Alabama Pole Vaulters to Compete in South Alabama Invitational
4/14/2016 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field, Cross Country
The Crimson Tide men's and women's pole vaulters will travel down to Mobile, Ala. for the 2016 South Alabama Invitational at Jaguar Track. The men's pole vault competition begins at 4:30 CT. on Friday, April 15 with the starting height of 13-4 1/4 (4.07m) and the women will follow the men's competition with an opening height of 10ft (3.05m).
The Alabama men's and women's track & field teams won three events on a busy Saturday at the Battle on the Bayou meet, hosted by LSU at the Bernie Moore Stadium. Freshman pole vaulter Will Herrscher took home the title with his clearance of 17-0 1/4 (5.19m). The effort was just shy of his personal best of 5.20m he set at the Alabama Relays in his first outdoor meet of his collegiate career. Redshirt freshman Kord Ferguson highlighted an outstanding performance by the Crimson Tide in the discus, as Alabama filled the top four spots. Ferguson won the event with his toss of 195-2 (59.50m). The 4x100 relay squad of juniors Vanessa Clerveaux, Diamond Gause, Alex Gholston and Quanesha Burks won that race behind a time of 43.86, good enough to rank them No. 7 in school history in the event. The quartet of fresh¬man Katie Funcheon, junior Domonique Williams, Gause and Gholston finished second in the 4x400 relay in a time of 3:34.67, but that effort ranks them sixth in program history.
Alabama track & field's freshman pole vaulter Will Herrscher has been named the Southeast¬ern Conference Men's Freshman of the Week, as announced on Tuesday by the conference office. The native of Rockwall, Texas, won the pole vault at the Battle on the Bayou in Baton Rouge, La. on Saturday with an effort of 17-0 ¼ (5.19m). The mark was just shy of his person¬al best of 17-0 ¾ set at the John Mitchell Alabama Relays in his first collegiate outdoor meet.
For the second time this season, the Alabama men's and women's teams are ranked inside the nation's top 30 in week two of the U.S. Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Team Rankings released Monday, April 11th by the association. The men are ranked ninth and the women sit at the No. 29 position. The Crimson Tide men collect¬ed 164.19 points in the computer formula this week after a spectacular showing at the Battle on the Bayou meet hosted by the LSU Tigers. The men are the sixth Southeastern Conference team to rank in the top ten on the computer ranking list. The throws squad continues to chalk up many points with a total of 61.36. Senior Ahmed Ali has accumulated 30.56 points for the Tide by having the fastest 200 meter time in the nation among collegians of 20.16 and run¬ning the ninth fastest 100-meter time of 10.27.The Alabama women's team acquired 74.92 points this week. Two-time NCAA Long Jump Champion Quanesha Burks obtained the most points of 34.89 with her personal-best jump of 22-8 (6.91m) last season. The 4x100-meter quartet supplied 15.09 additional points for the Tide from their 2015 Outdoor SEC Cham¬pionship performance. Lastly, senior Katelyn Greenleaf racked up 6.68 points thanks to her 10:00.77 run in the 3,000-meter steeplechase last season, which is the best time run in Ala-bama history.
Alabama track & field's senior Ahmed Ali has been named the Southeastern Conference Men's Runner of the Week, as announced on Tuesday by the league office. The native of Houston, Texas, set a new personal best in the 200 meters last weekend at the Pepsi Florida Relays, dashing across the finish line in a time of 20.16. Not only was it a new personal record by three-tenths of a second, but the time was also the fastest in the world this year to that date and good enough to rank him No. 3 in school his¬tory in the event. He is also currently first among all NCAA Division I competitors in the 200 meters for the 2016 outdoor season. Ali also ran the second leg of the 4x100 relay team that combined to finish in 40.13, which was the eighth-fastest time among collegiate relay squads at the event. The time ranks 25th nationally so far this season.
