Alabama Qualifies 11 for NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships
3/2/2022 8:10:00 PM | Track & Field, Cross Country
The Crimson Tide’s contingent will compete in the throws, jumps, distance, sprints and relays at the Birmingham Crossplex March 11-12
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – A total of 11 student-athletes, including two women and nine men, earned berths to the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, which will be held at the Birmingham Crossplex in Birmingham, Ala., March 11-12. It will mark the fourth time this season that Alabama will compete at the Crossplex.
Mercy Chelangat, Hillary Cheruiyot, Leander Forbes, Jace Jones, Eliud Kipsang, Jacob Lamb and Khaleb McRae are set to compete in running events while Bobby Colantonio Jr., Chelsea Igberaese, Emmanuel Ineh and Isaac Odugbesan are set to compete in field events.
Colantonio Jr. and Igberaese will compete in the men's and women's weight throw, respectively. Odugbesan will rep the Tide in the men's shot put. Ineh will compete in the long and triple jumps. Chelangat will race both the 3,000 meters and 5,000 meters. McRae will run in the 400 meters and Kipsang will compete in the mile. Cheruiyot, Jones, Kipsang, Lamb, Forbes, Kipsang and McRae make up the men's distance medley relay pool.
The Crimson Tide's NCAA Contingent
- Bobby Colantonio Jr. bettered his own school record in the men's weight throw with a toss 24.15 meters to open the 2022 season, a throw that ranks him eighth all-time collegiately
- Colantonio Jr. won the weight throw at last week's Southeastern Conference Championships and is seeded second nationally heading into NCAAs
- Mercy Chelangat took gold in the women's 5,000 meters at last week's SEC Championships with a meet record
- Chelangat set the Alabama record in the 5,000 meters (15:34.82) and 3,000 meters (8:53.16) earlier this season, with those times ranking her in the top-10 nationally heading into NCAAs
- Eliud Kipsang ran a 3:54.36 in the mile earlier this season, setting the school record, knocking five seconds off the previous mark held by U.S. Olympian Tim Broe, and ranking him fourth heading into NCAAs
- Isaac Odugbesan claimed his third-consecutive SEC title in shot put, and second indoor championship, with a school-record toss of 20.71 meters, which ranks him fifth heading to Birmingham
- Emmanuel Ineh posted a third-place finish in the men's long jump at the SEC Championship
- Ineh posted a leap of 7.87 meters in the long jump and a mark of 16.24 meters in the triple jump this season, ranking him third and seventh, respectively, all-time at Alabama
- Chelsea Igberaese took bronze in the women's weight throw at the SEC Championships with a toss of 22.46 meters, bettering the school record for the fourth time this season
- Khaleb McRae ran a season-best 46.10 in the 400 meters at the SEC Championships, which ranks him fifth all-time at Alabama
- Rookie Hillary Cheruiyot will make his indoor NCAA Championship debut as part of the distance medley relay
- Cheruiyot took silver in the 3,000 meters at the SEC Championships
- The distance medley relay of Cheruiyot, McRae, Jacob Lamb and Kipsang destroyed the school record in mid-February, running a 9:22.43, ranking Alabama fifth all-time collegiately in the DMR on a record-eligible track
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Players Mentioned
