Alabama
SEC Indoor Track & Field Championships
Alabama Track and Field Opens at the SEC Indoor Championships in Fayetteville Friday
2/21/2019 10:15:00 AM | Track & Field, Cross Country
The Crimson Tide comes into the weekend ranked in the top 15 nationally on both the men’s and women’s side
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama men's and women's track and field teams roll into the Southeastern Conference Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark., this weekend.
"I tell the team to try and get better every week so we can gain momentum throughout the season," UA head coach Dan Waters said. "Doing that means we come into the SECs with a lot of momentum. Whether we win or lose, we want to put our very best competition, our very best performance, on this weekend. That's been the standard that we've had and we're always happy with our performance."
The Crimson Tide men, the defending SEC indoor champions, are led by junior Shelby McEwen, who is ranked No. 1 in the nation in the high jump. The defending SEC champion, McEwen's season-best leap of 7-7 (2.31m) is just three-quarters of an inch off both the SEC and school record.
"The competition in the SEC is some of the best," sophomore Champion Allison said. "We're competing against some of the best people in the country."
Alabama's distance duo of Gilbert Kigen and Vincent Kiprop are also poised to make a splash this weekend. The senior duo is ranked 1-2 in the conference in the 5,000 meters, with Kigen's 13:40.14 from earlier this month leading the pack. Both men are also slated to run the 3,000 meters in Fayetteville, where Kiprop is third and Kigen fourth in the league.
On the other end of the distance spectrum, senior Keitavious Walter is third in the SEC when it comes to the 200 meters and sixth in the 60 meters.
The Tide men also have senior Kord Ferguson and freshman Chago Basso ranked second and fifth in the SEC, respectively, in the shot put, while freshman Bobby Colantonio Jr. is currently fifth in the weight throw. Senior Will Herrscher is ranked fifth in the pole vault.
Leading the way on the women's side of the slate is the shot put contingent of seniors Portious Warren and Haley Teel and sophomore Nickolette Dunbar, ranked first, second and fourth in the league, respectively, coming into the weekend.
"For us heading into the SEC Championships, we're definitely confident," junior Takyera Roberson said. "We've worked really hard this year by pushing each other and holding each other accountable. I think we're ready for it."
On the track, sophomore Tamara Clark is third in the 200 meters and fourth in the 60 meters coming into the weekend, while senior Nicole Gardner is fourth in the mile. Senior Stacey Destin is ranked third in the SEC when it comes to the high jump and fourth in the pentathlon.
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
