Where Are They Now?
Pg. 1 Coach Waters: State of the Program Pg. 2 Athlete Spotlight: Quanesha Burks Pg. 3 Meet the Coach: Blaine Wiley Pg. 4 Crimson Tide Cross Country Preview
State of the Program Where Are They Now? Dear Alumni and Boosters, The Alabama track and field team finished the 2014-15 season with strong performances at the SEC and NCAA Outdoor Championships. Our staff is pleased with the progression of our athletes and with the direction of our program. We continue to add depth to our roster on both the men’s and women’s sides and are looking forward to taking the entire track and field program to new heights. Quanesha Burks produced an electric outdoor season, particularly for a sophomore. We knew she was capable of jumping the distances she reached this past spring, so it was both satisfying and exciting to see her break through like she did, winning both the SEC and NCAA long jump championships while setting a new school record in the event. On the men’s side, we scored in three different events at the NCAA Championships. Steven Gayle finished fifth in the 400 meters, Jeremiah Green placed sixth in the triple jump, and our 4x100 relay team took eighth. We have added two new assistant coaches to the staff this season, Dion Miller and Blaine Wiley. Coach Miller will be working with the short sprints while Coach Wiley will be working with the long sprints. Both bring a tremendous amount of experience and success to the staff while also being great fits for what we are trying to accomplish moving forward. Dick Booth has also transitioned into a new role, as he will now serve as the Director of Operations and Special Events. As a reminder, we will be hosting the 2016 SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships at the Sam Bailey Track and Field Complex next May. We will host a reception for all former athletes at the 2016 SEC meet, and we invite all of our alumni and fans to attend what we anticipate will be a memorable and significant weekend for our entire track & field program. Roll Tide! Dan Waters
Ron Bramlett
Ron Bramlett competed for the Crimson Tide men’s track and field team from 1999-2002, winning a total of four SEC individual titles in his career as he claimed the indoor 60-meter hurdles in 2001 and 2002 and the outdoor 110-meter hurdles in 2001-02. Ron earned AllAmerica honors seven times, including three each in the 60-meter and 110-meter hurdles and once in the 4x100 relay. He also won three NCAA championships during his time at the Capstone, taking home the 110-meter hurdles crown in 2001 and 2002 while also winning the 60-meter hurdles title in 2002. His 60-meter hurdles time of 7.52 still stands as the Alabama record in the event. What are you doing now? “My wife, two daughters, and I live in Columbia, S.C. We have a 4-year-old, Brooke, who is in preschool, and our second daughter, Drew, is three months old. My wife Myra Combs (a former LSU track standout from 1997-2001) is an elementary school principal. I am currently a corporate analyst for a large automotive group headquartered in Charlotte. My company owns 103 new franchise dealerships nationwide and I am responsible for used-vehicle inventory levels and overall profitability for 21 dealerships in the North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida markets.” Have you been back to the university over the past few years? “I left Tuscaloosa in 2004 to train in Columbia, S.C. The last time I visited Tuscaloosa was in the summer of 2006 – until fall of 2013. I came to visit Miguel [Pate] for the LSU football game that year. Seven years is a long time, and everything looked so different - its amazing how much campus has grown and evolved. I actually got lost coming down Bryant Drive trying to get to the track. I attended UA from 1999-2002, and I always felt our campus was one of the biggest and nicest I had seen – it’s not even the same place anymore. Everything is bigger, newer and nicer. I laugh when I think about how nice I thought our facilities were back 15 years ago.” Continued on Page Two
Athlete Spotlight: Quanesha Burks Quanesha Burks will be looking to build off of a tremendous outdoor season when her 2015-16 campaign begins.
The native of Hartselle, Ala., was a two-time All-American as a freshman in 2014, earning First Team honors in the outdoor 4x100 relay and Honorable Mention in the outdoor long jump. After bursting onto the scene as a rookie, Burks faced high expectations in her sophomore season. She more than delivered. Burks had her struggles during the 2015 indoor season, but finished strong with a sixth place showing in the long jump at the SEC Championships. At the Crimson Tide Invitational, where she competed in the long jump for the first time in the 2015 outdoor season, she won the title with a jump of 21 feet, four inches. The Tide sophomore was just get-
ting started. She again took first in the long jump at The Border Clash before having a stellar weekend in Norman, Okla., at the John Jacobs Invitational. At thate event, Burks jumped 21-9 to smash the 28-year old school record of 21-6 1/2. She also ran the second leg for the 4x100 relay team that won the event. Burks continued to improve as the season went along, jumping over 22 feet for the first time in her collegiate career when she took home the long jump title at the SEC Championships with a mark of 22-5 1/4. In addition to her SEC title, she was the second leg on the 4x100 relay team which finished with a season-best time of 43.60 to claim fifth. Two weeks later, Burks took first in the long jump at the NCAA East Prelims, making her the top seed and keeping her undefeated streak in the outdoor long jump alive going into the NCAA Championships. With the pressure of being the top seed and the crowd firmly supporting two jumpers from the University of Oregon in the long jump finals, Burks came through with a mark of 22-8 for the NCAA crown. She is the first long jump champion in Crimson Tide history and the first in the jumps since 1989. She left Eugene as a four-time All-American, being named a First Feam All-American in the long jump while earning a spot on the Second Team for the 4x100 relay.
