Crimson Tide Falls To Rebels
In SEC Softball Tournament Semifinals
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| Sydney Littlejohn Alabama Softball Photo Credit: UA Athletics |
Saturday's semifinal game between Bama and the Rebs was to have originally been played on Friday afternoon, but inclement weather forced the day's game to be rescheduled to yesterday morning.
Chandler Dare and Melissa Runyon both went two-for-four on the day, with Dare picking up the Bama run. Bailey Hemphill was one-for-two in the contest, with the RBI that brought Dare across home plate. Merris Schroder put in a one-for-three effort on Saturday.
Alabama starting pitcher Sydney Littlejohn (15-8) suffered the loss, leaving the mound after 5.2 innings. Madi Moore came on in relief tossing 1.1 perfect innings.
Now the Crimson Tide awaits their fate in the field of 64 for the 2017 NCAA Softball Tournament. The announcement is scheduled for this morning at 9 p.m. CT live on ESPN2. NCAA Regional actions is set to begin as early at this coming Thursday, May 18th and is slated to continue through Sunday, May 21st.
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All Five Alabama Rowing Crews Advance To
Sunday Grand Finals Of Big 12 Championships
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| Photo Credit: UA Athletics |
The Crimson Tide opened with a big second-place finish in heat one of the First Varsity 8+, just edging out the third-place Kansas Jayhawks 6:32.237 to 6:34.075. The Tide's Second Varsity 8+ captured third place with a 6:57.662 finish. The Alabama First Varsity 4+ finished ahead of the Oklahoma Sooners by less than one second 7:15.272 to 7:15.8.
In heat two of the Second Varsity 4+ UA finished second with a time of 7:23.359 and then locked up a second-place finish in the prelims in the Third Varsity 8+ in 6:46.153, just two seconds behind Oklahoma in 6:44.535. A total of four crews competed in an exhibition Third Varsity 4+ race to wrap up the action on the water yesterday with the Tide placing second in 7:28.357.
With top-three finishes in each of Saturday's preliminary races, all five of the Crimson Tide's crews advance to Grand Final rounds today. Grand Finals begin this morning at 8:15 a.m. CT with the Third Varsity 8+ followed by the Second Varsity 4+ (8:45 a.m. CT), First Varsity 4+ (9:15 a.m. CT), Second Varsity 8+ (9:45 a.m. CT) and First Varsity 8+ (10:15 a.m. CT). The awards ceremony is slated to begin at 11 a.m. CT.
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Alabama Baseball Falls To Florida On Saturday
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Alabama Baseball Falls To Florida On Saturday
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| Photo Credit: UA Athletics |
TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – Florida baseball showed why it is the seventh-ranked team in the nation on Saturday night defeating the Alabama Crimson Tide 13-6 at Sewell-Thomas Stadium in Tuscaloosa. The Gators
captured the series win with the game-two victory. The University of Alabama now drops to 19-31 on the season and 5-21 in Southeastern Conference play.
Alabama baseball head coach Greg Goff said, "I thought we really competed. They had a bunch of big two-out hits. They're the fifth-ranked team in
the country for a reason, and they played like it tonight. Every time
we scored, they answered. That's what good teams do. I thought our guys
competed their rear ends off tonight, we just ran out of bullets on the
mound."
Though the Gators took an early one-run lead after their half of the first inning, the Crimson Tide came rolling back with three runs in the home half of the first to
take the lead 3-1. Florida then moved back in the lead due to a four-run third inning, but UA managed to cut that to just one run in the bottom of the sixth. It was then the Gators struck with seven runs across the seventh and eighth innings to stem the Tide.
Both Chandler Taylor and Alex Webb went two-for-three in the contest, with Taylor picking up two runs and two RBIs while Webb garnered two RBIs himself. Hunter Alexander was one-for-five in the game with one run and one RBI. Chandler Avant put in a one-for-five effort on the day. Dylan Duarte (2-6) suffered the loss for the Tide, while Brady Singer (6-3) picked up the win for the Gators.
The third and final game in the series is scheduled for today starting at 3 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on the SEC Network. Alabama will start senior right-hander Nick Eicholtz, with Florida countering with sophomore righty Jackson Kowar.
Today is Senior Day for the Crimson Tide. Bama's four seniors will be honored at the game. They are Tanner DeVinny, Eicholtz, Mike Oczypok and Taylor Poe.
