The Alabama track and field team is set to compete in the Drake Relays this weekend in Des Moines, Iowa, its final competition before the Southeastern Conference Outdoor Championships in May. Events taking place Thursday-Saturday will give athletes a final chance to progress after an otherwise-flat performance at the LSU Alumni Gold meet last weekend, as described by head coach Dan Waters.

“I was disappointed with our performance overall last Saturday at LSU,” Waters said. “For the first time this year I felt like our youth and inexperience showed a bit. It’s important for us to bounce back this week.”

Waters said he expects the team, anchored by a core group of seniors and top performers, to find its groove again after seemingly losing it at LSU.

“We have a very good core group of top people on our team that can compete with anyone in the nation in a variety of events,” he said. “That group has really provided a solid benchmark for us going forward.”

Despite the less-than-stellar finishes in Baton Rouge, La., the men’s outdoor team grabbed the No. 19 spot in the latest computer rankings, its first top-25 position of the outdoor season. Moving up 10 spots from the previous week, Bama will face SEC opponents No. 7 Georgia and No. 16 Ole Miss. The newest Tide ranking was bolstered by a few recent individual performances. Junior Diondre Batson ran the world’s fastest time this season in the 100-meters at the Spec Towns Invitational, earning a No. 1 ranking in the event. Senior Alexis Paine continued her dominance in the women’s pole vault, winning the event at LSU and situating herself at No. 2 in the field. Finding her stride after setbacks from minor injuries, Krystle Schade is now No. 5 in the women’s high jump after her performance last weekend.

With those individual victories and several other top finishes, Waters said he hopes the team will tighten up at one of the most critical points of the season.

“We need to develop some consistency and toughness – and I think we have the group to do it,” Waters said. “We’re entering the phase of the season where we need to be at our best. I think we’ll get there.”

After the Drake Relays, the Crimson Tide will have a weekend off for graduating seniors to receive their diploma before preparations begin for the SEC Outdoor Championships in Columbia, Mo., the following weekend. The Tide will then head to the NCAA East Regionals in Greensboro, N.C., in anticipation of the NCAA Outdoor Championships.