Alabama
SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships
Alabama Track and Field Set for SEC Outdoor Championships
5/8/2019 8:46:00 PM | Track & Field, Cross Country
The Crimson Tide opens competition on Thursday at noon at the John McDonnell Field
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – After two occasionally wet practice days in Fayetteville, Ark., the Alabama men's and women's teams begin competition at the 2019 Southeastern Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships at John McDonnell Field Thursday.
The Crimson Tide comes into the weekend with both teams ranked in the top-10 nationally, putting them among the 16 SEC squads who figure in the top-25 this week.
"I'm really happy with the resiliency of this team and the way they've competed all season," UA head coach Dan Waters said. "I think we're in a good place mentally and ready to compete in the championship season, which gets started this week."
Alabama has 30 individual performances that rank in the SEC's top-eight coming into the weekend. That tally includes senior Gilbert Kigen (5,000 and 10,000 meters), senior Portious Warren (shot put) and senior Kord Ferguson (discus) who are ranked No. 1 in their respective events.
Warren is also ranked No. 1 in the nation and No. 5 in the world this season in the shot put after posting a school-record 61-0.75 (18.61m) at the LSU Invitational.
Warren is also one of six Crimson Tide student-athletes ranked in the top-10 nationally. Senior Kiara Williams is fifth in the long jump and Haley Teel, who earned her master's degree this semester is ninth in the shot put.
On the men's side, senior Shelby McEwen, the defending NCAA Indoor high jump champion, is currently fourth in the outdoor high jump. Kigen is fifth in the 10,000 meters and 10th in the 5,000 meters, while Ferguson is seventh in the discus.
This weekend follows an indoor season where the Tide women finished third at SECs and seventh at the NCAA Championships
"We were really happy with the women's third-place finish indoors," Waters said. "Arkansas looks like a juggernaut coming in, but I think anywhere from second to fifth is for grabs and the way our women have competed all year long, I would expect to get the better end of that."
The Alabama men were fourth in the SEC and eighth nationally during the indoor season.
"Our men look to continue on the momentum that we've built throughout the season," Waters said. "We have several guys who are at the top of the lists in several events in the SEC and that's hard to do. Hopefully they'll finish on top of the podium this week, and if we can do that, some exciting things can happen."
Freshman Bobby Colantonio Jr. gets the Tide started on Thursday at 12 p.m. CT with the men's hammer throw.
The SEC Championships will be streamed live on SECN+ Thursday at 6:30 p.m. CT and Friday at 6 p.m. The meet will air live on the SEC Network Saturday at 5 p.m. The broadcast talent includes Dwight Stones, Larra Overton, Jill Montgomery and John Anderson.
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Players Mentioned