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| Photo Credit: UA Athletics |
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Minkah Fitzpatrick Named To
2017 Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List
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| Minkah Fitzpatrick Photo Credit: UA Athletics |
Alabama Crimson Tide junior Minkah Fitzpatrick has been named to the 2017 Lott IMPACT Trophy watch list. He is one of 42 college players and 11 defensive backs named to the list.
The Lott IMPACT Trophy, named after Pro Football Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott, is annually awarded to college football's Defensive IMPACT Player of the year. The Lott Trophy annually recognizes both athletic performance and personal character attributes of a player, and is presented to the student-athlete exhibiting Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.
Six players from the Southeastern Conference made the list.
Fitzpatrick was a defensive star for the Crimson Tide last season, making 66 tackles, seven pass breakups, six interceptions (two returned for touchdowns), five tackles for loss, one sack and one forced fumble. The 66 tackles was fourth-best for the Bama defense.
The last UA football player to received the coveted trophy was linebacker DeMeco Ryans back in 2005.
Here is a complete list of the 2017 Lott IMPACT Watch List Nominees:
Marcus Allen, S, Penn State
Quin Blanding, S, Virginia
Jason Cabinda, LB, Penn State
Sean Chandler, S, Temple
Jack Cichy, LB, Wisconsin
Koron Crump, LB, Arizona State
Duke Ejiofer, DE, Wake Forest
Bryon Fields, CB, Duke
Zaire Franklin, LB, Syracuse
*Micah Fitzpatrick, DB, Alabama
Porter Gustin, DE, USC
Brecklyn Hager, DE, Texas
Chase Hansen, S, Utah
*Marquis Haynes, DE, Ole Miss
Sam Hubbard, DE, Ohio State
Josey Jewell, LB, Iowa
Joshua, Jewell, LB, Iowa
Joshua Kalu, S, Nebraska
*Todd Kelly, Jr, S, Tennessee
Micah Kiser, LB, Virginia
*Christian LaCouture, DE, LSU
Harold Landry, DE, Boston College
Tyquan Lewis, DE, Ohio State
*Courtney Love, LB, Kentucky
Hercules Mata'afa, DE, Washington State
Derek McCartney, LB, Colorado
Airius Moore, LB, North Carolina State
Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, LB, Oklahoma
Ed Oliver, DL, Houston
D.J. Palmore, LB, Navy
Harrison Phillips, DL, Stanford
D.J. Reed, DB, Kansas State
Cameron Saffle, DE, Cal
Tegray Scales, LB, Indiana
Cameron Smith, LB, USC
K.J. Smith, DE, Baylor
Ty Summers, LB, TCU
Drue Tranquill, S, Notre Dame
Azeem Victor, LB, Washington
Jordan Whitehead, S, Pitt
Christian Wilkins, DT, Clemson
*Tre Williams, LB, Auburn
Kenny Young, LB, UCLA
*SEC
The winner of the 14th Annual Lott IMPACT Trophy will be announced on December 10th at the Pacific Club in Newport Beach California.
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UA Men Finish 3rd, Women 7th At
Southeastern Conference Track & Field Championships
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| Photo Credit: UA Athletics |
The 103 points by Bama this year is the most for the Crimson Tide men since scoring a program-record 120 points at the 1986 SEC Championships in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Turning to the Tide women, the Bama belles recorded three finishes in the top three on the championships' final day, posting a seventh place finish with 57 points when the day was done.
Alabama track and field head coach Dan Waters commented, "I'm proud of the way we competed. I don't think there was anyone who didn't give 100 percent effort. That's what we asked them to do and that's what you have to do to win championships. I'm proud of our champions and the number of All-SEC performers we had. I know we'll use this as motivation next year because we feel like we'll continue to improve."
Men's Event Summaries – SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships- Day 3
4x100-Meter Relay – The men's 4x100-meter relay quartet of senior Steven Gayle, junior Jereem Richards, freshman Will Allen and junior Tony Brown finished eighth in a season-best 39.52.
1,500 Meters – Senior Robbie Farnham-Rose finished second in the men's 1,500 meters in 3:53.36. The finish is the first in the top two in the event for Alabama since a runner-up finish by David Kimani in 2002.
