Men's 4x400m Relay Team Qualifies for NCAA Championships
5/28/2011 12:00:00 AM
May 28, 2011
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The University of Alabama men's 4x400m relay team posted its fastest time of the year to finish 12th at the NCAA East Regional and earn a berth in the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
"We picked a great time to run our fastest race of the year and qualify in the 4x400 for the second straight year," UA head coach Harvey Glance said. "What makes it all the more special is three of the guys are different from last year's team and it has been great to see them elevate to a level no one thought possible."
The relay finished in 3:06.68 to earn the final qualifying spot from the East Region to the NCAA Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, June 8-11.
Freshman Dwayne Extol led off the relay and passed the baton to Kirani James who clocked a sub 45-second split before passing to Fred Samoei. Bobby Onyeukwu ran the anchor leg to earn the spot in the NCAA field by beating out Michigan by 0.32 seconds.
The Crimson Tide had two other competitors miss qualifying on the final day of the regional as Emmanuel Bor and Carison Kemei finished 22nd and 24th in the 5,000m, respectively.
In addition to the Tide's 4x400m relay, UA also qualified James and Samoei as individuals at the regional. James earned a spot in the 400m with the fastest time at the regional and he will aim to defend his outdoor NCAA title in Des Moines. Samoei qualified in the 800m and will try to add the NCAA outdoor title to his 800m indoor crown won in March.
"All weekend our guys did a great job of fighting and competing," Glance said. "That has been a signature of our team and program. When you see guys doing that and having their best finishes of the year, you know the focus is where it needs to be."
Kamal Fuller and Jonathan Reid also may have the opportunity to advance to the NCAA championships as well. Fuller narrowly missed qualifying in the long jump while Reid faced the same predicament in the triple jump. In the event of an injury or late scratch to an already qualified athlete, they may be added to the championship field.
NCAA East Regional
Saturday Alabama Results
4x400m Relay
12. Extol, James, Samoei, Onyeukwu, 3:06.68
5,000m
22. Emmanuel Bor, 14:26.11
24. Carison Kemei, 14:29.97
