Coming off a strong showing in the Bull’s Invitational, the Alabama track and field team will try to keep its momentum rolling in the Alabama Relays this weekend.
The Crimson Tide finished the Bull’s Invitational with seven wins and ten top-five finishes. Head coach Dan Waters said he was very proud with how the team performed and hopes the team can keep up the energy this weekend.
“The Bull’s Invitational was a great meet for us,” Waters said. “One of the things I was really impressed with the team was how they went in and competed courageously. We put them in a lot of events, and we ask them to come back and double up, and their second events were better than their first events. We just have to keep up this kind of effort moving forward.”
The Tide had multiple season-best times at the Bull’s Invitational, including both the men’s and women’s 4×400 meter relays.
Waters said the team needs to continue to work hard every week to keep up this strong progression over the course of the season.
“We talk about just getting a process of every athlete getting better and better each week, at each competition and at each thing we are teaching them in practice,” Waters said. “If we continue to follow the process that we have been following all year and learn to be more competitive and compete courageously, then we will be very happy with the outcomes at the end of the season.”
The Alabama Relays is an annual track and field event hosted at the University of Alabama that has seen many great performances in the past.
“The Alabama Relays in the ’80s and the ’90s was the meet to go to, and that’s what we are looking to get it returned to,” Waters said. “As we move forward in the future for years to come, we hope to bring in some big name teams and bring the Alabama Relays back to the glory days of the ’80s and the ’90s.”
The Alabama Relays will feature the debut of artificial lights at the Sam Bailey Track and Field Stadium. Waters said having lights will be enormously helpful for the program moving forward.
“It’s a game-changer for us,” Waters said. “It allows us to have meets at night and to have a fun atmosphere for the fans, as they don’t have to sit in the heat all day long, and they can come out on a nice, cool winter night. It also allows us to have some training at night. There are so many levels it helps us out, and being able to get the lights on at the facility is something that is very special.”
