The University of Alabama track and field team will look to improve upon its recent success as it hosts the Crimson Tide Invite this Saturday.
“We’re looking for continued improvement from everyone, for everyone to take the proper competitive mentality into the meet and for each athlete to be able to say, at the end of the day, they didn’t leave anything undone,” head coach Dan Waters said.
The Crimson Tide will host teams from Florida State University, Indiana, Louisville, Missouri, Oklahoma, Penn State and University of Texas-Arlington. Waters said the meet will have a national feel to it because there will be teams from several conferences outside the Southeastern Conference.
(See also “Track and Field team looks to improve scores“)
“We have really good teams coming, so every single event is going to be looking good,” Kimberley Ficenec, a sophomore middle distance runner, said. “People are going to be running fast times, throwing far and jumping far.”
This is also Alabama’s first outdoor meet where almost all of the team’s athletes will be competing, Waters said.
“That’s an opportunity to get a feel for where we are as a team a few weeks ahead of the championship portion of our schedule,” Waters said.
With this being the second home meet of the outdoor season, the athletes said they are looking forward to performing at home again and having the home field advantage.
(See also “Crimson Tide track and field, cross-country to compete in Paul Short Invitational“)
“There’s something different about performing at home,” freshman Hayden Reed said. “You know, you want to do your best in front of the fans, especially the families that are going to be there.”
In the John Mitchell Alabama Relays on March 20, Alabama took home eight victories. Sophomore Elias Hakansson broke the school record for the hammer throw, and several other athletes recorded new personal bests. In last weekend’s Yellow Jacket Invitational, the Crimson Tide took home six victories, including Reed’s win in the men’s discus and shot put.
In this weekend’s meet, senior Diondre Batson will compete in the men’s 200-meter dash and 4X100-meter relay. Batson won the 2014 NCAA Indoor Championship for the 200.
Last weekend, the men’s track and field team was ranked No. 10 in the national team rankings for the outdoor season. This is the second-highest ranking the Crimson Tide has seen, the highest being No. 9.
(See also “Alabama track and field teams see success“)
