
Alabama Rolls to Success on Final Day of Bulldog Relays
3/25/2023 9:41:00 PM | Track & Field, Cross Country
The Crimson Tide won three separate events and picked up 18 top-10 finishes on the final day of the event
STARKVILLE, Miss. – After securing an event win on Friday, the Alabama track and field program's momentum continued into Saturday as the Crimson Tide claimed three more event titles, along with 18 overall top-10 finishes on the final day of the Bulldog Relays.
In the meet's first track event of the day, Milan Fields, Amari Brown, Na'Taja Ballard and Amara Obi ran away with the 4x100-meter relay, clocking 44.61 to win the event. The women in the relay contingent would hit the track again, this time competing individually in the 100-meter dash. The four Crimson Tide athletes would roll through their second event of the day, as all four finished in the top six with Amari Brown taking the 100-meter crown after posting a personal-best time of 11.30.
On the men's side, Alabama's Jekovan Rhetta followed suit, also taking first in the 100-meter dash to secure the event sweep for the Crimson Tide. Rhetta's first-place performance was also a PR after clocking 10.19.
Additionally, UA would add 12 more top-10 finishes spanning across the men's 4x100-meter relay (second, sixth), women's 1500m (10th), men's 100m (fourth, ninth), women's javelin (second, third), 200m (eighth), women's pole vault (two tied for eighth) and men's pole vault (fourth, seventh).
In total, five different Crimson Tide athletes recorded PRs on Saturday.
Alabama Head Coach Dan Waters Said
"We got the outdoor season off to a good start this weekend. We had several top finishes and PRs, as well as a number of wins spread across multiple events. We have a great opportunity to learn from this weekend and carry the energy and experience with us into next week's meet in Austin for the Texas Relays, one of the most elite regular-season meets in the country."
Crimson Tide Top Finishes
- Milan Fields, Amari Brown, Na'Taja Ballard and Amara Obi won the women's 4x100m relay (44.61)
- Alabama finished second (Jekovan Rhetta, Tarsis Orogot, Matthew Weaver, Jonathan Martin | 39.99) and sixth (DJ Black, Antonio Crisco, Terrance Howard, Clayton Elder | 41.65) in the men's 4x100m relay
- Leah Kleekamp recorded a 10th-place finish in the women's 1500m (4:43.80)
- Brown (11.30, PR), Ballard (11.36), Fields (11.51, PR) and Obi (11.69, PR) finished first, second, fourth and sixth, respectively, in the women's 100-meter dash
- Rhetta (10.19, PR) and Matthew Weaver (10.49, PR) finished first and fourth, respectively, in the men's 100-meter dash
- Hailey Poole (43.42m | 142'5") and Karmen Williams (42.89m | 140'8") finished second-third in the women's javelin
- Weaver clocked 21.20 to earn an eighth-place finish in the men's 200-meter dash
- Holly Foley and Tristan Barr tied for eighth (3.50m | 11'5.75") in the women's pole vault
- On the men's side, Louis Martinez finished fourth (5.05m | 16'6.75") in the pole vault, while John Landers finished seventh (4.75m | 15'7")
Up Next
- Alabama will turn its sight towards one of the most elite, regular-season track and field meet in the country, as it travels to Austin for the Texas Relays (March 29-April 1)
- Host school Texas will also host the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Championships, June 7-10
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