Alabama Track & Field Advances Six to NCAA Championship Finals on Day One of the East Preliminary
5/26/2021 9:03:00 PM | Track & Field, Cross Country
The Crimson Tide advanced six individuals to Eugene, Oregon, site of the NCAA Championship Finals and three more to Friday’s semifinals
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Alabama men's track and field team got off to a very strong start at the NCAA East Preliminary Wednesday, advancing six individuals to the NCAA Championship Finals and three more to Friday's semifinal round.
A total of 48 student-athletes earned a spot in each event at the two NCAA Preliminary meets being held this week, with the top 12 finishers from both the East and West Preliminary meets advancing to the NCAA Championship Finals in Eugene, Ore., next month. In the field and long-distance events, the top-12 finishers come from the first round. In the other running events, the top 24 finishers in the first round move on to the semifinals, with the top-12 finishers from semis advancing to Eugene.
Alabama went five-for-five in the field events with Chago Basso (shot put), Bobby Colantonio Jr. (hammer), Ryan Lipe (pole vault), Kieran McKeag (hammer) and Isaac Odugbesan (shot put) joining distance ace Vincent Kiprop (10,000 meters) in advancing to the NCAA Championship Finals.
Eliud Kipsang (3:37.17) used the fastest time in NCAA Preliminary round history and a Hodges Stadium record in the 1,500 meters, while Robert Dunning (13.56) was second in the 110-meter hurdles and Champion Allison (45.40) was fourth in the 400 meters to earn spots in Friday's semifinal round.
With the men and women alternating over the four days of the Preliminary, the Tide women get things rolling on Thursday.
Head Coach Dan Waters Said
"That was a great first day for us, with Vincent, Kieran, Bobby, Ryan, Isaac and Chago all punching their tickets for Eugene and the finals and Eliud, Robert and Champ looking strong in earning spots in Friday's semifinal round. This whole weekend is about advancing as many people as we can to finals and we're off to a great start in that regard. We're looking forward to a good day tomorrow with the women and just keeping our foot on the gas as we go through this week."
Heading to the NCAA Championships
- Kieran McKeag (66.48 meters) and Bobby Colantonio Jr. (66.01 meters) became the first UA student-athletes to earn a place in the NCAA Championships Finals field after taking sixth and eighth, respectively, in the hammer
- Ryan Lipe attempted just three heights in the pole vault and cleared all three on the first attempt, finishing with a 5.35 meters, which tied him for first and punched his ticket for the NCAA Championships Finals
- Isaac Odugbesan (19.79 meters) and Chago Basso (18.67 meters) both earned a spot in the NCAA Championship Finals in the shot put with big first throws
- Vincent Kiprop closed day one of NCAA East Preliminary competition by taking third in the 10,000 meters with a time of 28:38.90
Qualified for Friday's Semifinals
- Eliud Kipsang advanced to Friday's seminfinal round of the 1,500 meters with a 3:37.17, breaking the Hodges Stadium record by more than a second
- The only runner under 3:40 in the 1,500 meters, Kipsang was unchallenged, finishing five seconds ahead of the field, setting a Preliminary round record and bettering the East Preliminary standard by nearly three seconds
- Robert Dunning went 13.56 to take second in the first round of the 110-meter hurdles, moving on to Friday's semifinal
- Champion Allison dropped a PR of 45.40 to finish fourth in the first round of the 400 meters and earn a spot in Friday's semifinal
Up Next
- The Crimson Tide women get things started on Thursday
- Taylor Gorum and Samantha Kunza open Thursday at 12:30 p.m. CT with the hammer throw
- Amaris Tyynismaa opens things on the track for UA at 5:30 p.m. CT in the 1,500 meters
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