Burks was a semifinalist for the Bowerman Trophy, the highest individual honor in collegiate track and field. She has stayed busy this summer, recently capturing gold in the long jump at the 2015 NACAC Senior Championships in San Jose, Costa Rica, as well as competing in the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, where she finished eighth. She has also been highly successful in the classroom through her first two years at the Capstone, carrying a career grade point average of 3.6. She recently earned All-Academic honors from the USTFCCCA.
Ron Bramlett continued What do you think of the current direction of the program? “For me, the direction of the track program is reflective of the change seen everywhere else on campus. As an alum, of course, it is good to see all the nice new buildings on campus. And it’s also great to see our football team become and maintain consistent dominance like the years past. But it’s even better to watch our track team make headlines the past few years. I’m not surprised when I read or hear about all the positive achievements of our program, athletic or academic – these things
are expected. There are a lot of alumni like myself, all over the country, that expect greatness in everything related to Alabama. That’s just a given. That means there is always a feeling of pressure to perform, to improve, and to meet the expectations you make for yourself. It’s evident to me that our program understands and thrives on this. It’s good to see that this is the culture of the program – as an alum, I know any expectation I have for the Alabama track team is nowhere near what this team, staff or the University expects or envisions. That’s how things should be - everyone committed to the
success. I look forward to seeing our team continue to do big things on and off the track and I plan to visit each year to be reminded of how old I am while I get lost on campus and talk about how we used to walk 10 miles uphill both directions in the snow to track practice everyday. Thanks to Coach Waters, the staff and the team for maintaining a strong quality program we can all be proud of. We know its not easy task - but the fulfillment in grooming strong men and women is the true reward and your alumni appreciate all that you do.”
Meet The Coaches: Blaine Wiley
Blaine Wiley, a 10-time junior college National Assistant Coach of the Year, is beginning his first season as an assistant coach on The University of Alabama track and field staff. Wiley will coach the long sprints (men’s and women’s 400 meters, 800, 400-meter hurdles and relays) for the Crimson Tide. Wiley came to Alabama following 10 seasons at South Plains College, one of the nation’s best junior college track and field programs. He has a proven record of success on the track and in the classroom, having coached on a staff that has led South Plains to 30 NJCAA national team championships while sending more than 70 athletes on to full scholarships at elite NCAA Division I programs. Wiley also has significant international and Olympic experience, having mentored six Olympians and eight IAAF World Championships participants, including two medalists. “It’s very humbling and meaningful to me to become a small part of the traditions, legacy and history of success that make Alabama such a special place in the world of collegiate athletics and I look forward to helping Dan’s vision for the program become a reality,” Wiley said. During his tenure at South Plains, the Texans won 30 NJCAA team national championships, set seven NJCAA
national records, produced 116 NJCAA individual and relay national champions and produced seven NJCAA men’s and women’s National Athletes of the Year (indoor and outdoor). South Plains sent six athletes to compete for their native countries at the 2012 London Olympics, produced one Olympic finalist (Renny Quow of Trinidad and Tobago in the men’s 400 meters at the 2008 Beijing Olympics) and eight IAAF World Championships qualifiers - LaToy Williams (Bahamas, 2009-1113, 400, 4x400), Renny Quow (Trinidad and Tobago, 2009-11-13, 400, 4x400), Rondell Bartholomew (Grenada, 2011, 400), Jura Levy (Jamaica, 2011, 100, 4x100), Janelle Redhead (Grenada, 2011, 200), Shavez Hart (Bahamas, 2013, 100, 4x100), Trevorvano Mackey (Bahamas, 2013, 100, 200, 4x100) and Lestrod Roland (Saint Kitts and Nevis, 2013, 200, 4x100). During Wiley’s time in Levelland, South Plains has produced two IAAF World Championships medalists Renny Quow (Trinidad and Tobago, Bronze, 400, 2009) and Jura Levy (Jamaica, Silver, 4x100-meter relay, 2011) and two Texans athletes ranked in the top four in the world in the 400 meters in 2009 - Renny Quow (No. 2) and LaToy Williams (No. 4). South Plains’ 2010 men’s outdoor 4x400 relay ranked No. 7 among all colleges and universities in the US, the 2011 men’s indoor 4x400 relay ranked No. 3 in the world, the 2012 men’s indoor 4x400 (fourth) and South Plains’ outdoor 4x400 (12th) ranked among the best in the world. The Texans’ 2013 men’s 4x100 ranked No. 9 among all colleges/universities in the U.S., the 2014 men’s indoor 4x400 ranked No. 15 in the world and the 2014 men’s sprint medley relay ranked No. 1 among all U.S. colleges/universities. As an assistant coach at Texas State from 2002-06, Wiley coached 16 South-
