Alabama
SEC Indoor Championships
Alabama Track and Field Set for This Weekend’s SEC Indoor Championships
2/24/2021 3:07:00 PM | Track & Field, Cross Country
The Crimson Tide gets competition underway on Thursday in Fayetteville, Ark., at the Randal Tyson Track Center
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Alabama men's and women's track and field teams get the 2021 Southeastern Conference Indoor Championships started Thursday at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Ark.
The Tide women come into the weekend ranked 13th nationally, while the men are 15th. Overall, nine SEC women's teams and nine men's teams are ranked in the top-25 nationally heading into the conference meet, with both totals leading the country.
The Crimson Tide women were fourth at this meet a year ago in College Station, Texas, while the men were ninth. This was the last meet the Crimson Tide competed in before the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Alabama returns five student-athletes who medaled at the 2020 SEC Indoor Championships. Tamara Clark won the 60-meters, ran as part of the Tide's champion 4x400-meter relay and took second in the 200-meters. Mercy Chelangat was second in the 5,000-meters, while Cherisse Murray was third in the shot put. On the men's side, Ryan Lipe was third in the pole vault and Christian Edwards was third in the triple jump.
The meet begins at 10 a.m. CT on Thursday and Friday, and 12:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Head Coach Dan Waters Said
"We're heading into this meet with a great mix of experience and youth on both the men's and women's side of the meet and as a staff, we're excited to see how it's all going to play out. This was our last meet before everything shut down last season and things have been vastly different since that time. I'm proud of our kids for staying focused, doing the right things and working so hard to get back to competition. We're also beyond thankful for everyone who has worked endlessly to give us this opportunity to compete for championships, including Greg Sankey at the SEC, Dr. Stuart Bell and Greg Byrne on our campus, and the countless others who have given their all for our student-athletes to be able return to action."
Going to the 'Ship - Women
- Of the 25 women on the Crimson Tide's 2021 SEC Indoor Championship roster, 10 are making their first trip to the meet - Amari Brown, Bianca Carroccio, Lea Duben, Kennedy Luewellyn, Christal Mosley, Sophie Spada, Lauren Turner, Aysia Ward, Riley White and Eliza Witherspoon
- The are 15 SEC Indoor Championship returners for the women on this year's squad, including Tamara Clark and Daija Lampkin, who are both making their fourth indoor conference meet appearance
- Other veterans of these championships include Mercy Chelangat, Margot Dooley, Taylor Gorum, Samantha Kunza, Sydney Milani, Cherisse Murray, Megan Patton, Jami Reed, Riley Schelp, Amaris Tyynismaa, Nickolette Dunbar, Savannah Noethlich and Taylor Pickett
Going to the 'Ship - Men
- There are 21 men on Alabama's 2021 SEC Indoor Championship roster, with nine making their first trip to the meet - Mateo Barreto, Nathan Cooper, Leander Forbes, Demetrius Jackson, Jace Jones, Eliud Kipsang, Jonathan Martin, Kieran McKeag and Gabe Serrano
- The are 12 SEC Indoor Championship returners for the men on this year's squad, including Isaac Odugbesan, Mark Shannon, Grady Shiflet, Joshua St. Clair, Matthew Weaver, Champion Allison, Chago Basso, Bobby Colantonio Jr., Christian Edwards, Ryan Lipe, Noel Rotich and Jake Spotswood
Record Smashing
- Alabama has already broken four indoor school records this season
- Eliud Kipsang bettered the school mark in the mile with a 3:56.88 on Feb. 12
- Jake Spotswood bettered the UA heptathlon mark with a score of 5,447 on Feb. 6
- Two of the Tide's three women's distance records have already gone down in 2021 with Amaris Tyynismaa dropping the mile to 4:33.22 on Feb. 13 and Mercy Chelangat lowering the 3,000-meter record to 9:02.94 on Feb. 6
Top-10 Nationally
- Alabama has three women ranked in the top-10 nationally in four events heading into the SEC Indoor Championships
- Amaris Tyynismaa ran a 4.33.22 in the mile on Feb. 12 to rank third
- Tamara Clark is ranked fourth in the 200-meters after going 22.89 on Feb. 12 and ninth in the 60-meters after running a 7.26 on Jan. 15
- Mercy Chelangat is eighth in the 3,000-meters after posting a 9:02.54 on Feb. 5
- Three Crimson Tide men are ranked in the top-10 nationally, with all three marks coming in Fayetteville on Feb. 12
- Bobby Colantonio Jr. is fourth nationally in the weight throw following a toss of 73-11.5 (22.54m)
- Christian Edwards is sixth in the triple jump after posting a leap of 53-6.25 (16.31m)
- Eliud Kipsang is eighth in the mile after running a 3:56.88
Watching the Action
- Live coverage of the SEC Indoor Track and Field Championships will air on SECN+ at 10 a.m. CT on Thursday, 11:55 a.m. on Friday and 12:25 p.m. on Saturday.
- The broadcast talent includes Dwight Stones, Dan O'Brien and John Anderson.
- A tape-delayed broadcast of the championships will air on the SEC Network Sunday at 7 p.m. CT.
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
