Alabama
SEC Championships
Alabama Strikes Gold on Opening Day of SEC Track and Field Outdoor Championships
5/11/2023 11:14:00 PM | Track & Field, Cross Country
Distance runner Victor Kiprop claimed his second-straight, and UA’s sixth-straight, gold medal in the men’s 10,000-meter run
BATON ROUGE, La. – Distance runner Victor Kiprop closed the opening day of the Southeastern Conference Outdoor Championships in style for the Alabama track and field program, striking gold in the men's 10,000-meter run (29:58.43). It's now the second-straight season that Kiprop has won the individual, event title and the sixth-straight season that an Alabama runner has won the event.
Bobby Colantonio Jr. kick-started the meet for the Crimson Tide with a bronze-medal finish in the men's hammer throw (69.96m | 229-06). In his SEC outdoor curtain call, the Barrington, R.I., native secured the Crimson Tide's first medal of the day with his fifth throw out of six attempts.
Chelsea Igberaese (65.10m | 213-07) and Samantha Kunza (63.19m | 207-03) earned Alabama's first points of the meet for the women's program with fourth-and-sixth-place finishes, respectively, in the women's hammer. Igberaese also recorded a PR en route to her top-five placement.
Once the sun went down on the opening day, the track athletes arrived. However, just as Tarsis Orogot and Jonathan Martin were set to run in the second heat of the men's 200-meter prelims, the meet was briefly suspended due to lightning in the area. Half an hour later, once the delay was over, Orogot responded by winning the heat via a PR-breaking performance (20.18) to secure his spot in Saturday night's final.
Chris Robinson (49.25) and Corde Long (49.32) followed suit, claiming the top-two spots in the opening, preliminary heat of the men's 400-meter hurdles, effectively claiming their spots in the event final on Saturday night.
Alabama closed the first day with the men in second place in the team standings with 17 points, while the women's squad sits in fifth with 12 points.
Crimson Tide Top Finishes
- Bobby Colantonio Jr.'s 69.96-meter (229-06), bronze-medal throw secured the Tide its first podium finish of the three-day meet
- Alabama's Chelsea Igberaese (65.10m | 213-07) and Samantha Kunza (63.19m | 207-03) finished fourth and sixth, respectively, in the women's hammer to earn the Tide's first points on the women's side
- After a 30-minute lightning delay, Tarsis Orogot advanced to Saturday night's event final in the men's 200-meter dash via a heat-winning, PR-breaking time of 20.18
- Na'Taja Ballard moved into UA's all-time top-10 list after clocking 23.07 in the women's 200-meter dash prelims. Ballard is now tied for ninth, all-time, in program history.
- 400-meter hurdle duo Chris Robinson (49.25) and Corde Long (49.32) also advanced to their event final after claiming the top-two spots in the opening, preliminary heat
- Hailey Poole tallied more points for the women's program by finishing fifth in the women's javelin (49.77m | 163-03)
- Victor Kiprop won gold in the men's 10,000-meter run (29:58.43), finishing as the event champion in back-to-back seasons. It's now the sixth-straight year a Crimson Tide runner has claimed gold in the event.
Up Next
- Alabama returns to Bernie Moore Track Stadium Friday for the remaining track event prelims, as day two will start at 4 p.m. CT in the women's pole vault
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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Players Mentioned
