Shuttle Hurdle Relay Team are Champions Again at Drake Relays
4/24/2010 12:00:00 AM
April 24, 2010
DES MOINES, Iowa - The Alabama women's track and field team wrapped up its weekend competition at the 101st Annual Drake Relays at Drake Stadium on Saturday with another Drake Relays champion.
In the prelims of the 4x100 meter shuttle hurdle relay, the Alabama squad of junior Kim Laing, senior Chealsea Taylor, junior Talaya Owens and sophomore Audra Frimpong advanced to the final with the second-fastest time, 56.59. The team would return for the finals about four hours later to post a school-record time of 54.49, claiming its second consecutive Drake Relays championship in the event.
"The tradition is on for the Alabama 4x100 meter shuttle hurdle relay," head women's track and field coach Sandy Fowler proclaimed. "Three legs return next year so we'll still have a great team when we come back next season."
The Alabama 4x1600 meter relay team of sophomores Leigh Gilmore and Kelsey Johnson with freshmen Katlyn Will and Elsbeth Denton combined for a time of 20:14.20 to place ninth.
Junior Talaya Owens finished 15th in the 400 meter hurdles, clocking a time of 60.14.
The Alabama 4x100 meter relay team of Frimpong, Taylor, Laing and Owens posted a time of 46.38 in the final to place eighth. The squad qualified for the finals on Friday with a time of 45.90, just one-hundredth of a second off the squad's season-best time.
After posting a time of 13.83 (-0.4) on Friday in the 100 meter hurdle prelims, defending champion Laing surrendered her title, finishing third, even though she clocked a season-best time of 13.40 (-0.3).
"Kim was third in the hurdles," Fowler recalled. "I don't think she had her best race, but it's still a seasonal-best which means she's improving. She just has to get her confidence back, I think. She's the indoor SEC champion though, so she's ready to run fast. I was hoping she'd get back-to-back as well. She looked really great on her leg of the 4x100 meter relay."
Up next, Alabama will wrap up its regular season at the Mississippi Open in Oxford, Miss., on May 1.
Players Mentioned
