May 16, 2008

AUBURN, Ala.-The Alabama men's track and field team opened the first scoring day in record fashion standing in fourth place in the team rankings. Junior Tyson David got the Crimson Tide off on the right track by shattering the SEC and school record in the 10,000m Friday at the Hutsell-Rosen Track.

"Today sets the tone for the rest of the week," head coach Harvey Glance said. "To have a conference champion is outstanding We knew when we signed Tyson that he would be something special."

David battled two of the top runners from Arkansas the entire 6.2 miles and the race came down to the last 200 meters when David sprinted around to the front for the first time all night and did not relinquish the position.

David crossed the line in a record time of 28:23.01, breaking the old record held by Olympian Alistair Cragg by nearly 20 seconds. David broke his own school record by almost 25 seconds.Augustus Maiyo and Andrew Kirwa also scored for the Tide with a fifth and eighth place finish, respectively.

"I was not looking to break any records or expecting a fast race, but just wanted to win," David said.

Senior Michael Cooley had a good day posting the second fastest 200m time with a 21.00 and will compete in the finals on Sunday.

Sophomore Tim Grier qualified for the 400m hurdle finals on Sunday in his first SEC outdoor meet with a time of 51.88.

The SEC Championships will continue tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. with the first running event at 6:00 p.m.