Alabama
NCAA East Preliminary
Alabama Advances Five Across Two Events on Final Day of East Prelims
5/27/2023 10:01:00 PM | Track & Field, Cross Country
Flomena Asekol (1,500m), Na’Taja Ballard (4x100m relay), Amari Brown (4x100m relay), Milan Fields (4x100m relay) and Amara Obi (4x100m relay) all advanced to the NCAA National Championships
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – On the final day of the NCAA East Prelims, the Alabama track and field women's program advanced five student-athletes, across two events, to the NCAA National Championships.
In Alabama's opening track event of the day, Amari Brown, Milan Fields, Na'Taja Ballard and Amara Obi solidified their place in Austin, Texas, behind a 44.08 performance in the 4x100-meter relay. The quartet join the UA men's contingent, as Alabama successfully advanced both 4x100-meter relay teams to the national meet.
In the very next event on the track, Flomena Asekol punched her ticket to Nationals behind a 4:12.72, fifth-place finish in the 1,500 meters to become the final UA athlete to qualify for the NCAA National Championships.
Eleven of Alabama's 23 student-athletes who qualified to Nationals previously earned podium finishes at the SEC Championships. UA will have representation in 14 events at the National Championships, as four of those will feature multiple Crimson Tide student-athletes. Of the 14 events, Alabama will compete in both male and female versions of the hammer throw, the 10,000 meters and the 4x100-meter relay.
What Head Coach Dan Waters Said:
"I thought it was a great weekend, and I'm super proud of the way we competed. This meet can be tough in the sense that there are some seniors who finished their careers here, but we're going to miss them and will hold on to the memories we made with them, as well as the contributions each of them made to our program. All of our goals are well within reach heading into Nationals after having advanced 20-plus athletes across several events. It'll be important for us to use this last week off to take care of ourselves and hydrate. Recovery for the National Championships starts right now. Again, I'm very pleased with this weekend. Competing in an elite conference like the SEC greatly prepared us for this weekend, and I'm proud of how we fought throughout these four days. With that said, we must immediately shift our focus to Nationals, set ourselves up for a great week in [Austin, Texas] and finish this 2023 season on the right note. Roll Tide."
Crimson Tide Top Finishes
- The Tide's 4x100-meter relay squad (Amari Brown, Milan Fields, Na'Taja Ballard, Amara Obi) opened the final day by securing their trip to Austin, Texas, after clocking 44.08 for a second-place finish in its heat
- Flomena Asekol clocked 4:12.72 in the 1,500-meter run to punch her ticket to the National Championships
Up Next
- Alabama will take a week off before gearing up for the NCAA Outdoor National Championships (June 7-10), held in Austin, Texas
- It will be the second time this season the Crimson Tide has competed at the Mike A. Myers Track Stadium (Texas Relays, March 30-April 1)
- Alabama will be sending 23 athletes to compete in 14 events at the national meet
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