110-Meter Hurdles – Junior Ruebin Walters finished fourth in the men's 110-meter hurdles in 13.56.
400 Meters – Senior Steven Gayle finished sixth in the men's 400 meters in 46.04.
200 Meters – Junior Jereem Richards finished third in the men's 200 meters in 20.22, the fourth-fastest time in school history and the fastest legal time for Richards this season.
5,000 Meters – Junior Alfred Chelanga finished sixth in the men's 5,000 meters in 13:57.79, the ninth-fastest time in school history.
4x400-Meter Relay – The men's 4x400-meter relay team of freshman Will Allen, junior Jereem Richards, sophomore Skyler Bowden and senior Steven Gayle finished third in 3:02.75, the third-fastest time in school history and the fourth-fastest in the country this season.
Triple Jump – Senior Klyvens Delaunay finished sixth in the men's triple jump with a leap of 51-9 (15.77m), his second-best mark of the season. Freshman Michael Wiggins finished 13th with a jump of 46-11 ½ (14.31m).
Alabama Series
Delaunay – 49-11 ¾ (15.23m); 51-9 (15.77m); 49-10 ½ (15.20m); 50-5 ½ (15.38m); Foul; 51-8 1/4
Wiggins – Foul; 46-11 ½ (14.31m); Foul
Pole Vault – Sophomore Will Herrscher finished second in the men's pole vault with a clearance of 17-1 ½ (5.22m), equaling the sixth-best vault in school history.
Alabama Series
Herrscher – 16-1 ¾ (4.92m) (Pass); 16-7 ½ (5.07m) (Pass); 17-1 ½ (5.22m) (o); 17-5 ½ (5.32m) (xxx)
Zalesky – 16-1 ¾ (4.92m) (xxx)
Shot Put – Senior Kord Ferguson finished fourth with a mark of 60-6 ½ (18.45m). Senior Kyle Felpel finished seventh at 58-0 ¼ (17.68m).
Alabama Series
Ferguson- 57-7 ½ (17.56m); 60-6 ½ (18.45m); Foul; 60-5 ½ (18.42m); 60-2 (18.34m); 58-3 (17.75m)
Felpel- Foul; 58-0 ¼ (17.68m); Foul; Foul; Foul; 56-11 ½ (17.36m)
Nathan Karr- Foul; Foul; Foul
Women's Event Summaries – SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships- Day 3
4x100-Meter Relay – Alabama's women's 4x100-meter relay squad of sophomore Janel Pate, senior Diamond Gause, freshman Symone Darius and senior Quanesha Burks finished eighth in 44.41.
1,500 Meters – Sophomore Nicole Gardner finished 13th in the women's 1,500 meters in 4:43.01.
400 Meters – Senior Domonique Williams finished second in the women's 400 meters in 52.54. Freshman Takyera Roberson was sixth in 52.94. Williams' finish the first in the top two in the event for Alabama since a second place finish by Kou Luogon in 2006.
100 Meters – In her final appearance at the SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships, senior Quanesha Burks finished eighth in the women's 100 meters in 11.33
5,000 Meters – Freshmen Rebecca Buteau (17:00.99) and Hannah Capek (17:03.57) finished 23rd and 25th, respectively, in the women's 5,000 meters. The times are both personal-bests.
4x400-Meter Relay – The 4x400-meter relay quartet of seniors Alex Gholston and Diamond Gause, freshman Symone Darius and senior Domonique Williams finished third in 3:30.94, the fourth-fastest time in school history.
Javelin – Freshman Samantha Zelden finished seventh in the women's javelin with a personal-best throw of 170-2 (51.87m), the mark is the third-best in Alabama history. Zelden is now one of only three women in UA history to surpass 170 feet in the javelin and the first to do it since 1986.
Alabama Series
Zelden – 157-6 (48.00m); 158-8 (48.37m); 150-10 (45.97m); 154-9 (47.17m); 170-2 (51.87m); 156-2 (47.60m)
Discus – Sophomore Holly Julifs finished ninth in the women's discus with a season-best throw of 154-0 (46.94m). Junior Haley Teel finished 10th at 148-10 (45.36m). Freshman Hannah Chappell finished 11th at 146-8 (44.71m).
