The Alabama men’s track and field team finished tied for fifth at the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Friday evening in Eugene, Oregon. 

“We had some spectacular performances this week and everyone competed incredibly hard,” Alabama coach Dan Waters said. “It came down to centimeters and thousandths of a second for a trophy so I’m very proud of our guys. They competed hard throughout the year. I can’t say enough about their commitment and what they were able to accomplish.”

The Crimson Tide was able to post its first top-five finish at the NCAA Championships since 1986 behind All-America performances in the high jump, triple jump, shot put and 110-meter hurdle.

Junior Shelby McEwen finished second in the high jump, while fellow junior Kord Ferguson finished fourth in the discus. Senior Ruebin Walters and freshman Christian Edwards finished sixth in the 110-meter hurdles and the triple jump.

Those impressive finishes – coupled with top-ten performances from Daniel Haugh in the hammer throw and Vincent Kiprop and Gilbert Kigen in the 10,000 meters – vaulted Alabama to a tie for fifth place.

Georgia took the top spot at the NCAA Championships with a resounding 52 points. Florida trailed with 42, followed by Houston with 35, USC with 34 and Alabama and Texas Tech with 33. 

“We didn’t quite get what we wanted,” Waters said, “but the nice thing is almost every one of these athletes comes back next year and we should have a really strong team. Being in the top five in the country will help you do some things in the future.”