Alabama
Florida Relays
Alabama Track and Field Headed to Major Competitions on Opposites Sides of the Country
3/27/2019 5:18:00 PM | Track & Field, Cross Country
The majority of the Crimson Tide men and women are headed to the Florida Relays, while Alabama’s distance corps wings its way to the west coast for the Stanford Invitational
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama track and field is ramping things up this weekend, traveling to two of the nation's premiere early season outdoor meets on opposite ends of the country.
"It's an exciting time of the season for us," UA head coach Dan Waters said. "Coming off a great indoor season and moving on to outdoors, this is an opportunity to see where we are and how far we can progress."
The majority of the Crimson Tide men and women are headed to the Florida Relays in Gainesville, Fla., while the UA distance corps is headed to Palo Alto, Calif., for the Stanford Invitational.
"These will be our first big meets of the outdoor season," Waters said. "We're out in California and down in Florida. The Florida Relays is a very tough event and it's tougher than it's ever been this year, so we'll be very well tested and it will kind of set the tone for the rest of the outdoor season."
The Stanford Invitational is a one-day meet, which will get underway at 11:30 a.m. PT, on Friday, March 29. Senior All-American Alfred Chelanga is among the distance crew heading to California.
"I'm very excited because this is my first race of the year," Chelanga, who hasn't raced since last spring, said. "I was out for about four months so I'm ready to compete when we get out to California. I'll be competing in the 10,000 meter and the mindset is to go there, run fast and make a regional qualifying time and hopefully the school record. I know its quick, but hopefully I can get it."
In Florida, the Tide will compete in the sprints, hurdles, middle distance, jumps and throws as well as the 4x100, 4x400 and 4x800-meter relays. The meet spans three days, March 28-30.
"I've never been to the Florida Relays, so it's going to be a new experience for me and for some of my teammates as well," sophomore All-American Daija Lampkin said. "But we know there is going to be great competition there, so that's a good way to start out the season."
Get all the latest information on the team by following @AlabamaTrack on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. General athletic news can also be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and AlabamaAthletics on Facebook.
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