Alabama
NCAA East Preliminary
Alabama Punches Seven Tickets to Nationals on Second Day of East Prelims
5/25/2023 11:10:00 PM | Track & Field, Cross Country
Mercy Chelangat (10,000m),Taylor Gorum (hammer), Caelyn Harris (long jump), Chelsea Igberaese (shot put), Samantha Kunza (hammer), Cherisse Murray (shot put) and Hilda Olemomoi (10,000m) all advanced to the NCAA National Championships
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The second day of the NCAA East Prelims featured the beginning of the women's action at North Florida's Hodges Stadium. The Alabama track and field women's program saw seven student-athletes, across four events, punch their ticket to the NCAA National Championships.
In Alabama's opening event of the day, both Taylor Gorum (65.26m | 214-1) and Samantha Kunza (62.62m | 205-5) advanced to Austin, Texas, in the hammer throw. Gorum earned her qualifying spot on her final attempt, while Kunza punched her ticket via a second-attempt throw.
Later that day, another pair of field athletes would clinch qualifying spots, this time in the shot put. Having coming up short from qualifying in the hammer throw, Chelsea Igberaese wasted no time in punching her ticket in the shot put, needing only her first attempt to secure her place (17.34m | 56-10.75). Teammate Cherisse Murray used a second-attempt performance (16.67m | 54-8.25) to qualify her spot at Nationals.
Over on the runway, Caelyn Harris went from a foul on her first jump, all the way to second place after her second attempt in the long jump. The freshman would ultimately finish third (6.41m | 21-0.50), becoming the only underclassman in the entire East Region to advance to the NCAA National Championships in the women's long jump.
Before the night was done, the Crimson Tide would have two more tickets punched to Nationals, as distance duo Mercy Chelangat (33:18.49) and Hilda Olemomoi (33:21.71) clocked second and third place finishes, respectively, in the 10,000-meter final.
Three UA student-athletes would advance to event finals that will be held on Saturday. First, Milan Fields clocked UA's seventh-fastest, 100-meter time (11.30), in program history, in the preliminary event to advance her to Saturday. Flomena Asekol would follow suit in the 1,500-meter run, earning an automatic qualifying spot after finishing within the top five of her heat (4:23.48). Na'Taja Ballard would become the final Crimson Tide athlete to advance out of the preliminary round, recording a 23.04 time in the 200 meters. The run is now UA's ninth-fastest time, as Ballard earned her finals appearance as an automatic qualifier after finishing in the top three of her heat.
Asekol, Ballard and Fields will have to finish in the top 12 of their respective event final to punch their ticket to the NCAA National Championships (June 7-10), held in Austin, Texas.
Crimson Tide Top Finishes
- Taylor Gorum (65.26m | 214-1) and Samantha Kunza (62.62m | 205-5) both advanced to the National Championships behind a sixth and 10th-place finish in the women's hammer throw
- Flomena Asekol earned an automatic qualifying spot in Saturday's 1,500-meter final after finishing in the top five of her heat (4:23.48)
- Milan Fields clocked Alabama's seventh-fastest 100-meter time in program history (11.30) to earn a spot in Saturday's event final where she will have the opportunity to punch her ticket to Austin, Texas
- Shot put duo Chelsea Igberaese (fourth, 17.34m | 56-10.75) and Cherisse Murray (10th, 16.67m | 54.8.25) clinched their spot at the National Championships
- Freshman Caelyn Harris became the East Region's lone underclassman to punch her ticket to Austin, Texas, after her third-place finish in the event (6.41m | 21-0.50)
- Na'Taja Ballard earned an automatic qualifying spot in Saturday's 200-meter final after finishing in the top three of her heat. Her 23.04 time is now the No. 9 time in UA history.
- Mercy Chelangat (second, 33:18.49) and Hilda Olemomoi (third, 33:21.71) closed Thursday's action in the 10,000 meters by securing qualifying spots for Nationals
East Prelims: UA Men Final Day Preview
- Alabama returns to North Florida's Jax Track at Hodges Stadium Friday for the final day of the men's competition
- The third day of the East Prelims will start with the men's discus at 12 p.m. CT as Alan de Falchi and DeMarco Lemons look to clinch their spot at Nationals
- The Crimson Tide will compete in eight total events on Friday, two field events and six track events
- Alabama will look to punch tickets to Austin, Texas, in the discus, triple jump (Christian Edwards), 4x100-meter relay, 400 meters (Khaleb McRae), 400-meter hurdles (Chris Robinson, Corde Long), 200 meters (Tarsis Orogot), 5,000 meters (Hillary Cheruiyot) and the 4x400-meter relay
- Already qualified for Nationals are: Bobby Colantonio Jr. (hammer) and Victor Kiprop (10,000m)
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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