NCAA East Regional Championship Notes
5/28/2015 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field, Cross Country
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The University of Alabama track and field team travels 34 athletes (17 men, 17 women) and four relay teams to Jacksonville, Fla., to compete in the 2015 NCAA East Preliminary.Â
The East Preliminary is the first qualifying round for the NCAA Outdoor Championships to be held in Eugene, Ore., on June 10-13. The top 48 individuals in each event in the region will compete with the top 12 finishers moving on to the final rounds at the NCAA Championships.
The Tide has entries in the East Preliminary ranging across all disciplines. Eight throwers (4 men, 4 women) are in the top 48 individuals in nine events, including 2014 NCAA discus champion Hayden Reed. Reed, a sophomore, was the runner-up in the event at the 2015 SEC Outdoor Championships earlier this month.
Alabama will have seven jumpers (4 men, 3 women) slated to compete in the meet. Sophomore Quanesha Burks, the 2015 SEC champion in the women's long jump, will compete to qualify for the national championships in the event for the second time. At last year's NCAA meet, Burks finished 18th in the long jump. She returned this year to claim her first conference championship and a school record with the nation's 2015 leading mark of 22 feet, five and one-quarter inches.
The team also traveled nine sprinters and hurdlers (5 men, 4 women) to compete in eight individual events. Two-time women's indoor 60-meter NCAA champion and the reigning 2014 100-meter national champion, senior Remona Burchell, is slated to compete in the 100-meter dash at the East Preliminary. Most recently, Burchell finished as the runner-up in the event at the SEC Outdoor Championships. She currently holds the second-fastest time in the NCAA for the 100 meters in 2015.
There will also be six (3 men, 3 women) Tide athletes competing in middle distance and distance races. Senior Alex Amankwah will race for an opportunity to qualify for his second outdoor national championships in the 800 meters. Amankwah has had a breakout season in 2015, setting a new personal record of 1:45.91 in the 800 meters to win the event at the Florida Relays and finishing fourth at the SEC outdoor meet.
Tide junior Katelyn Greenleaf is slated to compete in her third 3,000-meter steeplechase competition of the season. Greenleaf set a personal record and broke the school record in the event in both of her previous outings. In her last competition, Greenleaf claimed fourth place in the event at the SEC meet.
Alabama has three pole vaulters making the trip to the East Preliminary meet (1 man, 2 women). Sophomore Lakan Taylor is slated to compete in the women's pole vault for an opportunity to qualify for her second NCAA Outdoor Championships. In last year's national meet, Taylor finished 15th to earn Second-Team All-America honors. In 2015, Taylor has a best clearance of 14 feet, which is the 18th-highest jump in the NCAA for 2015.
HEAD COACH Dan Waters ON THE EAST PRELIMINARY
"This meet is the first step to the NCAA meet in June. I'm very proud of all of the Alabama athletes who have made it this far, and I think they all have a chance to make it to the national championship meet. This meet can be stressful for some athletes, but we have told them time and again that if they do what they've done all season and compete like we know they can, they will see great results."
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ALABAMA IN THE OUTDOOR TEAM RANKINGS
The Alabama men's track & field team ranked No. 11 in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division I National Team Computer Rankings for the sixth week of the season released May 26. The Tide women fell from 16th to 19th in this week's survey
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BURCHELL, REED REPRESENT ALABAMA ON WATCH LISTS FOR THE BOWERMAN
Alabama's two returning NCAA individual champions from 2014, senior sprinter Remona Burchell and sophomore thrower Hayden Reed, were both among an elite group of collegiate athletes listed among the preseason favorites for consideration for the 2015 Bowerman Trophy, collegiate track and field's highest honor. Burchell, the reigning indoor 60-meter and outdoor 100-meter NCAA champion is among 10 members of the award's Watch List for the month of May, released last week. Reed, the 2014 NCAA and USATF men's discus champion, received votes but ranked just outside the top 10 on the Preseason Watch List for The Bowerman.
