June 11, 2015
Kelly Ward
When it comes to championships, a top seed doesn't guarantee a win. Any given athlete at the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship in Eugene, Ore., has the opportunity to win an event.
"The thing about going into the NCAA championship is that it could be anybody's game, whoever has it on a given day," University of Alabama head coach Dan Waters said. "We have people who might be ranked 17th or 18th in the nation go in there and win it. … It's kind of who's ready on the day, and I think we'll be ready on the day."
Take Alabama freshman Filippa Fotopoulou, for example. Over the course of the season, she's improved her long jump by two feet. Ranked 18th in the SEC, she finished seventh at the NCAA East Preliminary after a personal best of 20 feet, 1⁄2 inch to earn a place at NCAAs. She has the No. 19 seed in the event.
It's also possible on today that the top-seeded women's long jumper wins it all. Alabama sophomore Quanesha Burks is ranked No. 6 in the world on top of being the No. 1 seed in the women's long jump.
Burks, who said she's just learning meters, won the SEC women's long jump with a personal best of 6.84 meters. Her coach, assistant coach Dick Booth, told her it was far, but it wasn't until it was announced that she knew it was 22 feet, 51⁄4 inches, her personal best.
She didn't need to jump her best to win the NCAA East Preliminary and earn the No. 1 seed. Twenty-one feet, 83⁄4 inches was enough.
Burks is also on the women's 4x100 relay team, but it's jumping that has her excited.
"I just love the process of it and just to get the big jumps out there and to celebrate because I never thought I could jump how I'm jumping," Burks said.
Alabama women's track - ranked 25th nationally by U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association - is competing in four individual events and has one relay team.
For the athletes who are making their first appearance in the championship, Waters said the mentality is consistency.
"Just do what it took to get here and more than likely that's going to end you up in the top eight, that's going to advance you to the final," Waters said. "A lot of times what you'll see is people go there and try to do something that they're not ready to do, and they'll make a mistake. And that's really what we try to teach the young people - just have the kind of performance it took to get here and then you'll be extremely happy."
The women's events - with the exception of the women's heptathlon which started Wednesday - begin today. The championship concludes Saturday.
https://alabama.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1773985
Kelly Ward
When it comes to championships, a top seed doesn't guarantee a win. Any given athlete at the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship in Eugene, Ore., has the opportunity to win an event.
"The thing about going into the NCAA championship is that it could be anybody's game, whoever has it on a given day," University of Alabama head coach Dan Waters said. "We have people who might be ranked 17th or 18th in the nation go in there and win it. … It's kind of who's ready on the day, and I think we'll be ready on the day."
Take Alabama freshman Filippa Fotopoulou, for example. Over the course of the season, she's improved her long jump by two feet. Ranked 18th in the SEC, she finished seventh at the NCAA East Preliminary after a personal best of 20 feet, 1⁄2 inch to earn a place at NCAAs. She has the No. 19 seed in the event.
It's also possible on today that the top-seeded women's long jumper wins it all. Alabama sophomore Quanesha Burks is ranked No. 6 in the world on top of being the No. 1 seed in the women's long jump.
Burks, who said she's just learning meters, won the SEC women's long jump with a personal best of 6.84 meters. Her coach, assistant coach Dick Booth, told her it was far, but it wasn't until it was announced that she knew it was 22 feet, 51⁄4 inches, her personal best.
She didn't need to jump her best to win the NCAA East Preliminary and earn the No. 1 seed. Twenty-one feet, 83⁄4 inches was enough.
Burks is also on the women's 4x100 relay team, but it's jumping that has her excited.
"I just love the process of it and just to get the big jumps out there and to celebrate because I never thought I could jump how I'm jumping," Burks said.
Alabama women's track - ranked 25th nationally by U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association - is competing in four individual events and has one relay team.
For the athletes who are making their first appearance in the championship, Waters said the mentality is consistency.
"Just do what it took to get here and more than likely that's going to end you up in the top eight, that's going to advance you to the final," Waters said. "A lot of times what you'll see is people go there and try to do something that they're not ready to do, and they'll make a mistake. And that's really what we try to teach the young people - just have the kind of performance it took to get here and then you'll be extremely happy."
The women's events - with the exception of the women's heptathlon which started Wednesday - begin today. The championship concludes Saturday.
https://alabama.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1773985
