked and nearly lost his shoe, but I'm real proud of the way he was competing and the effort he made to come back, but the gap was just too large."
The Crimson Tide will return to the meet on Friday for the 5,000 meter final set for an 8:40 p.m. start as Tyson David and Emmanuel Bor will vie for a national championship and All-American honors. The race will be the last event for Alabama this season and it will be broadcast live on CBS.
