EUGENE, Ore. – The Alabama track and field women’s 4×100-meter relay of seniors Quanesha Burks and Diamond Gause and freshmen Symone Darius and Takyera Roberson shattered the school record they set just two weeks ago with a time of 42.56 to finish second in Saturday’s championship race on the final day of the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field.
The Crimson Tide women ran six of the 10-fastest 4×100-meter relay times in school history in 2017, including the three fastest times ever recorded at Alabama over the last two meets of the season. Burks, Gause, Darius and Roberson finished second in Thursday’s prelim in 43.08, which is now No. 3 all-time at UA and ran a then school-record 42.91 at the East Regional on May 27. Alabama originally broke the previous school record of 43.54, which had stood since 1987, with a third-place finish at the SEC Relays with a 43.17 on April 29. In all, Alabama lowered the 1987 record by nearly a full second over the course of the 2017 season.
In field-event action for Alabama on Saturday, sophomore Stacey Destin tied for sixth in the high jump with a clearance of 5-11 ½ (1.82m). It is the first top eight for UA in the high jump at the NCAA Championships since Krystle Schade finished fourth in 2012.
The Crimson Tide women finished the week in 28th place with 9.7 points, just three-tenths of a point out of 21st. On Friday, Alabama’s men posted their first top-10 finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships since 2001, taking 10th with 19 points.
Alabama ends the four days of competition in Eugene with first-team All-America performances in the 200 meters, 400 meters, 110-meter hurdles and 4×400-meter relay for the men and in the 4×100-meters, pole vault and high jump for the Tide women.
