Quanesha Burks Places 2nd In Long Jump At Championships
Quanesha Burks Takes Second Place
Photo Credit: RollTide.com
Burks was seeking her second consecutive NCAA outdoor title in the long jump and led the contest through the first five rounds of jumps. She took the lead in her opening attempt with a leap of 20 feet, 10 inches (6.35m) and improved on that mark in her second jump (21' 0": 6.40m) and third attempts (21' 1 ¼": 6.43m). Georgia’s Chanice Porter, jumping before Burks, briefly took the lead in the fifth round with a jump of 21' 1 ½ " (6.44m) before Burks answered back with a jump of 21' 4 ¾" (6.52m) on her next jump. That mark stood until Porter’s final attempt, when she jumped 21' 10 ¾" (6.67m) to claim the title.
Burks commented, "The competition was very good and we had a lot of weather going on with the rain and the cold. That means a lot of adjustments up and back to be on top of the board. Second isn’t what I wanted, but just being able to come here again this year is a blessing."
In other NCAA Championships action, the women’s 4x400 relay team consisting of Alex Gholston, Diamond Gause, Domonique Williams and Katie Funcheon turned in Alabama's fastest time of the season and the fifth-fastest time in school history (3:33.37) to finish 11th in the semifinals.
It was Bama sophomore Haley Teel finishing 18th in the shot put with a mark of 52' 8 ¼" (16.06m) on the day. Gholston captured 16th in the 400 meters with a 53.11 and Vanessa Clerveaux came in at No. 17 in semifinals of the 100-meter hurdles in 13.24, the 10th-fastest time in school history.
Alabama track & field is back at it today on the final day of the men’s competition. Junior Tony Brown will be chasing the Tide's first 110-meter hurdle title since 2002 when he competes in the event final at 3:12 p.m. CT. In the field events today it will be senior Justin Fondren making his fourth and final NCAA Outdoor Championships appearance in the high jump. Kord Ferguson, Hayden Reed, Joe Williams and Daniel Haugh will be participating in the discus competition this afternoon.
Alex Gholston
Photo Credit: RollTide.com
Vanessa Clerveaux
Photo Credit: RollTide.com
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Saban "Doesn't Really Care" What Harbaugh Says Or Does
UA Head Football Coach Nick Saban
Photo Credit: RollTide.com
Photo Credit: RollTide.com
In an interview with ESPN's Chris Low, University of Alabama head football coach Nick Saban had a few words concerning Jim Harbaugh, "I don't really care what he thinks."
Saban's charity golf tournament is underway for Nick's Kids and really didn't want to get into the issue concerning Harbaugh and the recent war of words. In fact, he says there is no issue. He stated, "I have no beef about Jim Harbaugh. Jim Harbaugh is fine with me. I didn't say anything about him and I'm not saying anything about him right now. Everybody has the right to manage their program like they want. I'm not in any way critical of anything he's doing or has done or anything else. I don't really care."
Saban's charity golf tournament is underway for Nick's Kids and really didn't want to get into the issue concerning Harbaugh and the recent war of words. In fact, he says there is no issue. He stated, "I have no beef about Jim Harbaugh. Jim Harbaugh is fine with me. I didn't say anything about him and I'm not saying anything about him right now. Everybody has the right to manage their program like they want. I'm not in any way critical of anything he's doing or has done or anything else. I don't really care."
As you probably recall, Harbaugh took exception to comments Saban made at the SEC spring meetings in Destin, Florida. Harbaugh posted a tweet saying it was "amazing to me Alabama broke NCAA rules & now their HC is lecturing us on the possibility of rules being broken at camps. Truly amazing."
Of course after saying he didn't care what Harbaugh thinks or tweets, Saban had to endure another blast from Harbaugh saying that Saban was hypocritical given recent issues with Alabama defensive line coach Bo Davis, who resigned from the program after being involved in unspecified NCAA violations.
Other things have been said, and probably will continue to be said considering the two coaches are on opposite ends of the satellite camps issue. But Saban said he's through, that he has too much going on to worry about Harbaugh.
