The indoor season is in full swing now for the Alabama track and field teams. After a trip to Tennessee to the Commodore Indoor Invitational, the teams will make a much shorter trip to Birmingham, Alabama for the Conference Clash Friday, January 22. For many of the athletes it’s going to be a great time to showcase against some of the nation’s best athletes.

“Its going to be exciting,” long-distance runner Robbie Farnham-Rose said. “It’s good to measure where you are right now, racing against these good people so early on.”

The competition includes 14 other teams from: the ACC, Big Ten, Big XII and Pac-12. Farnham-Rose ran Cross-Country season in the fall, and is racing in the mile and 3000-meter races this spring. He said Cross Country has definitely helped him train for this spring. His first race of the indoor season was at the Commodore Classic where his hard work seemed to have paid off. He finished with a time of 8:08.77, which is a personal-best for him in the 3,000 meters. It is also the sixth fastest in the nation this season and the top time in the SEC.

“I trained hard over the winter break and stuff, but I didn’t expect to come out in the first meet [like that],” Farnham-Rose said. “I’m really happy I ended up with that.”

In addition to Farnham-Rose’s performance, junior Quanesha Burks won the 60-meter event last weekend with a time of 7.33. Burks, who normally competes in long jump, did the event to work on gaining speed on her first step. She said she was surprised by her time, but she is going to switch back to long jump for the Conference Clash.

“It was a great boost for the season to start, because long jump is my main event, and to just go out there compete in the 60 with a great time makes me look forward to long jump,” Burks said. “I am actually excited and looking forward to what the season has to bring.”