land Conference individual and relay champions for the Bobcats, including 112 All-Southland Conference athletes, 28 NCAA Midwest Regional qualifiers, two NCAA national qualifiers, one USATF national semifinalist and two USATF Junior Nationals qualifiers. Wiley coached Texas State athletes to 63 school all-time top 10 performances, eight Texas State school records and two Southland Conference records. Texas State produced seven Southland Conference championship teams over a span of four seasons, including a sweep of the 2004 men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor titles. Wiley helped lead the Bobcats to a Southland Conference outdoor record points total for the women’s team in 2004 (195), coached the Southland Conference Athlete of the Year and Outstanding Track Performer in 2003 and 2004 (indoor and outdoor) and the Southland Conference High Point Athlete in 2003, 2004 and 2006. Before joining the staff at Texas State, Wiley was a sprinter on the Bobcats’ track team from 1997-2000, accomplishing career bests of 10.29 (wind-aided) in the outdoor 100 meters and 6.20 in the indoor 55-meter dash (a time that ranked in the world’s top 20 in 2000). As a student-athlete, Wiley was a member of the 1998 and 2000 outdoor conference championship teams. A two-time team captain for the Bobcats, Wiley was also a member of the schoolrecord sprint medley relay team. Wiley, a native of Round Rock, Texas, graduated from Texas State in May 2000 with a degree in Business Administration and completed a Master’s degree in Secondary Education in May 2008. Wiley and his wife, Julie, have two sons, Hayden Blaine Alan, and Landon James. Julie was a track and field letter winner at Texas State from 1996-2000.
Dan Waters, Head Coach P.O. Box 870393 Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487-0393
Crimson Tide Cross Country Preview Alabama enters the 2015 cross country season with a pair of deep teams that will be expected to compete for strong team finishes on both the conference and national levels. Twenty-five runners (12 men, 13 women) return for head coach Dan Waters and distance coach Adam Tribble. The veterans are joined by 12 newcomers (three men, nine women). The men’s and women’s teams finished 6th and 3rd, respectively, at the 2014 SEC Championships. Junior Robbie Farnham-Rose, who finished in the top 20 at both the SEC Championships and the NCAA South Regional Championships, will lead a veteran men’s lineup. On the women’s side, a All-NCAA South Region performers senior Katelyn Greenleaf and junior Hannah Waggoner should lead the way once again. MEN’S TEAM Now in their fifth year on campus, Waters and Tribble could have the men’s team set up for a breakthrough season this fall. Returning all but one of its scorers from the SEC Championships and NCAA South Regional Championships, the 2015 squad is composed mostly of veteran runners who have a wealth of experience to rely on during competition. Along with the aforementioned Farnham-Rose, Payton Ballard, Parker Deuel, Eric Sivill and Conner Thompson should all contribute to the team’s success this season. A trio of newcomers helps add to the depth and quality of the group. WOMEN’S TEAM The Crimson Tide women fell just short of qualifying for the NCAA Championships last year, placing third at the NCAA South Regional. The team also finished third at the SEC Championships. All of the squad’s scorers from both of those meets are back this fall, meaning Waters and Tribble are optimistic going into the season. Greenleaf, a three-time All-NCAA South Region and three-time All-SEC honoree, crossed the finish line 11th at the SEC Championships and 12th at the NCAA South Regional, setting the stage for a potentially stellar senior campaign. Upperclassmen Kimberley Ficenec, Allison Gregg and Rebecca Stover also posted top-50 finishes at the South Regional. With the number of newcomers nearly hitting double digits, there will be no shortage of capable, competitive runners to depend on.
