Alabama Track & Field Opens NCAA Outdoor Championships Competition on Wednesday
6/5/2017 5:33:00 PM | Track & Field, Cross Country
EUGENE, Ore. – The Alabama Crimson Tide will send 19 athletes in 17 individual events, along with the men's and women's 4x100- and 4x400-meter relays to the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, June 7-10 at the University of Oregon's Hayward Field.
Alabama has qualified athletes in the sprints, hurdles, distance, jumps, throws and pole vault for this year's NCAA meet, giving the Tide one of the most multi-faceted teams at this year's championships.
Competing for the Alabama men will be freshman Will Allen (4x400 relay), sophomore Skyler Bowden (4x400 relay), junior Tony Brown (100 meters, 4x100 relay), junior Alfred Chelanga (10,000 meters), senior Klyvens Delaunay (triple jump), senior Robbie Farnham-Rose (1,500 meters), senior Steven Gayle (400 meters, 4x100 relay, 4x400 relay), sophomore Will Herrscher (pole vault), senior Antibahs Kosgei (10,000 meters), senior McLean Lipschutz (javelin), junior Jereem Richards (200 meters, 4x100 relay, 4x400 relay), junior Ruebin Walters (110-meter hurdles, 4x100 relay) and senior Joe Williams (discus). Freshman Alize Ford, junior Terry Jernigan and senior Jacopo Lahbi will travel to Eugene as relay alternates.
Alabama women's qualifiers are senior Quanesha Burks (long jump, 100 meters, 4x100 relay), freshman Symone Darius (4x100 relay, 4x400 relay), sophomore Stacey Destin (high jump), junior Filippa Fotopoulou (long jump), senior Diamond Gause (4x100 relay, 4x400 relay), junior Danielle McConnell (hammer throw), freshman Takyera Roberson (400 meters, 4x100 relay, 4x400 relay), senior Lakan Taylor (pole vault), senior Domonique Williams (400 meters, 4x400 relay) and freshman Samantha Zelden (javelin). Junior Olivia Fotopoulou, senior Alex Gholston, sophomore Janel Pate and sophomore Kristyn Williams will travel to Eugene as relay alternates.
Alabama Men up to No. 3, Women up to No. 11 in USTFCCCA Rankings
The Alabama men's track and field team moved up one spot to No. 3, while the women climbed three spots to No. 11 in the latest U.S. Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Team Rankings, released May 30. The men's team is ranked with 235.10 points while the women's team checks in with 147.39 points.
Alabama Men at the NCAA Outdoor Championships
The Alabama men have won 13 individual event titles and one relay championship at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The Crimson Tide men competed in their first NCAA outdoor meet in Albuquerque, N.M., in 1963, finishing 20th in the team standings.
Alabama's first outdoor All-American was Jan Johnson, who finished second in the pole vault at the 1972 championships with a clearance of 17-0 (5.18m). Jeff Woodward became Alabama's first outdoor national champion when he won the high jump at the 1980 meet in Austin, Texas with a mark of 7-7 3/4 (2.33m), which still stands as the UA school record.
Mats Nilsson became Alabama's first repeat national champion when he won the javelin in 1996 and 1997. Other repeat winners for the Tide are Ron Bramlett in the 110-meter hurdles in 2001 and 2002 and Kirani James in the 400 meters in 2010 and 2011. James would go on to win gold in the event for Grenada at the 2012 London Olympics.
Alabama first won two events at the same national championships in 2001 when Bramlett won his first 110-meter hurdles title and David Kimani won the 5,000 meters.
Calvin Smith is the most-decorated Alabama athlete at the NCAA Championships, earning All-America honors seven times in the 100 meters, 200 meters, 4x100-meter relay and 4x400-meter relay.
Alabama Women at the NCAA Championships
The Alabama women have won 10 individual titles at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The Crimson Tide women competed in their first NCAA outdoor meet in Provo, Utah, in 1982 where Disa Gisladottir became Alabama's first women's outdoor champion, winning the high jump with a clearance of 6-1 1/4 (1.86m).
Gisaladottir would go on to become Alabama's first repeat national champion when she won the high jump at the 1983 championships in Houston. She would be joined in the ensuing four years as a repeat winner by Iris Gronfeldt, who won the javelin in 1984 and 1985 and Lillie Leatherwood, who won the 400 meters in 1986 and 1987.
Senior Quanesha Burks is Alabama's most-recent NCAA champion. The Hartselle, Ala., native captured the long jump title in 2015 and was the national runner-up in 2016. Burks will be competing in the long jump at the NCAA Championships for the fourth time in her career this season and is also entered in the 100 meters and 4x100-meter relay at the 2017 championships.
Pauline Davis is the most-decorated women's outdoor athlete in Tide history with 12 All-America honors in the 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters, 4x100-meter relay and 4x400-meter relay. Flora Hyacinth, Lillie Leatherwood and Vicky Lynch are tied for second with seven honors apiece.
Head Coach Dan Waters' Outlook
"This is a very diverse group going to Eugene. We can score in just about every area of the sport - sprints, jumps, throws, distance, relays, hurdles and the pole vault. We have several seniors who have meant a lot to this program competing for Alabama for the final time and we also have a number of first-time qualifiers who are the future of our program. It's a great mix and we have a chance to turn in some strong performances."
Following the Tide
Get all 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.
Players Mentioned
