Alabama women’s track and field finished up a strong weekend at the NCAA Outdoor Championships placing 15th. The Crimson Tide picked up 15 points over two days of competition at Hayward Field on the University of Oregon campus.  

Alabama was led by Mercy Chelangat who finished fourth Saturday in the 5,000-meter with a time of 15:24.54. Previously Chelangat had won the 10,000-meter national title on Thursday. Chelangat finishes up her stellar year adding the fourth-place finish to her second-place finish at the 2021 NCAA Cross Country Championships as well as her third-place finish in the 5,000-meter at the 2022 NCAA Indoor Championships.  

The 15th place finish overall was Alabama’s third straight top-15 finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships as well as the programs 18th overall.  

Head coach Dan Waters had high praise for Chelangat.  

“I can’t say enough about the heart and passion that Mercy runs with,” Waters said. “She has been a huge part of our success over the last few seasons, and this weekend was no exception.”  

The outdoor championships wrap up the track and field season as focus shifts towards the 2022 cross country season. 

“Overall, we’re proud of the effort that this team put forth and the way younger athletes grew as the year went along,” Waters said. “We are primed to come back with a great roster next season and we’re just going to go out there and do everything we can to move up ladder as we go along.”