Alabama
NCAA Outdoor Championships
Alabama Track and Field Posts a Pair of Individual Top-Four Finishes on Day One of the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Championships
6/8/2022 11:12:00 PM | Track & Field, Cross Country
Isaac Odugbesan took third in the shot put, while Bobby Colantonio Jr. was fourth in the hammer throw
EUGENE, Ore. – The Alabama track and field men posted a pair of top-four individual finishes on day one of the NCAA Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field on the University of Oregon campus, Wednesday. In addition, the Crimson Tide advanced its 4x400-meter relay and Tarsis Orogot in the 200 meters to Friday's finals.
Isaac Odugbesan posted his highest individual finish at the NCAA Championships, taking third in the shot put with a throw of 20.48 meters. In addition to being a personal best for Odugbesan, it was also Alabama's best finish in the shot put at the NCAA Outdoor Championships since Hreinn Halldorsson also took third in 1980. With his finish, Odugbesan has now earned First Team Indoor and Outdoor All-America honors in the shot put in 2022.
Bobby Colantonio Jr. got the men started with a First Team All-America performance in the hammer throw, taking fourth with a toss of 71.97 meters. It was the best finish of his career at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and came on the heels of his NCAA title and All-America performance in the weight throw at the 2022 NCAA Indoor Championships.
Tarsis Orogot advanced to Friday's final of the 200 meters after turning in a career-best time of 20.32, which ranks him fifth all-time at UA.
Leander Forbes, Demetrius Jackson, Corde Long & Khaleb McRae combined to shatter the school record in the 4x400-meter relay, going 3:00.42 to advance to Friday's final as the No. 2 seed, bettering the previous mark set in 1985 by three-quarters of a second.
The Alabama men are currently in fourth place with 11 points, while the women get their national championships started on Thursday.
Head Coach Dan Waters Said
"I'm really proud of the way Bobby and Isaac came out and competed today. Those were some big points for us, and the highest individual finishes of their outdoor careers. We closed day one with a tremendous showing in the 4x400-meter relay, breaking a school record that had been on the books since 1985. We had some young guys at their first NCAA Championships gain valuable experience, including Tarsis, who used a PR to advance to Friday's final in the 200 meters. With the way today went for us, we really have to make the most of our opportunities on Friday in the men's meet. We're also looking to get off to strong start tomorrow with the women."
More from Day One for the Crimson Tide Men
- Corde Long posted a top-10 finish in the 400-meter hurdles, missing the final by one spot after running a 49.98
- Khaleb McRae finished 13th in the 400 meters with a time of 45.82
- Eliud Kipsang finished 20th in the 1,500 meters with a time of 3:43.30
- Victor Kiprop took 23rd in the 10,000 meters with a time of 29:05.83
Following the Crimson Tide Action
- Live results can be found here
- The action will be streamed live via ESPN3 each day
- The championships will be broadcast on ESPNU on Thursday (5:30 p.m. PT), on ESPN2 on Friday starting at 6 p.m. PT and on ESPN on Saturday, starting at 2:30 p.m. PT
Day One for the Alabama Women (Thursday)
- The UA women open their NCAA Championships slate on Thursday with the 4x100-meter relay semifinals at 5:30 p.m. PT, followed by Flomena Asekol in the 1,500 meters semifinal at 5:45 p.m. PT
- Samantha Zelden will compete in the finals of the javelin at 6:45 p.m. PT
- Amari Brown will run the 200 meters semifinal at 7:45 p.m. PT while 4x400-meter relay semifinals close the day at 8:45 p.m. PT
- Mercy Chelangat will run the last individual event of the night, the final of the 10,000 meters, which gets underway at 8:05 p.m. PT
- Chelangat, the NCAA runner-up in the 10,000 meters in 2021, will also run the 5,000 meters on Saturday along with Amaris Tyynismaa
- Chelangat was third in the 5,000 meters at the 2022 NCAA Indoor Championships while Tyynismaa scored in the 1,500 meters at the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Championships
- Those semifinalists who move on will also compete on Saturday
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