"I'm worried about what we do, what our program does, what our players need to do, what our coaches are doing," Saban said. "That's enough for me. That's as much as I can handle.
Saban has always been one to speak his mind on issues involving players, what is in their best interest, their safety and well-being. He is most likely to continue to do so.
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Anton McKee, Lauren Beers Win Honors
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2016 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans Of The Year
What is that old saying, "The best things come in threes"?
The second and third of the three for The University of Alabama came yesterday when it swept the Academic All-American of the Year titles for the at-large team selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Those two are Crimson Tide swimmer Anton McKee and gymnast Lauren Beers. The duo were selected as the 2016 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans of the Year for the Division I Men's and Women's At-Large programs. The at-large teams consist of the sports of fencing, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming & diving, tennis and water polo for both men and women, as well as beach volleyball, bowling, crew and field hockey for women, and then volleyball and wrestling for men.
"This is an amazing honor for Anton and Lauren, their teams and the Crimson Tide nation as a whole," stated UA Director of Athletics Bill Battle. "To have both Academic All-Americans of the Year for the at-large teams come from The University of Alabama is a direct result of the drive and dedication that our student-athletes put into the pursuit of academic excellence."
The first of the "threes" mentioned earlier is what makes Alabama the first school to have three Academic All-Americans of the Year in the same academic year. Earlier Haylie McCleney earned the softball honor for 2016, making it two consecutive years she has don so.
Battle continued, "These honors speak to the hard work of our student-athletes and the continued pursuit of our Mission by our coaches and support staff. Special recognition must be given to the efforts of Jon Dever and Jessie Gardner and their staff within our Center for Athletic Student Services."
McKee is the first Alabama student-athlete to be named Academic All-American of the Year for the men’s at-large team. Beers, however, is now the fifth woman to earn the honor for Bama for the at-large team, the most in the history of the award. Crimson Tide gymnasts have captured the award a total of four times. now. Beers won for 2016, Kim Jacob in 2014, Kayla Hoffman in 2011 and Stephanie Kite in 2005. Also winning for the Tide women was golfer Brooke Pancake in 2012.
Alabama Crimson Tide student-athletes have now earned Academic All-American of the Year for their respective sport a total of 10 times, making Alabama one of only five institutions to total double digits. Over the last six years, Alabama has had nine student-athletes earn Academic All-American of the Year accolades, which is the most by any school over that span and four more than second-place Stanford.
UA has had five student-athletes named to the 2016 Academic All-America At-Large Teams, making Alabama one of just three schools to have more than three student-athletes earn the honor this year. Alabama is one of two schools, the other being Navy, to have three student-athletes earn a place on the men’s at-large team while Crimson Tide swimming and diving is the only team to have three honorees.
McKee and junior Connor Oslin both earned Academic All-America honors for the second year in a row, earning first-team recognition in 2016. Their classmate, Pavel Romanov, has earned second-team honors. Alabama's swimming and diving program has now earned 15 Academic All-America honors since 2005. With the addition of McKee and Oslin's honors, this makes five times since 2005 that two or more members of the swimming and diving team have earned the honor in the same year.
Beers earned her third Academic All-America nod and second consecutive first-team honor while junior Mackenzie Brannan earned second-team honors. At least one University of Alabama gymnast has earned a place on the women's at-large team in eight of the last nine years. UA gymnasts have now earned Academic All-America honors 20 times since 1987.
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Roman Harper Back With New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saint & Former Crimson Tider Roman Harper
Photo Credit: wikimedia.org
Former University of Alabama defensive back Roman Harper is back with the New Orleans Saints of the NFL. He has been with the Carolina Panthers for the past two seasons.
During a press conference yesterday Harper spoke of the changes since he was away from New Orleans, saying, "I've been gone two years, and I know more coaches than I do players. "
Harper was drafterd in the second round of the 2006 NFL draft by the New Orleans Saints and spent eight years with them as a safely. He earned Pro Bowl honors as their strong safety two seasons, in 2009 and 2010.
Harper called it "a pleasant surprise" to be back. He signed a one year, $1.065 million contract to make his return to the Saints.
