From Alabama Athletics
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Alabama Crimson Tide men stormed to their first conference title since 1972 on the final day of the 2018 Southeastern Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships on Sunday at Texas A&M’s Gilliam Indoor Track & Field Stadium in College Station, Texas. In second place after Saturday’s events, the Tide roared to the front of the pack behind a 21-point performance in the 5,000 meters and four additional top-three finishes on Sunday to clinch the crown.
“This was a total team championship,” head coach Dan Waters said following the meet. “Everyone contributed. One of the most impressive things about this championship was where the points came from. Our freshman triple jumper, Christian Edwards, finishing second. Kord Ferguson finishing second in the shot put with an amazing mark. Shelby McEwen winning the high jump for our only individual title. Our distance runners scoring 31 points in the 3,000 and 5,000. It was a total team effort and that’s how we built this program. Everyone chipped in one way or another.”
Alabama won the title with 91 points, two points ahead of runner-up Arkansas (88). Florida (83.5), Texas A&M (75.5) and Georgia (71) round out the top five.
The conference crown is the sixth indoor championship in school history. The men previously won the SEC in 1958, 1959, 1961, 1962 and 1972.
Alabama entered the day trailing Saturday leader Florida, 30.5-28. The Gators extended the lead with multiple scorers in Sunday’s first-five events but senior Ruebin Walters and junior Keitavious Walter kept the Tide within striking distance with second- and seventh-place finishes in the 60-meter hurdles and 60 meters, respectively.
But it was the longest race of the day that catapulted the Crimson Tide into championship contention as juniors Gilbert Kigen and Vincent Kiprop and seniors Alfred Chelanga and Conner Thompson finished 2-3-5-6 in the men’s 5,000 meters for 21 points to push Alabama into a lead it would not relinquish.
Alabama continued to pile up the points as senior Will Herrscher and freshman Jake Spotswood finished 3-4 in the pole vault. Freshman Christian Edwards and junior Kord Ferguson added second-place finishes in the triple jump and shot put, respectively, and Walter finished sixth in the 200 meters. Alabama clinched the championship with an eighth-place finish in the 4x400-meter relay, the final event of the evening.
Alabama will now turn its attention to the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships, which will also be held at Texas A&M University, March 9-10. Final qualifiers for the NCAA meet will be announced later this week.
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