State of the Program Where Are They Now? Dear Alumni and Boosters, The Alabama track and field team finished the 2014-15 season with strong performances at the SEC and NCAA Outdoor Championships. Our staff is pleased with the progression of our athletes and with the direction of our program. We continue to add depth to our roster on both the men’s and women’s sides and are looking forward to taking the entire track and field program to new heights. Quanesha Burks produced an electric outdoor season, particularly for a sophomore. We knew she was capable of jumping the distances she reached this past spring, so it was both satisfying and exciting to see her break through like she did, winning both the SEC and NCAA long jump championships while setting a new school record in the event. On the men’s side, we scored in three different events at the NCAA Championships. Steven Gayle finished fifth in the 400 meters, Jeremiah Green placed sixth in the triple jump, and our 4x100 relay team took eighth. We have added two new assistant coaches to the staff this season, Dion Miller and Blaine Wiley. Coach Miller will be working with the short sprints while Coach Wiley will be working with the long sprints. Both bring a tremendous amount of experience and success to the staff while also being great fits for what we are trying to accomplish moving forward. Dick Booth has also transitioned into a new role, as he will now serve as the Director of Operations and Special Events. As a reminder, we will be hosting the 2016 SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships at the Sam Bailey Track and Field Complex next May. We will host a reception for all former athletes at the 2016 SEC meet, and we invite all of our alumni and fans to attend what we anticipate will be a memorable and significant weekend for our entire track & field program. Roll Tide! Dan Waters
Ron Bramlett
Ron Bramlett competed for the Crimson Tide men’s track and field team from 1999-2002, winning a total of four SEC individual titles in his career as he claimed the indoor 60-meter hurdles in 2001 and 2002 and the outdoor 110-meter hurdles in 2001-02. Ron earned AllAmerica honors seven times, including three each in the 60-meter and 110-meter hurdles and once in the 4x100 relay. He also won three NCAA championships during his time at the Capstone, taking home the 110-meter hurdles crown in 2001 and 2002 while also winning the 60-meter hurdles title in 2002. His 60-meter hurdles time of 7.52 still stands as the Alabama record in the event. What are you doing now? “My wife, two daughters, and I live in Columbia, S.C. We have a 4-year-old, Brooke, who is in preschool, and our second daughter, Drew, is three months old. My wife Myra Combs (a former LSU track standout from 1997-2001) is an elementary school principal. I am currently a corporate analyst for a large automotive group headquartered in Charlotte. My company owns 103 new franchise dealerships nationwide and I am responsible for used-vehicle inventory levels and overall profitability for 21 dealerships in the North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida markets.” Have you been back to the university over the past few years? “I left Tuscaloosa in 2004 to train in Columbia, S.C. The last time I visited Tuscaloosa was in the summer of 2006 – until fall of 2013. I came to visit Miguel [Pate] for the LSU football game that year. Seven years is a long time, and everything looked so different - its amazing how much campus has grown and evolved. I actually got lost coming down Bryant Drive trying to get to the track. I attended UA from 1999-2002, and I always felt our campus was one of the biggest and nicest I had seen – it’s not even the same place anymore. Everything is bigger, newer and nicer. I laugh when I think about how nice I thought our facilities were back 15 years ago.” Continued on Page Two
Athlete Spotlight: Quanesha Burks Quanesha Burks will be looking to build off of a tremendous outdoor season when her 2015-16 campaign begins.
The native of Hartselle, Ala., was a two-time All-American as a freshman in 2014, earning First Team honors in the outdoor 4x100 relay and Honorable Mention in the outdoor long jump. After bursting onto the scene as a rookie, Burks faced high expectations in her sophomore season. She more than delivered. Burks had her struggles during the 2015 indoor season, but finished strong with a sixth place showing in the long jump at the SEC Championships. At the Crimson Tide Invitational, where she competed in the long jump for the first time in the 2015 outdoor season, she won the title with a jump of 21 feet, four inches. The Tide sophomore was just get-
ting started. She again took first in the long jump at The Border Clash before having a stellar weekend in Norman, Okla., at the John Jacobs Invitational. At thate event, Burks jumped 21-9 to smash the 28-year old school record of 21-6 1/2. She also ran the second leg for the 4x100 relay team that won the event. Burks continued to improve as the season went along, jumping over 22 feet for the first time in her collegiate career when she took home the long jump title at the SEC Championships with a mark of 22-5 1/4. In addition to her SEC title, she was the second leg on the 4x100 relay team which finished with a season-best time of 43.60 to claim fifth. Two weeks later, Burks took first in the long jump at the NCAA East Prelims, making her the top seed and keeping her undefeated streak in the outdoor long jump alive going into the NCAA Championships. With the pressure of being the top seed and the crowd firmly supporting two jumpers from the University of Oregon in the long jump finals, Burks came through with a mark of 22-8 for the NCAA crown. She is the first long jump champion in Crimson Tide history and the first in the jumps since 1989. She left Eugene as a four-time All-American, being named a First Feam All-American in the long jump while earning a spot on the Second Team for the 4x100 relay.
