Alabama
Crimson Tide Invitational
Come-From-Behind, Photo Finish Concludes Final Day of the Crimson Tide Invitational
4/6/2024 11:22:00 PM | Track & Field, Cross Country
The Crimson Tide collected seven event titles and 40 top-10 finishes over the weekend
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – On the final day of the Crimson Tide Invitational, Alabama track and field grabbed seven event titles at the Sam Bailey Track and Field Stadium. The Crimson Tide's Caelyn Harris (women's long jump), Lilly Walters (women's 3,000-meter steeplechase), Keaton Morrison (women's 800-meter), Samuel Ogazi (men's 200-meter dash), Doris Lemngole (women's 1,500-meter), Carson Burian (men's 1,500-meter) and Chris Robinson, Tarsis Orogot, Matthew Weaver and Spencer Gudgel (men's 4x400-meter relay) all claimed titles in their respective events.
With both men's 4x400-meter relay contingents trailing the entirety of the race, both Robinson and Khaleb McRae overtook Louisiana on the final backstretch, with Robinson's squad crossing the line in 3:08.52 to win and McRae's squad finishing five-hundredths of a second behind their counterpart (3:08.57).
To highlight the final day, Lilly Walters and Macy Schelp both added to UA's all-time top-10 list in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase with Walters (first | 10:28.46) clocking the second-best time in program history and Schelp (third | 10:44.19) adding the eighth-best mark.
Doris Lemngole also broke into the top-10 list in the women's 1,500-meter with a first-place finish (4:11.90) after clocking the fourth-fastest time in the NCAA this season, which also happens to be the fourth-fastest in program history.
In total, Alabama claimed seven event titles and 40 top-10 finishes while competing on its home turf. Five different athletes also adjusted UA's all-time top-10 lists over the weekend.
HEAD COACH DAN WATERS
"It was a great weekend. Obviously, the first thing I've got to say is that I'm just so happy and proud of everyone that helped put this together, it takes a complete army to put on a track meet like this."
"The performances that we have at home, and the way people compete, having friends and family in the stands, it just makes you feel really good. So, a lot of energy, a lot of effort, but it panned out, we got a lot of great performances, and we're super proud."
CRIMSON TIDE TOP FINISHES
- Aspen Arrowsmith finished eighth in the women's javelin throw with a 45.26-meter (148-6) mark
- Julian Collins placed fifth in the men's long jump with a 7.22-meter (23-8.25) jump
- Caelyn Harris (first | 6.41m | 21-0.5) and Miracle Ailes (second | 6.16m | 20-2.5) gave the Tide a pair of top-two finishes in the women's long jump
- Holly Foley (second | 3.90m | 12-9.5), Victoria Faber (third | 3.90m | 12-9.5) and Riley White (sixth | 3.75m | 12-3.5) finished in the top-10 of the women's pole vault
- Foley's mark is a new PR
- Louis Martinez finished second (5.25m | 17-2.75) in the men's pole vault, with Cross Derriso (eighth | 4.70m | 15-5) and John Landers (tenth | 4.70m | 15-5) adding an additional pair of top-10 finishes
- Amani Heaven took second in the women's shot put with a 15.75m (51-8.25) throw
- Nathan Cooper finished seventh in the men's shot put with a 16.84-meter (55-3) toss
- Jekovan Rhetta, Tarsis Orogot, Josh Thomas, and Matthew Weaver took second in the men's 4x100-meter relay, clocking a 39.43
- The squad of Khaleb McRae, Jonathan Martin, Hasani Barr and D.J. Black followed with a seventh-place finish (40.44)
- Lilly Walters (first | 10:28.46), Macy Schelp (third | 10:44.19) and Jasmijn Bakkar (fifth | 11:01.19) gave the Tide a trio of top-five finishes in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase
- Walters' time is the second-best in program history
- Schelp's time is the eighth-best in school history, as well as a new PR
- Milan Fields (fifth | 11.63) and Na'Taja Ballad (eighth | 11.63) added a pair top-10 finishes in the women's 100-meter dash
- Jekovan Rhetta (second | 10.40) and Tarsis Orogot (fourth | 10.48) finished in the top-five in the men's 100-meter dash
- Keaton Morrison ran a new personal-best 2:07.85 in the women's 800-meter to take first place
- Her time is the ninth-fastest in school history
- The Tide placed four in the top-10 in the men's 800-meter including a second-place finish by Chris Robinson (1:49.52)
- Khaleb McRae (third | 1:49.55), Spencer Gudgel (fourth 1:49.73) and Quinn Harder (seventh | 1:52.13) also collected top-10 finishes
- Corde Long (second | 50.05) and Clayton Elder (fourth | 50.95) both finished in the top-five of the men's 400-meter hurdles
- In the women's 200-meter dash, Ariike Elijah finished fifth (23.74) with Milan Fields coming in tenth (24.08)
- Samuel Ogazi claimed first in the men's 200-meter dash after clocking a 20.71
- Matthew Weaver followed with a fourth-place finish with a time of 20.85
- The Tide claimed three top-10 finishes in the women's 1,500 meters, capped with a first-place finish by Doris Lemngole (4:11.90)
- McKenzie Hogue (sixth | 4:22.65) and Kate Dickman (tenth | 4:32.40) added top-10 finishes
- Lemngole's time is the fourth-fastest mark in program history and the NCAA this season
- In the men's 1,500-meter, Carson Burian claimed first (3:49.98), Knox Exton finished fourth (3:51.51), Carter Waters finished sixth (3:53.70) and Kai Conner followed with a 10th place finish (3:54.90)
- Exton's time is a new PR
- The women's 4x400-meter relay contingent of Ariike Elijah, Na'Taja Ballard, Milan Fields and Margaret Conteh finished second after clocking a 3:35.79
- The men's contingent of Chris Robinson, Tarsis Orogot, Matthew Weaver and Spencer Gudgel finished first in the men's 4x400-meter relay after clocking a 3:08.52
- The squad of Khaleb McRae, Samuel Ogazi, Jonathan Martin and Clayton Elder finished second in the men's 4x400-meter relay with a time of 3:08.57
UP NEXT
- Alabama will split up next weekend, having representation at both the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational in Gainesville, Fla., as well as the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, Calif.
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Players Mentioned