Alabama Series
Julifs- 149-11(45.70m); 154-0 (46.94m); Foul; Foul; 153-4 (46.75m); Foul
Teel- Foul; 148-10 (45.36m); 145-7 (44.39m)
Chappell- 146-8 (44.71m); Foul; Foul
High Jump – Sophomore Stacey Destin finished third in the women's high jump with a personal-best clearance of 6-0 ½, the eighth-best high jump mark in school history.
Alabama Series
Destin – 5-5 (1.65m) (Pass); 5-7 (1.70m) (o); 5-8 ¾ (1.75m) (o); 5-10 ¾ (1.80m) (o); 6-0 ½ (1.84m) (o); 6-2 (1.88m) (xxx)
SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships
Saturday, May 13, 2017
Columbia, S.C. (University of South Carolina)
Alabama Results
Men
Team Scoring
1. Texas A&M- 119
2. Arkansas- 106
3. ALABAMA- 103
4. Florida- 81.5
5. Georgia- 75
Finals
200 Meters- 3. Jereem Richards, 20.22
400 Meters- 6. Steven Gayle, 46.04
1,500 Meters- 2. Robbie Farnham-Rose, 3:53.36
110-Meter Hurdles- 4. Ruebin Walters, 13.56
5,000 Meters- 6. Alfred Chelanga, 13:57.79 (PB); 11. Antibahs Kosgei, 14:08.64 (PB); DNF. Conner Thompson; DNF. Robbie Farnham-Rose
4x100-Meter Relay – 8. Alabama (Steven Gayle, Jereem Richards, Will Allen, Tony Brown), 39.52 (SB)
4x400-Meter Relay – 3. Alabama (Will Allen, Jereem Richards, Skyler Bowden, Steven Gayle), 3:02.75
Triple Jump- 6. Klyvens Delaunay, 51-9 (15.77m); 13. Michael Wiggins, 46-11 ½ (14.31m)
Pole Vault- 2. Will Herrscher, 17-1 ½ (5.22m); NM. Jake Zalesky
Shot Put- 4. Kord Ferguson, 60-6 ½ (18.45m); 7. Kyle Felpel, 58-0 ¼ (17.68m); NM. Nathan Karr
Women
Team Scoring
1. Arkansas-128
2. LSU- 100
3. Kentucky- 81
4. Georgia- 77
5. Florida- 76
6. Texas A&M- 72
7. ALABAMA- 57
Finals
100 Meters- 8. Quanesha Burks, 11.33
400 Meters- 2. Domonique Williams, 52.54; 6. Takyera Roberson, 52.94
1,500 Meters- 13. Nicole Gardner, 4:43.01
5,000 Meters- 23. Rebecca Buteau, 17:00.99 (PB); 25. Hannah Capek, 17:03.57 (PB); X. DNF. Hannah Waggoner
4x100-Meter Relay – 8. Alabama (Janel Pate, Diamond Gause, Symone Darius, Quanesha Burks), 44.41
4x400-Meter Relay – 4. Alabama (Alex Gholston, Diamond Gause, Symone Darius, Domonique Williams), 3:30.94
Javelin- 7. Samantha Zelden, 170-2 (51.87m) (PB)
Discus- 9. Holly Julifs, 154-0 (46.94m) (SB); 10. Haley Teel, 148-10 (45.36m); 11. Hannah Chappell, 146-8 (44.71m)
High Jump- 3. Stacey Destin, 6-0 ½ (1.84m) (PB)
Alabama Superlatives
School Top-10 Performances
Men
Hammer Throw- 9t. Elias Hakansson, 227-4 (69.31m)
Javelin- 6. McLean Lipschutz, 243-10 (74.32m)
Javelin- 7. McLean Lipschutz, 241-1 (73.49m)
200 Meters- 4. Jereem Richards, 20.22
Pole Vault- 6. Will Herrscher, 17-1 ½ (5.22m)
5,000 Meters- 9. Alfred Chelanga, 13:57.79
4x400-Meter Relay – 3. Alabama (Will Allen, Jereem Richards, Skyler Bowden, Steven Gayle), 3:02.75
Women
Hammer Throw- 5. Danielle McConnell, 200-9 (61.19m)
Long Jump- 4. Quanesha Burks, 22-4 ½ (6.82m)
Shot Put- 4. Haley Teel, 54-6 ½ (16.62m)
Shot Put- 6. Haley Teel, 54-1 (16.48m)
100 Meters- 8. Quanesha Burks, 11.21
Javelin- 3. Samantha Zelden, 170-2 (51.87m)
Personal Bests
Men
200 Meters- Jereem Richards, 19.98w
200 Meters- Will Allen, 20.82w
400-Meter Hurdles- Ruebin Walters, 52.74
100 Meters- Tony Brown, 10.37
5,000 Meters- Alfred Chelanga, 13:57.79
5,000 Meters- Antibahs Kosgei, 14:08.64
Women
200 Meters- Olivia Fotopoulou, 23.81
1,500 Meters- Nicole Gardner, 4:24.46
400 Meters- Takyera Roberson, 52.51
400 Meters- Symone Darius, 54.82
Javelin- Samantha Zelden, 170-2 (51.87m)
High Jump- Stacey Destin, 6-0 ½ (1.84m)
5,000 Meters- Rebecca Buteau, 17:00.99
5,000 Meters- Hannah Capek, 17:03.57
Season Bests
Men
200 Meters- Skyler Bowden, 21.59w