Burks was a semifinalist for the Bowerman Trophy, the highest individual honor in collegiate track and field. She has stayed busy this summer, recently capturing gold in the long jump at the 2015 NACAC Senior Championships in San Jose, Costa Rica, as well as competing in the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, where she finished eighth. She has also been highly successful in the classroom through her first two years at the Capstone, carrying a career grade point average of 3.6. She recently earned All-Academic honors from the USTFCCCA.
Ron Bramlett continued What do you think of the current direction of the program? “For me, the direction of the track program is reflective of the change seen everywhere else on campus. As an alum, of course, it is good to see all the nice new buildings on campus. And it’s also great to see our football team become and maintain consistent dominance like the years past. But it’s even better to watch our track team make headlines the past few years. I’m not surprised when I read or hear about all the positive achievements of our program, athletic or academic – these things
are expected. There are a lot of alumni like myself, all over the country, that expect greatness in everything related to Alabama. That’s just a given. That means there is always a feeling of pressure to perform, to improve, and to meet the expectations you make for yourself. It’s evident to me that our program understands and thrives on this. It’s good to see that this is the culture of the program – as an alum, I know any expectation I have for the Alabama track team is nowhere near what this team, staff or the University expects or envisions. That’s how things should be - everyone committed to the
success. I look forward to seeing our team continue to do big things on and off the track and I plan to visit each year to be reminded of how old I am while I get lost on campus and talk about how we used to walk 10 miles uphill both directions in the snow to track practice everyday. Thanks to Coach Waters, the staff and the team for maintaining a strong quality program we can all be proud of. We know its not easy task - but the fulfillment in grooming strong men and women is the true reward and your alumni appreciate all that you do.”
Meet The Coaches: Blaine Wiley
Blaine Wiley, a 10-time junior college National Assistant Coach of the Year, is beginning his first season as an assistant coach on The University of Alabama track and field staff. Wiley will coach the long sprints (men’s and women’s 400 meters, 800, 400-meter hurdles and relays) for the Crimson Tide. Wiley came to Alabama following 10 seasons at South Plains College, one of the nation’s best junior college track and field programs. He has a proven record of success on the track and in the classroom, having coached on a staff that has led South Plains to 30 NJCAA national team championships while sending more than 70 athletes on to full scholarships at elite NCAA Division I programs. Wiley also has significant international and Olympic experience, having mentored six Olympians and eight IAAF World Championships participants, including two medalists. “It’s very humbling and meaningful to me to become a small part of the traditions, legacy and history of success that make Alabama such a special place in the world of collegiate athletics and I look forward to helping Dan’s vision for the program become a reality,” Wiley said. During his tenure at South Plains, the Texans won 30 NJCAA team national championships, set seven NJCAA
national records, produced 116 NJCAA individual and relay national champions and produced seven NJCAA men’s and women’s National Athletes of the Year (indoor and outdoor). South Plains sent six athletes to compete for their native countries at the 2012 London Olympics, produced one Olympic finalist (Renny Quow of Trinidad and Tobago in the men’s 400 meters at the 2008 Beijing Olympics) and eight IAAF World Championships qualifiers - LaToy Williams (Bahamas, 2009-1113, 400, 4x400), Renny Quow (Trinidad and Tobago, 2009-11-13, 400, 4x400), Rondell Bartholomew (Grenada, 2011, 400), Jura Levy (Jamaica, 2011, 100, 4x100), Janelle Redhead (Grenada, 2011, 200), Shavez Hart (Bahamas, 2013, 100, 4x100), Trevorvano Mackey (Bahamas, 2013, 100, 200, 4x100) and Lestrod Roland (Saint Kitts and Nevis, 2013, 200, 4x100). During Wiley’s time in Levelland, South Plains has produced two IAAF World Championships medalists Renny Quow (Trinidad and Tobago, Bronze, 400, 2009) and Jura Levy (Jamaica, Silver, 4x100-meter relay, 2011) and two Texans athletes ranked in the top four in the world in the 400 meters in 2009 - Renny Quow (No. 2) and LaToy Williams (No. 4). South Plains’ 2010 men’s outdoor 4x400 relay ranked No. 7 among all colleges and universities in the US, the 2011 men’s indoor 4x400 relay ranked No. 3 in the world, the 2012 men’s indoor 4x400 (fourth) and South Plains’ outdoor 4x400 (12th) ranked among the best in the world. The Texans’ 2013 men’s 4x100 ranked No. 9 among all colleges/universities in the U.S., the 2014 men’s indoor 4x400 ranked No. 15 in the world and the 2014 men’s sprint medley relay ranked No. 1 among all U.S. colleges/universities. As an assistant coach at Texas State from 2002-06, Wiley coached 16 South-
