Alabama Track and Field Men Place Second, Women Third at SEC Outdoor Championships
Five more individual titles and a plethora of high marks led Alabama track and field to a second-place finish at Saturday's final day of the 2021 SEC Outdoor Championships in College Station, Texas. The men's team ultimately placed second with 109 total points while the women placed third with 116 points.
Arkansas won both the men's and women's titles, posting three-day points totals of 129 and 127, respectively.
“To go out there this weekend and come away with the best outdoor finish for the men in more than 35 years and the best by the women in more than 25 years is a real accomplishment," Alabama coach Dan Waters said. "I’m really proud of the way this team went out there and fought from start to finish. Even when things didn’t quite go our way, we focused on what was next and kept rolling."
Despite finishing second and third, the men's and women's teams combined for five individual titles on Saturday, bringing the team's three-day total to nine individual titles.
Tamara Clark accounted for two of those titles, sweeping the 100- and 200-meter races with wind-aided times of 10.87 (+2.7) and 21.89 (+4.1), respectively. Clark's time in the 200m was the fastest all-conditions mark in college outdoor history.
Eliud Kipsang took the 1,500-meter title, posting a time of 3:37.99 and winning by almost an entire second. His time was also one of the top-three best in Crimson Tide program history.
Robert Dunning posted an individual title victory, recording a personal-best time of 13.15 on the 110-meter hurdles.
Finally, Mercy Chelangat closed out the individual races with her second title of the SEC Championships, winning the 5,000 meters on Saturday with a facility record time of 15:45.32 — also the third-fastest time in school history.
"This conference is so tough, which is what makes these kinds of weekends a great test as we get ready for the NCAA Championships," Waters said. "Now we just have to get back to it and prepare for the NCAA Championships part of the season.”
The Crimson Tide will now head back home to Tuscaloosa to prepare for the upcoming NCAA Championship Preliminaries, which are scheduled to take place on May 26-29 in Jacksonville, Fla.
Individual SEC Medals from Saturday:
- Tamara Clark swept the 100 and 200 meters races, posting wind-aided times of 10.87 (+2.7) in the 100 and 21.89 (+4.1) in the 200 to earn the victories
- Clark’s time in the 200m is the fastest all-conditions mark in collegiate outdoor history, topping the previous mark from 2018 by nearly a tenth of a second
- Eliud Kipsang ran away with the 1,500-meter title, posting a 3:37.99 to win by almost a second before taking second in the 800 meters with a time of 1:47.16
- Kipsang’s time in the 1,500 meters also gives him the top-three marks in school history
- Robert Dunning flew to a win in the 110-meter hurdles, going a personal best of 13.15
- After opening the championships by winning the 10,000 meters on Thursday, Mercy Chelangat closed out the individual races by winning the 5,000 meters with a championship and facility record of 15:45.32, the third-fastest time in school history
- Natassha McDonald went a PR of 50.91 to take second in the 400 meters
- After scoring in the high jump earlier in the weekend, Christian Edwards took silver in the triple jump with a season-best mark of 54-2 (16.51 meters), picking up Alabama’s first medal of the day
- Ryan Lipe took second in the pole vault after clearing 18-2.5 (5.55 meters)
- Amaris Tyynismaa ran a 4:16.12 to take third in the 1,500 meters
- Taylor Gorum earned a bronze medal in the discus, turning in a throw of 170-11 (52.11 meters)
- The Crimson Tide women raced to a silver medal in the 4x100-meter relay, crossing the line in a time of 42.94
More Crimson Tide Scorers from Saturday:
- After winning the 110-meter hurdles, Robert Dunning took fourth in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 49.86
- In addition to taking third in the 1,500 meters, Amaris Tyynismaa scored in the 5,000 meters, taking fifth with a time of 15:59.67
- Champion Allison ran a PR of 45.43 in the 400 meters to take fifth place
- In addition to taking silver in the 400 meters, Natassha McDonald ran a 22.93 to take sixth place in the 200 meters
- Esther Gitahi posted a 4:19.62 to finish seventh in the 1,500 meters
- Keshun McGee posted a PR of 53-4.25 (16.26 meters) in the triple jump to take seventh place
- Alabama took seventh in both the men’s and women’s 4x400-meter relays with the men posting a 3:11.43 and the women going 3:36.75
- Chago Basso scored for the second time at these championships, taking eighth in the discus with a personal best of 177-8 (54.15 meters)
