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 4×100-meter relay. The quartet join the UA men’s contingent, as Alabama successfully advanced both 4×100-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 4×100-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…
CLICK HERE to Read the Full Original Article at University of Alabama Athletics…