land Conference individual and relay champions for the Bobcats, including 112 All-Southland Conference athletes, 28 NCAA Midwest Regional qualifiers, two NCAA national qualifiers, one USATF national semifinalist and two USATF Junior Nationals qualifiers. Wiley coached Texas State athletes to 63 school all-time top 10 performances, eight Texas State school records and two Southland Conference records. Texas State produced seven Southland Conference championship teams over a span of four seasons, including a sweep of the 2004 men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor titles. Wiley helped lead the Bobcats to a Southland Conference outdoor record points total for the women’s team in 2004 (195), coached the Southland Conference Athlete of the Year and Outstanding Track Performer in 2003 and 2004 (indoor and outdoor) and the Southland Conference High Point Athlete in 2003, 2004 and 2006. Before joining the staff at Texas State, Wiley was a sprinter on the Bobcats’ track team from 1997-2000, accomplishing career bests of 10.29 (wind-aided) in the outdoor 100 meters and 6.20 in the indoor 55-meter dash (a time that ranked in the world’s top 20 in 2000). As a student-athlete, Wiley was a member of the 1998 and 2000 outdoor conference championship teams. A two-time team captain for the Bobcats, Wiley was also a member of the schoolrecord sprint medley relay team. Wiley, a native of Round Rock, Texas, graduated from Texas State in May 2000 with a degree in Business Administration and completed a Master’s degree in Secondary Education in May 2008. Wiley and his wife, Julie, have two sons, Hayden Blaine Alan, and Landon James. Julie was a track and field letter winner at Texas State from 1996-2000.
Dan Waters, Head Coach P.O. Box 870393 Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487-0393
Crimson Tide Cross Country Preview Alabama enters the 2015 cross country season with a pair of deep teams that will be expected to compete for strong team finishes on both the conference and national levels. Twenty-five runners (12 men, 13 women) return for head coach Dan Waters and distance coach Adam Tribble. The veterans are joined by 12 newcomers (three men, nine women). The men’s and women’s teams finished 6th and 3rd, respectively, at the 2014 SEC Championships. Junior Robbie Farnham-Rose, who finished in the top 20 at both the SEC Championships and the NCAA South Regional Championships, will lead a veteran men’s lineup. On the women’s side, a All-NCAA South Region performers senior Katelyn Greenleaf and junior Hannah Waggoner should lead the way once again. MEN’S TEAM Now in their fifth year on campus, Waters and Tribble could have the men’s team set up for a breakthrough season this fall. Returning all but one of its scorers from the SEC Championships and NCAA South Regional Championships, the 2015 squad is composed mostly of veteran runners who have a wealth of experience to rely on during competition. Along with the aforementioned Farnham-Rose, Payton Ballard, Parker Deuel, Eric Sivill and Conner Thompson should all contribute to the team’s success this season. A trio of newcomers helps add to the depth and quality of the group. WOMEN’S TEAM The Crimson Tide women fell just short of qualifying for the NCAA Championships last year, placing third at the NCAA South Regional. The team also finished third at the SEC Championships. All of the squad’s scorers from both of those meets are back this fall, meaning Waters and Tribble are optimistic going into the season. Greenleaf, a three-time All-NCAA South Region and three-time All-SEC honoree, crossed the finish line 11th at the SEC Championships and 12th at the NCAA South Regional, setting the stage for a potentially stellar senior campaign. Upperclassmen Kimberley Ficenec, Allison Gregg and Rebecca Stover also posted top-50 finishes at the South Regional. With the number of newcomers nearly hitting double digits, there will be no shortage of capable, competitive runners to depend on.
