Alabama
Texas Relays
School Records Fall for Alabama Track and Field on Second Day of Multi-Meet Weekend
4/1/2023 1:08:00 AM | Track & Field, Cross Country
Chris Robinson breaks the Crimson Tide’s 400-meter hurdles record en route to the event win, while Victor Kiprop sets a new UA standard in the 10,000-meter run
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – On the second day of a whirlwind, multi-meet weekend for the Alabama track and field program, Chris Robinson (400-meter hurdles) and Victor Kiprop (10,000-meter run) set new school records in their respective events, while competing in two different time zones.
Robinson reached the finals after winning his respective heat in the preliminary round. The 50.05 time, on Thursday, was the fourth-fastest time in UA history. However, in Friday's event final, Robinson would not only win the event, but break the school record as well, behind a 49.10 performance at the Texas Relays.
Late into the night on the west coast, Kiprop would break the UA 10,000-meter record at the Stanford Invitational after clocking 27:57.63. The feat comes six years to the day that the original record (28:04.95) was set by Alfred Chelanga (March 31, 2017), also in the state of California.
Down in the Sunshine State, distance runners Elka Machan and Will Pinson would grab event wins as the duo claimed the 5,000-meter sweep at the Florida Relays. It is now the second consecutive weekend Alabama has swept an event after Amari Brown and Jekovan Rhetta took the 100-meter crowns at last week's Bulldog Relays.
Crimson Tide Top Finishes | Texas Relays
- On the second day of the prestigious meet, Alabama gathered four top-10 finishes, advanced to two separate event finals, won an event and broke a school record
- Chris Robinson broke the school record in the 400-meter hurdles (49.10) en route to a first-place finish in the event
- Alabama's sprint medley relay contingent (Matthew Weaver, Antonio Crisco, Leander Forbes, Grady Shiflet) clocked a seventh-place finish of 3:20.54
- Alan de Falchi finished eighth in the men's discus throw behind a 58.45-meter (191-9) performance
- Taylor Gorum recorded an eighth-place finish in the women's shot put B final (15.58m | 51-1.50)
- Tarsis Orogot earned an automatic qualifying spot in Saturday's 100-meter dash final after clocking a heat-winning 10.07 time. Orogot now holds the fourth-fastest time in UA history.
- The Tide's 4x100-meter crew of Amari Brown, Na'Taja Ballard, Amara Obi and Milan Fields advanced to Saturday's event final behind a third-place finish in their preliminary heat
Crimson Tide Top Finishes | Stanford Invitational
- Victor Kiprop finished second in the 10,000-meter run (28:04.95) behind a school-record-breaking performance
Crimson Tide Top Finishes | Florida Relays
- Alabama's distance contingent picked up 11 top-10 finishes and a pair of event wins in the lone day of action at the Florida Relays
- Elka Machan (16:50.86) and Will Pinson (14:28.33) won the 5,000-meter sweep for Alabama. It's now the second-straight meet with an event sweep for the Tide.
- Jack Hawes (seventh, 14:35.62) and Jacob Harris (eighth, 14:38.01) also added a pair of top-10 finishes in the men's 5,000-meter run
- Carter Waters (seventh, 9:21.69) and Brady Barton (ninth, 9:27.28) clocked a pair of top-10 finishes in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase
- Macy Schelp (4:30.70) finished fifth in the women's 1500-meter run, followed by a 10th-place finish from Keaton Morrison (4:36.37)
- Jace Jones (3:50.69) and Mark Shannon (3:51.71) followed suit on the men's side, recording an eighth-and-10th-place finish, respectively
- Alabama's 4x800-meter relay squad (Quinn Harder, Eliud Kipsang, Kai Crawford, Arthur Graham) finished fifth behind a 7:31.54 performance
Look-Ahead: Texas Relays Day Three | Live Results
- Alabama will compete in seven different events on the final day of the meet
- The Tide will start in the women's 4x200-meter relay (noon CT), featuring Brown, Ballard, Obi and Fields
- Chelsea Igberaese and Gorum will then compete in the women's discus throw at 1:30 p.m.
- Alabama's 4x100-meter relay contingent of Brown, Ballard, Obi and Fields will hit the track also at 1:30 p.m. for the event final
- Orogot will run in the 100-meter dash final at 2:55 p.m.
- Igberaese will join Cherisse Murray for the women's shot put at 4 p.m.
- Alabama will close out the meet in the men's and women's 4x400-meter relays (Forbes, Khaleb McRae, Orogot, Robinson | Brown, Ballard, Obi and Spicer), scheduled for a 4:05 p.m.
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.
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