Alabama’s Incoming Recruiting Classes Earn Top-Five Rankings from Track & Field News
11/28/2017 11:40:00 AM | Track & Field, Cross Country
Women’s class rated No. 3, while men’s class ranked No. 5 nationally
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama track & field's incoming men's and women's recruiting classes earned No. 5 and No. 3 national ratings, respectively, in the 2017 Track & Field News Recruiting Rankings that will appear in the publication's December issue.
Alabama is the only Southeastern Conference team to boast men's and women's top-five classes this year. The Track & Field News rankings include student-athletes who will debut with Alabama track & field during the 2018 season.
The men's signing class already paid dividends during the cross country season as newcomers Gilbert Kigen (Kipkabus, Kenya) and Vincent Kiprop (Kericho, Kenya) won the NCAA South Regional and SEC Championship, respectively. The duo also earned All-America honors as they led the Crimson Tide men to a top-15 finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships earlier this month.
The men's class also includes Champion Allison (Sprints/Richmond, Texas), Santiago Basso (Throws/Roselle, Ill.), Hayden Blalock (Distance/Charlotte, N.C.), Christian Edwards (Jumps/Lake Charles, La.), Nathan Gamble (Distance/Raleigh, N.C.), Ryan Lipe (Pole Vault/Carmel, Ind.), Shelby McEwen (Jumps/Abbeville, Miss.), Andrew Powell (Distance/Brentwood, Tenn.), Jackson Reed (Distance/Summersville, WVa.), Jake Spotswood (Multis/Daphne, Ala.), Keitavious Walter (Sprints/Ruston, La.) and Okeen Williams (Sprints/Hurdles/St. Elizabeth, Jamaica).
The women's class features high school All-Americans Daija Lampkin (Sprints/Middletown, Del.) and Jaimie Robinson (Jumps/Flossmoor, Ill.). Robinson was a silver medalist in the triple jump for the United States at the 2017 Pan American U20 Track & Field Championships in Peru, while the versatile Lampkin was a multiple state champion at 55 meters, 100 meters, 200 meters and 400 meters as high schooler.
Also joining the Tide women's program this year are Ameena Benselloum (Distance/Herndon, Va.), Colleen Clancy (Pole Vault/Bulverde, Texas), Tamara Clark (Sprints/High Point, N.C.), Maddie Dearborn (Distance/Yorkville, Ill.), Margot Dooley (Distance/Evanston, Ill.), Ashley Eavenson (Distance/Northport, Ala.), Tamara Moncrieffe (Jumps/St. Ann, Jamaica), Mauricia Prieto (Sprints/Cochrane Village, Trinidad & Tobago), Kaylee Riley (Pole Vault/Bremen, Ga.), Krystal Sparling (Sprints/Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), Portious Warren (Throws/Matura, Trinidad & Tobago) and Demi Washington (Sprints/Clinton, Miss.).
Alabama will open the 2018 indoor track & field season at the UAB Blazer Invitational on Jan. 12 at the Birmingham CrossPlex.
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