TIDE ATHLETES COMPETING THIS WEEKEND - TRACK EVENTS
Short Sprints
MEN
100 Meters
Junior Cameron Hudson has become a force for the Tide in his first year at the Capstone, running the 100 meters, 200 meters and competing in the long jump. Hudson, who will compete in the 100-meter preliminary race on Friday at 5:55 p.m., has set personal bests in both the 100 meters (10.34) and the 200 meters (20.78) during the 2015 outdoor season. Hudson has also made numerous appearances on the Tide's 4x100-meter relays team, running both the second and third leg in various meets. He will be the Tide's lone representative in the 100 meters. Alabama junior Tadashi Pinder is also slated to compete in the 100-meter dash preliminaries. The first round of preliminary races is set for 6:55 p.m. Thursday.
200 Meters
Junior Ahmed Ali has made huge improvements since joining the Tide in the fall of 2014 from South Plains (Texas) Community College. Ali has competed in the 100 meters and 200 meters throughout the 2015 outdoor season and has raced as the third leg of the 4x100-meter relay in three meets this season. He ran a personal-best time of 20.46 in the 200 meters at the John Jacobs Invitational on April 18. At the SEC Championships, Ali finished eighth in the final of the 200 meters. The men's 200-meter prelims is slated for 8:25 p.m. Friday.
WOMEN
100 Meters
Senior Remona Burchell, the reigning NCAA champion in the event, is slated to compete in the women's 100-meter dash prelims at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. In 2014, Burchell began the outdoor championship season with runner-up finish in the 100 meters. She went on to break the Alabama record in the event, running 11.03 at the NCAA East Region Preliminary, then dominated her competition at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, winning the event in 11.25. Earlier in 2015, Burchell won her first SEC championship when she won the 60-meter dash during the indoor season while simultaneously claiming the fastest time in collegiate history. Burchell finished as the runner-up in the event at the SEC meet, running 11.31.
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Long Sprints
MEN
400 Meters
Alabama junior Stephen Gayle will be the Tide's lone representative in the men's 400 meters at the East Preliminary meet. Gayle has competed in this event four times in the 2015 season, recording a personal best of 45.67 to finish fourth at the SEC Championships. Gayle has also been an integral part of the Tide's 4x400-meter relay squadron this year, assisting the Tide in posting its fastest time in 2015 (3:05.66). Gayle is slated to compete in the 400-meter preliminary race on Thursday at 7:45 p.m.
800 Meters
Senior standout Alex Amankwah and sophomore Jacopo Lahbi are slated to compete in the 800 meters at the East Preliminary meet. Amankwah has carved out a place among the top 800-meter runners in the collegiate ranks in 2015, running this year's fourth-fastest time (1:45.91) twice. That time leads the SEC in 2015 and is third on Alabama's all-time performance list. Amankwah finished fifth in the event at this year's SEC Indoor Championships before earning a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Lahbi also competed in the 800 meters at the 2015 NCAA Indoor Championships, finishing 16th. Lahbi posted a career best in the event of 1:46.79 during the prelims at the 2015 SEC Championships. Amankwah finished fourth and Lahbi fifth in the final of the event at the SEC meet. The duo will take to the track for the 800-meter prelims Thursday at 8:35 p.m.
WOMEN
400 Meters
Sophomore Alex Gholston will represent the Tide in the 400 meters. Gholston has competed in the 400 meters five times this season and has been an integral part of the Tide's 4x400-meter relay squad. Throughout the season, Gholston has improved her times in each meet. She has a personal and season best in the event of 52.43 set en route to a third-place finish at the SEC meet. She is slated to compete at 7:20 p.m. Thursday.
800 Meters
Junior Kimberley Ficenec will be the lone Tide athlete in the women's 800 meters. Ficenec has made vast improvements in the event in 2015 as she has sprinted to personal records both indoors and outdoors this year. During the indoor season, Ficenec finished sixth in the event at the SEC Championships. In the outdoor season, Ficenec has run sub-2:06 twice, setting a personal best of 2:05.84 at the LSU Invitational on May 2. At the SEC Championships, Ficenec ran 2:06.16 to finish sixth in the finals of the 800 meters. She will compete in the prelims of the event at 8:10 p.m. on Thursday.