4x100-Meter Relay – Alabama (Steven Gayle, Jereem Richards, Will Allen, Tony Brown), 39.52
Women
200 Meters- Diamond Gause, 23.01w
Discus- Holly Julifs, 154-0 (46.94m)
PB- Personal best
SB- Season best
SR- School record
NB- National best
NM- No mark
NH- No height
DNF- Did not finish
DNS- Did not start
Q- Qualified for final with heat win
q- Qualified for final on time
*Statistics Courtesy Of RollTide.com
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| Photo Credit: UA Athletics |
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Alabama Men's Golf Tees It Off
In The NCAA Washington Regional
SAMMAMISH, Washington - The University of Alabama Crimson Tide opens play on Monday in the 2017 NCAA Men's Golf Regional in Sammamish, Washington. The tournament is a three-day, 54-hole affair hosted by the University of Washington on the par 71, 6,885-yard golf course at the Aldarra Golf Club.
There will be 14 teams featured in the Washington Regional, including No. 1 seed USC, the top-ranked team in the United States. Also participating is 12th-ranked and No. 2 seed Kent State, 13th-ranked and No. 3 seed Texas A&M, No. 4 seed Florida State, No. 5 seed (host team) Washington, the Number 6 seed Alabama Crimson Tide, No. 7 seed San Diego State, No. 8 seed UTEP, No. 9 seed Penn State, No. 10 seed Michigan, No. 11 seed Michigan State, No. 12 seed Seattle, No. 13 seed Marquette and No. 14 Bryant.
The top five teams from each of the six regionals as well as the top individual finisher not on an advancing team will continue on to the NCAA Men's Golf National Championship set to be played at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Illinois May 26-31. The national championship tournament will feature 30 teams as well as six individuals.
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ESPN College GameDay To Open 2017 Football Season
In Atlanta, Georgia For Alabama-FSU
ESPN College GameDay will be in Atlanta, Georgia on September 2nd when the Alabama Crimson Tide football team led by head coach Nick Saban takes on the Florida State Seminoles. GameDay will be on location that morning for its regular highly-rated sports show, and be around throughout the day and that evening during and after the top-five matchup. Lee Corso made the announcement in an interview on Mobile, Alabama radio station WNSP-FM.
In an interview with AL.com, Corso said, "We're going to Alabama-Florida State. It's going to be that one because it is two excellent football teams. We're going to be starting the season going to a tremendous football game."
No game time or network has been set, or at least announced, as of yet for the opening game of the season for both football powerhouses.
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Happy Mother's Day
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| Shirley Jean Cole Smith Mom & Bama Fan Enjoying Heaven |
Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there. For those of us without our mother, today is a little sad. This is my first Mother's Day without my dear mom, Shirley Jean Cole Smith.
I miss her smile, the sparkle of her eyes, her big heart, her laugh that could even giggle like a schoolgirl in her 70s.
She succumbed to Alzheimer's Disease just a few months ago, but is enjoying heaven today. I miss you, Mom, and will see you soon.
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| Mom, Dad & Me this past August Shirley Smith - Loving Wife, Mother & Alabama Fan |
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| Nana with her great-grandbabies |
