Alabama
Crimson Tide Invitational presented by Beynon Sports
Alabama Track & Field Hosts Crimson Tide Invitational Presented by Beynon Sports this Weekend
4/5/2017 12:58:00 PM | Track & Field, Cross Country
Crimson Tide’s lone home meet scheduled for April 7-8 at the Sam Bailey Track & Field Complex
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama men's and women's track & field teams will host their lone home meet of the 2017 outdoor season this weekend. The Crimson Tide Invitational presented by Beynon Sports will take place April 7-8 at the Sam Bailey Track & Field Complex. Teams scheduled to compete include Kent State, Louisville, Memphis, Miami (Ohio), Missouri, Mississippi State and Southern Miss.
Friday's schedule will kick off at 3:30 p.m. CT with the women's hammer throw and conclude with the men's 5,000 meters at 9:30 p.m. Saturday's events get underway at 12:30 p.m. with the women's discus and will conclude with the men's 4x400-meter relay at 7:15 p.m.
Saturday will be Power of Pink day at the Crimson Tide Invitational. Power of Pink t-shirts and shakers will be available at the gate and prizes will be given away to fans for each top-three finish on the track by Alabama runners.
Alabama Men No. 4, Women No. 17 in Latest USTFCCCA Outdoor Rankings
The Alabama men's track and field team moved up four spots to No. 4, while the women are ranked No. 17 in the U.S. Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Team Rankings, released April 3. The men's team posted 225.53 points while the women's team earned 104.01 points. Regionally, the men are ranked No. 2 in the South region, while the women are No. 3.
Head Coach Dan Waters' Outlook
"This weekend is important because we don't have many opportunities to compete in front of our home crowd here in Tuscaloosa. Our student-athletes have been pointing to this weekend as a result and are looking forward to putting on a good show for the fans on Friday and Saturday."
Chelanga Breaks UA 10,000-Meter Record at Stanford
Junior Alfred Chelanga finished second – and was the first collegiate finisher – in the 10,000 meters at the Stanford Invitational on March 31 and set a new Alabama record with a time of 28:04.95. The time breaks the previous record of 28:20.22 set by Tyson David on May 2, 2009. David's record was also set in a meet at Stanford. Teammate Antibahs Kosgei finished 10th in 28:35.79, the third-fastest time in school history. Chelanga's time is also the fastest in the NCAA so far this season. In all, eight of the top-10 10,000 meter times in the country were run at Stanford on March 31.
Women's 4x100-Meter Relay Sprints to No. 2 UA Time
The quartet of seniors Vanessa Clerveaux and Diamond Gause and freshmen Symone Darius and Takyera Roberson finished sixth in the women's 4x100-meter relay at the Florida Relays on April 1 in 43.59, the second-fastest time in school history. The time trails only the 43.54 run by the Crimson Tide team of Flora Hyacinth, Sandra Latham, Lillie Leatherwood and Pauline Davis at the 1987 NCAA Championships in Baton Rouge, La.
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Gayle Races to National Lead in 400 Meters at Florida Relays
Senior Steven Gayle won the 400 meters at the Florida Relays on March 31 with a time of 45.40. Gayle's time is the fourth-fastest in school history and the fastest in the nation this season. The time came in a race that produced the five fastest times in the NCAA so far in 2017. The Alabama record is 44.86, run by Kirani James at the 2011 SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Herrscher Improves on No. 2 UA Pole Vault Mark
For the second weekend in a row, sophomore Will Herrscher posted a pole vault clearance that ranks No. 2 all-time at Alabama. Herrscher finished second in the event at the Florida Relays on April 1 with a personal-best mark of 17-5 1/2 (5.32m), which is an improvement over the previous No. 2 mark of 17-1 3/4 (5.23m) the Rockwall, Texas native set at the Florida State Relays on March 24. Herrscher's two clearances this season trail only the 18-0 1/2 (5.50m) set by Jan Johnson in 1972. Johnson's mark is the oldest current school record at Alabama.
Next Up: Mount SAC Relays/UCLA 5-Way
The Crimson Tide will travel to California to participate in the Mount SAC Relays, April 13-14 in Torrance, Calif. and the UCLA 5-Way meet in Los Angeles on April 15.
For all the latest information on the team, follow AlabamaTrack on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. General athletic news can be found @UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and Alabama Athletics on Facebook.
Players Mentioned