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Middle Distance
MEN
1,500 Meters
Tide sophomore Robbie Farnham-Rose is slated to compete in the 1,500-meter preliminary race on Thursday at 6 p.m. Rose has a personal best in the event of 3:44.72 set earlier this year at the Border Clash. Farnham-Rose had a stellar indoor season this year in his second season with the Tide, as he crept close to the 4-minute barrier in the indoor mile, running a personal best 4:01.34. Farnham-Rose posted a time of 4:03.87 in the finals of the mile at the SEC Indoor Championships to finish third in the event. He was also a member of the record-setting distance medley relay quartet that claimed the school record in the event with a time of 9:29.93 at Notre Dame in February.
Steeplechase
WOMEN
Junior Katelyn Greenleaf is slated to compete in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase at the East Preliminary at 8:50 p.m. Friday. Greenleaf has improved her personal record in both meets in which she has participated. At the SEC meet, Greenleaf broke her own school record, running 10:14.43 to finish fourth overall.
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Hurdles
WOMEN
Redshirt sophomore Vanessa Clerveaux is slated to compete in the 100-meter hurdles prelims on Friday at 5 p.m. Clerveaux has finished in the top three in the event at four meets this season. Clerveaux won the 100-meter hurdles at the LSU Invitational on May 2, running 13.77. Her 2015 season best in the event is 13.46, only .05 off of her personal best of 13.41.Â
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TIDE ATHLETES COMPETING THIS WEEKEND - FIELD EVENTS
Horizontal Jumps
MEN
Long Jump
Alabama junior Cameron Hudson is entered in the men's long jump, his second event of the meet. Before transferring to Alabama from East Carolina, Hudson won the 2014 Conference USA long jump championship with a personal-record leap of 25 feet, eight inches. He also placed 16th at last year's NCAA Outdoor Championships. In 2015, Hudson leads the Tide with a season-best of 24-10 1/2, which was set at the SEC Championships for a fourth-place finish. Junior Josh McCullan is also slated to compete. McCullan finished the 2014 season with an 18th-place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships after setting a personal best of 24-9 3/4 to finish seventh in the event at the SEC Championships. His 2015 season best is 24-3 3/4. Both juniors will compete in the event scheduled for7 p.m. on Thursday.
Triple Jump
Tide sophomore Jeremiah Green is slated to compete in the men's triple jump finals on Saturday at 1 p.m. Green finished third at the 2015 SEC Indoor Championships and was ninth at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Green jumped an outdoor personal record in the event earlier this year when he posted a mark of 53-0 at the Florida Relays. Green currently has the 12th-best mark in the NCAA so far this year.
High Jump
Junior Justin Fondren is slated to compete in the high jump at the SEC meet. Fondren is currently ranked second in the event in the SEC with a season-best jump of 7-1. Fondren has had a decorated career with the Tide. In his freshman year, Fondren was the 2013 USATF Junior Track and Field champion, when he was the runner-up at the SEC Outdoor Championships and finished 13th at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. In 2014, Fondren finished tied for third at the SEC Indoor Championships and fifth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. This year, Fondren finished as the runner-up at the SEC Indoor Championships and cleared an indoor personal best of 7-3. Fondren's best outdoor clearance is 7-3. At the SEC meet, Fondren finished tied for second. He is slated to compete at 5 p.m. Thursday.
Pole Vault
Freshman Jake Zalesky will represent the Tide in the men's pole vault. Zalesky cleared a personal-best 16-7 1/2 to finish tied for seventh at the SEC Championships. He is slated to compete in the event at 4:30 p.m. Friday.
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WOMEN
Long Jump
Alabama sophomore Quanesha Burks, the SEC champion in the women's long jump, is slated to compete at the East Preliminary on Friday at 7 p.m. Burks posted a mark of 22-5 1/4 at the SEC meet, breaking her own school record set earlier this year. In her second outdoor season with the Tide, Burks has consistently jumped over six meters, consistently proving to be one of the nation's top long jumpers. She will be joined in the competition by freshman Filippa Fotopoulou. Fotopoulou, who joined the Alabama team in January, recorded as season-best performance of 19-10 3/4 to finish ninth at the SEC Championships.
