Track and Field Ranks Top-10 Nationally

1/25/2021 1:39:00 PM | Track & Field, Cross Country

The Crimson Tide women are No. 5 and the men are No. 8 in USTFCCCA polls

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The U.S. Track & Field & Cross Country Coaches Association rankings were released Monday afternoon and the women's team opened up the season in the No. 5 spot, while the men's squad was slotted the eighth ranked team in the nation. Alabama is one of six schools in the country to have both the men's and women's team be ranked in the top 10.

The No. 5 ranking for the women is the best mark received by the program in the poll since the final rankings of the 2017 season and the first time Alabama has been ranked on week one.

The Crimson Tide women have seven athletes holding marks within the top-10 of their respective events. Tamara Clark is the owner of two of them, as she is ranked third in the 60m (7.26) and second in the 200m (22.90). Mercy Chelangat is ranked No. 2 in the 5000m (15:52.19), while the Distance Medley Relay is also slotted in at No. 2 with a time of 11:54.60.

For the men, its No. 8 ranking marks its best since the final rankings of the 2019 season. Performances by the trio of Champion Allison, Leander Forbes and Eliud Kipsang last weekend at the Carolina Challenge slotted the men into the current positioning. Kipsang ranks ninth in the one-mile with a time of 4:02.86, while making an appearance at No. 8 in the 3000m (8:01.96). In the 400m, Champion (46.23) and Forbes (46.41) hold down the fourth and fifth spots respectively.

Alabama will take the week off before heading back to Columbia, S.C. for the South Carolina Invitational on Feb. 5-6.

#?5?

Seven athletes holding marks within the top-10 of their respective events!#RollTide https://t.co/gH0jC7zSxL
— Alabama Track & Field (@AlabamaTrack) January 25, 2021