No. 23 Alabama Readies for NCAA East Preliminary Round
5/26/2010 12:00:00 AM
May 26, 2010
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The No. 23 Alabama men's track and field team is set to compete at the inaugural NCAA Championship East Preliminary Round, May 27-29, on the campus of North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, N.C. The meet, held at Irwin Belk Track, is taking the place of the former regional format used for the past seven years and acts as the preliminary rounds of many of the events typically competed at the NCAA Championships.
The preliminary round meet is slated to begin on Thursday, May 27, with the first event including Alabama student-athletes, the 1,500 meters, to get underway at 4:30 p.m. (ET). On Saturday, Alabama will return to the track at 5:30 p.m. for the 400 meters. Action will conclude at 9:25 p.m. on Sunday with the 4x400 meter relay.
Alabama is sending 10 student-athletes and two relays to the NCAA Championship East Preliminary Round. Senior Ray Jadusingh is competing in the 100 meters as the No. 25 seed, freshman Kirani James will partake in the 400 meters (No. 3), junior Fred Samoei in the 800 meters (No. 4), junior Julius Bor in the 1,500 meters (No. 2), sophomore Aaron Stockstell in the 800 meters (No. 33), junior Joel Rop in the 1,500 meters (No. 9), sophomore Moses Kiptoo in the 10,000 meters (No. 15), junior Andrew Kirwa in the 3,000 meter steeplechase (No. 36), sophomore Tyler Campbell in the high jump (No. 10), freshman Mike Edwards in the high jump (No. 29) and the 4x100 (No. 8) and 4x400 (No. 6) meter relays.
A total of 96 athletes in each event (except the combined events and relays) will compete in the opening rounds in each of the individual events contested at a national championship this weekend. Events from the 100 meters to the 1,500 meters will consist of four rounds total, two of which will be contested this weekend in the opening rounds. In the 100 to 800 meters, fields will be cut from 96 total (48 in a region) to 48 total (24 to a region) in the first round and from that 48 total (24 region) to 24 total (12 in a region) in the quarterfinals to form the Eugene "24", those who will advance to Eugene, Ore., to finish competition and find a national champion.
All the other events are similar, but will have unique compositions of rounds and advancement formulas. For example, the 10,000 meters will consist of two rounds total, a semifinal held at each prelim site and a final held in Eugene. The 10,000 meters will be the only event in which all 48 contestants in a region will compete at the same time - all vying for those 12 spots that will advance to Eugene. The field events are of a similar animal with the bottom line of being in the top 12 in the region necessary to advance. Relays will have a total of 48 teams (24 to a region) and will compete in one round this weekend, with the top three in each heat, plus the next three fastest times (in a region) advancing to Eugene where a total of 24 relays will be on display at the final site.
LIVE RESULTS: Live results for the 2010 NCAA Championships East Preliminary Round can be found at www.FlashResults.com, and at the meet website at http://www.ncaa.com/sports/c-otrack/champpage/c-otrack-div1-east-index.html.
BEST IN THE NATION: The Alabama men currently have four student-athletes, in four events, ranking among the top 30 in the NCAA in their respective events, including the 4x100 meter relay team (No. 14) and 4x400 meter relay team (No. 13). Freshman Kirani James leads the squad with the third-best 400 meter time in the country. Juniors Fred Samoei and Julius Bor hold the No. 6 and 8 times in the nation in the 800 and 1,500 meters, respectively, and sophomore Tyler Campbell checks in at 23rd-best mark in the high jump.
IN THE POLLS: The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Week 8 Rankings for the 2010 outdoor season were released this week. The Alabama men picked up one spot, rising to No. 23. There are 185 men's teams ranked this week.
The current USTFCCCA men's poll includes eight SEC teams in the top 25. The Florida Gators, ranked No. 1 in the nation, lead the conference and are followed by the LSU Tigers who rank No. 5. The Auburn Tigers trail at No. 9 and are followed by the South Carolina Gamecocks at No. 10, the Mississippi State Bulldogs at No. 13, the Georgia Bulldogs at No. 15, the Mississippi Rebels at No. 16 and the Alabama Crimson Tide at No. 23.
MEN MAKING HISTORY: The Crimson Tide men have remarkably posted nine of the best marks in school history during the 2010 outdoor season, including one school record. Freshman Kirani James leads the way with his 400 meter school record (45.01), while junior Julius Bor is No. 2 in the 1,500 meters (3:41.11) and No. 10 in the 800 meters (1:49.11), junior Fred Samoei is No. 4 in the 800 meters (1:47.15), junior Joel Rop is No. 7 in the 1,500 meters (3:43.06), sophomore Tyler Campbell is No. 9 in the high jump (7-1), junior Michael Hughes is No. 9 in the decathlon (6,794 points), sophomore Moses Kiptoo is No. 10 in the 10,000 meters (29:26.66) and the 4x100 meter relay squad (39.64) is No. 10.