Triple Jump
Senior Merilyn Uudmae will be the lone Tide representative in the women's triple jump. Uudmae has had a stellar 2015 season. During the indoor season, Uudmae earned her first team point at a conference championship, finishing eighth in the triple jump at the SEC Indoor Championships to gain one point for the team total. Uudmae recorded three personal records during the indoor season, ultimately jumping 42-3 1/4. In the outdoor portion of the year, Uudmae has recorded a season best of 41-10, which was ninth at the SEC Championships. She is slated to compete at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
Pole Vault
Sophomore Lakan Taylor is set to compete in the women's pole vault along with junior Anna Rawles. Taylor, who finished sixth in the event at the 2015 NCAA Indoor Championships, has vaulted 14 feet during the outdoor season. That clearance is Taylor's personal best. It is also 16th-best in the NCAA this season. Rawles recorded a season-best clearance of 13-1 1/2 at the Florida Relays in early April to match her all-time personal best in the event. The duo is slated to compete on Thursday at 4:30 p.m.
Throws
MEN
Hammer
Senior Charodd Richardson will compete in his final East Preliminary meet. Richardson had a breakout season in 2014, winning the weight throw at the SEC Indoor Championships and finishing sixth in the hammer at the outdoor championships. Before last year's outdoor championship meet, Richardson set a personal record in the hammer throw in five consecutive meets, ultimately throwing 213-6. Richardson season best in 2015 is 205-3. He is slated to compete at 12 p.m. Thursday.
Discus
Sophomore Hayden Reed will try to capture his first SEC discus championship after winning both the NCAA championship and the USATF championship in the event in 2014. At last year's SEC Outdoor Championships, Reed threw a personal best 209-1. This year, Reed threw 198-4 to finish second at the 2015 SEC meet. Reed's toss of 199-2 on May 2 ranks third in the SEC in 2015 and seventh collegiately. Reed will compete in the discus at 4 p.m. on Friday. Joining Reed is sophomore Joe Williams, who had an impressive showing in the discus at the 2015 Crimson Tide Invitational, throwing a personal best 191-2 to finish as the runner-up in the event.
Shot Put
Sophomore Kyle Felpel is slated to compete in the men's shot put on Saturday at 5 p.m. In his freshman year, Felpel was the runner-up in the 2014 SEC indoor shot put competition and competed in both the indoor and outdoor NCAA championship meets. Felpel has a 2015 season-best toss of 59-7, which is currently the eighth-best throw in the SEC this year. At the SEC Championships, Felpel finished sixth with a toss of 58-8.
WOMEN
Hammer Throw
Senior Nia Barnes and Freshman Danielle McConnell are slated to compete in the women's hammer throw. Barnes has a long list of accolades in the event, including Honorable Mention All-America honors in the hammer at the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Championships and a third-place finish at the 2014 SEC Outdoor Championships. Junior Danielle McConnell joins Barnes in the SEC rankings with the fifth-best throw this season. McConnell joined the Tide in the fall of 2014 and has competed only once this year in an Alabama uniform. In her first meet, McConnell threw a personal best 199-1 to win the LSU Invitational on May 2. At the SEC meet, McConnell finished fourth with a best toss of 191-10 and Barnes finished fifth with a mark of 191-0. The two will compete at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Discus
Freshman Haley Teel will be the lone Tide representative in the women's discus slated for 12 p.m. Friday. Teel, who will also compete in the shot put, joined the Tide in the fall of 2014 after a high school career in which she was one of the top prep throwers in Texas. She recorded a personal best in the discus of 161-0 at the SEC Championships to finish seventh overall.
Shot Put
Senior Candicea Bernard and Teel are slated to compete in the shot put on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. Bernard's season-best throw is 51-10 1/2 at the Crimson Tide Invitational on March 28. She has a personal best of 52-10 1/2 thrown at the 2014 NCAA East Preliminary. Bernard finished in the top five in the event at five of the Tide's regular season meets, winning the shot put at the Alabama Relays and finishing as the runner-up in two other competitions. Teel posted a season-best throw of 51-0 at the Border Clash on April 10. Her personal best in the event is 51-6 1/2. Bernard captured eighth in the event at the SEC Championships with a toss of 51-3 1/2.
UP NEXT
The Tide takes a weekend off before traveling to Eugene, Ore.., for the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Championships on June 10-13.Â
FOLLOWING THE TIDE
Get the latest information on the team by following @AlabamaTrack on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. General athletic news can also be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and AlabamaAthletics on Facebook.
