BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Four days after competing in the SSAC Indoor Track and Field Championships at the Birmingham Crossplex, the University of Mobile Men's and Women's Indoor Track and Field teams returned to the indoor facility on Saturday, Feb. 11 to compete in the Samford Bulldog Open. Mobile was one of over 30 different schools from several collegiate divisions to compete on Saturday, with several teams coming from the NCAA D-I.
The Samford Bulldog Open became the first meet during the 2023 season to not see a new Ram qualify for the NAIA Indoor Track and Field National Championship Meets, while being the first meet of the season where a school record at Mobile was not recorded. However, several Rams still competed and put in notable times/marks in the meet.
Women's Indoor T&F
On the women's side, Anna Cabrera was the lone Ram to hit a qualifying mark for NAIA Nationals, once again surpassing the qualifying time in the women's 60 meter hurdles event. Cabrera already managed to qualify for the event at the Samford Invite back on Jan. 21. She placed eighth overall with a time of 9.06 seconds. Later, Cabrera recorded a mark of 1.48 meters in the women's high jump, placing 13th overall.
In the women's 200 meters, Mobile saw three runners finish in consecutive order, placing 13th-15th. Sadiya Shamsid-Deen led the Rams in 13th with a time of 25.75, and was followed by Samantha Mansur in 14th and Myla Edwards in 15th. Mansur tallied a time of 25.76, a tenth of a second behind Shamsid-Deen, while Edwards recorded a time of 25.81.
Overall for the Mobile women's team, Cabrera's eighth-place finish became the lone top-1o placement in the Samford Bulldog Open.
Men's Indoor T&F
In the men's meet on Saturday, Joseph Moses III recorded a sub-seven second time in the men's 60 meters, placing eighth with a time of 6.99 seconds. Meanwhile, Kevin Richardson placed 16th overall in the same event, notching a time of 7.11 seconds. Both Moses III and Richardson were followed by Donald Evans III, who clocked a time of 7.23 seconds, placing 29th.
Mobile's men's team only competed in three running events on Saturday, with the men's 200 meters and 400 meters joining the 60 meters event. Evans III later led the Rams in the 200 meters with a 24th-place finish and recording a time of 22.72 seconds. Joevonie Reed was the lone Ram to compete in the men's 400 meters, placing 34th. He finished with a time of 53.24 seconds.
Baton Rouge Bound
UM Indoor Track and Field has just one meet left before NAIA Nationals, coming next Friday, Feb. 17 in Baton Rouge, La. Mobile will compete in the LSU Twilight next Friday, being the final chance for members of the team to qualify for the national meets.
About the University of Mobile
The University of Mobile is a Christ-centered liberal arts and sciences institution with a vision of higher education for a higher purpose, founded to honor God by equipping students for their future professions through rigorous academic preparation and spiritual transformation. Core values are: Christ-Centered, Academically-Focused, Student-Devoted and Distinctively-Driven. The university offers on-campus and online bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in over 75 academic programs. Founded in 1961, the University of Mobile is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention and is located 10 miles north of Mobile, Alabama on a campus of over 880 acres.
For information about the University of Mobile, areas of study, admissions and more, visit umobile.edu, connect with UM on social media @univofmobile, or call Enrollment Services at 1.800.WIN.RAMS or 251.442.2222.
