The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Track and Field Prepares for Samford Invitational
2/12/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
Live Results and Heat Sheets | Schedule
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The UAB track and field team will compete in the Samford Invitational this weekend at the Birmingham CrossPlex, with competition taking place all day Friday and Saturday.
This marks the final meet the Blazers will enter as a team before they host the Conference USA Indoor Championships on Feb. 25-26 at the Birmingham CrossPlex.
"This is our last competition before the conference championships, so we're looking for improvement from our last meet a few weeks ago to set us up to score points at C-USA,” UAB head coach Kurt Thomas said. “Our staff was pleased with what our athletes did a few weeks ago. We've had lots of good training since then, and now it's time to let them loose and compete like they're capable of."
Results will be posted each day on UABSports.com.
Blazers Posting Strong Performances in Distance Events
Heading to the Samford Invitational, UAB’s track and field team has been anchored by strong performances in the distance events. Lucy Crookes has top-five finishes in the mile, the 3,000-meter and the 5,000-meter this season. Crookes’ times of 9:45.21 and 9:54.48 in the 3,000 earned her victories at the Birmingham-Southern Icebreaker and the Blazer Invite, respectively.
In each of those meets, Rebecca Evans finished second in the 3,000 behind Crookes. Evans ran a 10:01.20 at the Blazer Invite, while clocking a time of 10:10.96 at the Birmingham-Southern Icebreaker. Evans ran the 3,000 at the Vulcan Invite on Jan. 23, finishing third with a season-best time of 9:55.57.
Sarah Livett added a fifth-place finish in the mile during the Vulcan Meet, finishing the race in 5:09.72.
Leach Victorious in the Long Jump
The Blazers picked up their first win in a field event this season at the Vulcan Invite when Shanice Leach finished first in the long jump. Leach leapt 5.99 meters (19 feet, eight inches) on her third attempt to take home the victory.
UAB Heating Up Towards End of Season
The UAB track and field team turned in six top-five finishes at the Vulcan Invite on Jan. 23, the most top-five finishes at a single meet for the Blazers this season.
At the Vulcan Invite, the Blazers recorded numerous season-bests, highlighted by Autumnn Burnett’s time of 8.62 in the 60m hurdles, Sarah Livett’s time of 5:09.72 in the mile, Kendra Gipson’s 11.56m mark in the triple jump and Shanice Leach’s marks of 5.99m in the long jump and 11.48m in the triple jump.
For the latest news on Blazer sports, follow the UAB Athletics Twitter account, @UABathletics. For an in-depth look into the UAB Track & Field program, follow @UAB_TrackXC on Twitter.
Players Mentioned
