JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The University of Alabama’s track and field squads qualified 12 individuals and two relays for the NCAA championships on the final day of the East Preliminary held at Hodges Stadium on Saturday night.
The top-12 finishers in each event at the East Preliminary earned berths at the national championships, which will be held in Austin, Texas in June.
Overall, Alabama qualified a program-best 15 women to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, while six men earned a trip to Austin. The Tide women earned 16 scoring opportunities at the national championships, including 14 individual events and two relays, while the men have nine scoring opportunities in Texas.
Saturday’s qualifiers included Kord Ferguson and Chago Basso in men’s shot put and Portious Warren, Haley Teel and Nickolette Dunbar in women’s. Shelby McEwen qualified in women’s high jump. Tamara Clark, Mauricia Prieto and Daija Lampkin qualified in the women’s 200 meters.
Robert Dunning qualified in both the men’s 110-meter and 400-meter hurdles.
The women’s 4×100-meter relay of Lampkin, Prieto, Krystal Sparling qualified. The Crimson Tide also advanced in the women’s 4×400-meter relay with Takyera Roberson, Katie Funcheon, Prieto and Natassha McDonald. Esther Gitahi won the women’s 5,000 meters to qualify, and Gilbert Kigen qualified in the men’s 5,000 meters race after already earning a place in the 10,000-meter field on Thursday.
