Alabama
NCAA Championships
School Record Falls, Alabama Advances to Three Event Finals on Opening Day of National Championships
6/7/2023 11:31:00 PM | Track & Field, Cross Country
The Crimson Tide will have representation in the following event finals on Friday night: 400-meter hurdles (Corde Long, Chris Robinson), 200-meter (Tarsis Orogot) and the 4x400-meter relay (Khaleb McRae, Long, Orogot, Robinson)
AUSTIN, Texas – On the opening day of the NCAA Outdoor National Championships, the Alabama men's track and field program advanced four athletes to three different event finals as the day was highlighted by a school record-breaking performance by Tarsis Orogot in the 200-meter dash.
As the sun started to set on the Mike A. Myers Track & Soccer Stadium, Corde Long and Chris Robinson rolled their way into Friday's event final behind two heat-winning performances in the 400-meter hurdles. Long (49.34) secured the first-place finish after making a spectacular closing sprint down the home stretch in the opening heat of the event. In the third and final heat, Robinson (48.79) clocked the fastest time of the entire preliminary event as he held the lead for the entire race.
In the very next track event, Orogot clocked a sub-20 second time in the 200-meter preliminary dash to not only break Alabama's school record but also solidify his automatic qualifying spot in Friday's event final. The Ugandan ran a blistering 19.94 time to earn a third-place overall finish in the semifinal event.
To close the first day of the national meet, Long, Orogot, Robinson and Khaleb McRae each competed in their second track event of the day when they teamed up in the 4x400-meter relay. The squad recorded a 2:59.24 showing in the preliminary event en route to their opening heat-winning time.
The opening day for Alabama was bookended by a pair of event finals, as Bobby Colantonio Jr. (67.27m | 220-8) closed his legendary, Crimson Tide career in the men's hammer throw where he earned honorable mention All-America status. The last event final of the day came on the track where Victor Kiprop clocked a ninth-place finish in the 10,000-meter run (28:29.28) to receive second team All-America honors.
Crimson Tide Top Finishes
- In his final appearance representing the script A, Bobby Colantonio Jr. earned honorable mention All-America status after his 67.27-meter (220-8) performance in the hammer throw where he finished 19th
- In Alabama's first track event of the day, Jekovan Rhetta, Antonio Crisco, Matthew Weaver and Quincy Scott each earned honorable mention All-American honors after clocking a season-best time of 39.36 in the 4x100-meter relay preliminary event with a 20th-place finish
- Khaleb McRae recorded a 10th-place finish (45.22) in the 400-meter preliminary run
- Corde Long (Heat 1, 49.34) and Chris Robinson (Heat 3, 48.79) both secured their spots in Friday's 400-meter hurdle event final after winning their respective heats
- Long secured his first-place finish after making a spectacular closing finish down the home stretch
- Robinson, holding the lead for the entire length around the track, clocked the fastest time of the entire preliminary event en route to his heat-winning performance
- Tarsis Orogot clocked a sub-20 second time in the 200-meter preliminary dash to not only break Alabama's school record, but also solidy his automatic qualifying spot in Friday's event final
- Victor Kiprop recorded a ninth-place finish in the 10,000m, clocking 28:29.28 in the event final to earn second team All-America status
- Long, McRae, Orogot and Robinson teamed up in the final event of the opening day, clocking a heat-winning, 2:59.24 performance in the 4x400-meter relay
Nationals: UA Women Preview
- Alabama returns to Mike A. Myers Track & Soccer Stadium, on the campus of the University of Texas, Thursday for the beginning of the women's competition. Preliminary track events will occur Thursday with event finals taking place Saturday.
- The second day of the National Championships will start with the women's hammer at 3:30 p.m. CT as Taylor Gorum and Samantha Kunza look to win UA's first medals for the women's program
- The Crimson Tide will compete in six total events on Thursday, four field events and two track events
- Seven UA athletes have the possibility to earn medals on the second day of the national meet (Hammer: Gorum, Kunza | Long Jump: Caelyn Harris | Shot Put: Chelsea Igberaese, Cherisse Murray | 10,000m: Mercy Chelangat, Hilda Olemomoi)
- The five remaining UA athletes (1,500m: Flomena Asekol | 4x100-meter Relay: Na'Taja Ballard, Amari Brown, Milan Fields, Amara Obi) will have medal-winning opportunities on Saturday, upon the athletes advancing in their respective event
- Of its qualifying entries, top-15 nationally ranked, UA women's individual events include:
- Asekol – No. 12, 1,500m | Chelangat – No. 2, 10,000m | Olemomoi – No. 4, 10,000m | Igberaese – No. 9, shot put
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
