Alabama
NCAA East Regional
Alabama Track & Field Opens NCAA Competition at East Regional on Thursday
5/23/2018 10:16:00 AM | Track & Field, Cross Country
Crimson Tide sending 30 athletes and two relays to NCAA qualifier this weekend
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama men's and women's track & field teams have qualified 30 individuals (15 men, 15 women) and the women's 4x100- and 4x400-meter relays for the 2018 NCAA East Regional, May 24-26, at the USF Track & Field Stadium in Tampa, Fla.
The top 12 finishers in each event at the east regional will advance to the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships at the University of Oregon's Hayward Field, June 6-9.
Alabama Men's Overview
The Alabama men will be joined at the east regional by 11 teams ranked in this week's top 25, including No. 1 Florida, No. 3 Georgia, No. 10 LSU, No. 12 Florida State, No. 13 Kentucky, No. 17 Illinois, No. 19 Mississippi State, No. 20 Ohio State, No. 22 Penn State, No. 23 Tennessee and No. 24 Auburn.
The Tide men have eight individuals ranked in the top-12 in their respective events in the east region, including Keitavious Walter (7th- 100 meters; 7th- 200 meters), Champion Allison (11th- 400 meters), Alfred Chelanga (3rd- 10,000 meters, 6th- 5,000 meters); Gilbert Kigen (2nd- 10,000 meters, 5th- 5,000 meters), Vincent Kiprop (1st- 10,000 meters, 3rd- 5,000 meters), Ruebin Walters (3rd- 110-meter hurdles), Kord Ferguson (8th- shot put) and Daniel Haugh (4th- hammer throw).
Alabama Women's Overview
The women's east regional line-up includes eight top-25 opponents: No. 2 LSU, No. 3 Georgia, No. 7 Kentucky, No. 8 Florida, No. 10 Tennessee, No. 14 Purdue, No. 17 Virginia Tech and No. 22 Ole Miss.
Five members of the Tide women's team are among the top-12 in their events in the east region, including Tamara Clark (7th- 100 meters, 7th- 200 meters), Kaitlin Walker (12th- 400-meter hurdles), Kiara Williams (10th- long jump), Portious Warren (4th- shot put) and Tianah List (8th- javelin). The Alabama women's 4x100-meter relay (5th) and 4x400-meter relay (6th) are also among the top-12 in their event rankings.
Alabama in USTFCCCA Rankings
The Alabama men's track & field team is No. 6, and the Crimson Tide women check in at No. 18 in the latest U.S. Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) outdoor rankings, released May 21.
Warren Sets School Record in Shot Put at SEC Championships
Junior Portious Warren finished second in the women's shot put at the 2018 SEC Outdoor Championships with a school-record effort of 56-11 ¼ (17.35m) on her final attempt of the competition. The mark surpassed the previous record of 56-6 1/2 (17.23m) sedst by Aymara Albury in 2006. Warren has now set both the indoor and outdoor UA records in the event in her first year with the Tide. The Matura, Trinidad & Tobago native has recorded seven of the top-10 outdoor shot put measurements in school history this season.
School Record for Clark in the 100 Meters at the SEC Championships
Freshman Tamara Clark finished third in the 100 meters at the 2018 SEC Outdoor Championships in a UA school record time of 11.02, surpassing the previous record of 11.03 set by Remona Burchell in 2014. Clark also recorded a time of 11.23 in the prelims, which ranks No. 10 in Alabama history.
Clark Becomes Second Tide Woman to Earn All-SEC in 100 and 200
In addition to her school record in the 100 meters, Alabama's Tamara Clark won the finished third in the 200 meters at the SEC Championships. An hour after her record run in the 100, the High Point, N.C., native posted a time of 22.64 in the 200 meters to become just the second woman in Tide track & field history to earn All-SEC honors in the 100 meters and 200 meters at one SEC Championships. Alabama Olympian Pauline Davis finished second in both events at the 1989 conference meet in Gainesville, Fla., and finished first and third, respectively, in the events at the 1987 meet in Tuscaloosa.
Kiprop Wins SEC 10,000 and 5,000 Titles in Knoxville
Junior Vincent Kiprop's wins in the 10,000 meters and 5,000 meters at the SEC Outdoor Championships mark the first time in school history a Tide runner has won gold in both events at the same SEC meet. The Kericho, Kenya, native led a Tide sweep of the medals in the 10,000 meters with a winning time of 29:16.64 on the meet's opening night. Junior Alfred Chelanga finishing second in 29:17.30 and junior Gilbert Kigen was third in 29:19.20. Two nights later, Kiprop outsprinted Kentucky's Jacob Thomson down the homestretch to win the 5,000 meters in 13:48.49. Chelanga finished third in 13:53.70 and Kigen was fourth in 13:58.01.
McEwen Wins SEC High Jump Title
Alabama junior Shelby McEwen won the high jump at the SEC Championships with a personal best-equaling clearance of 7-4 ½ (2.25m). The mark also equals the No. 4 jump in UA history. McEwen is the first UA jumper to win the SEC outdoor high jump title since Thomas McCants in 1985. This is the second conference title for the Abbeville, Miss., native. McEwen also won the 2018 SEC indoor high jump crown in February.
Women's Relays Lay Down Top-10 Times at SEC Championships
The Alabama women's relays have been a strength for the Crimson Tide again this season. Both the women's 4x100 and 4x400 relays posted school top-10 marks at the SEC Championships in Knoxville. The 4x100 quartet of freshmen Tamara Clark and Daija Lampkin and sophomores Symone Darius and Takyera Roberson finished fourth in 43.27, the sixth-fastest time in school history. The group has also recorded times that rank fifth, seventh and eighth all-time at UA this year. The 4x400 unit of Lampkin, Darius, sophomore Katie Funcheon and Roberson finished sixth in 3:29.71, which ranks No. 7 in school history. The group also ran the No. 8 UA time earlier this season.
Next Meet
Tide athletes who qualify in Tampa will compete in the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, June 6-9, at the University of Oregon's Hayward Field.
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Players Mentioned
