College Station, Texas – Behind record breaking performances from Samuel Ogazi and Doris Lemngole, the University of Alabama Track and Field teams had a great weekend at the 2026 SEC Indoor Track and Field Championships.
While the Arkansas men and Florida women claimed the overall team titles, the Crimson Tide left a good mark in the chip, coming home with two individual gold medals, several school records, and multiple podium finishes. The Alabama women finished sixth overall with 58 points, while the men secured seventh place with 42.4 points.
Ogazi Shatters Records in the 400m
The highlight of the final day was the performance of Samuel Ogazi in the men’s 400 meter dash. The Paris Olympian and 2025 All-American delivered a historic run, clocking a blazing 44.72 seconds to claim the SEC title. In doing so, Ogazi did more than just win gold; he erased a 15-year school record (44.80) previously held by Alabama legend and Olympic gold medalist Kirani James. His time also established a new facility record and ranks as one of the fastest indoor 400m times in world history.
Lemngole Defends the Crown
On the distance side, Doris Lemngole continued her dominance by winning the women’s 3000m title for the second consecutive year. Lemngole glided to a facility-record time of 8:45.90, becoming the first Crimson Tide woman to win back-to-back SEC indoor titles in the event.
Lemngole was joined in the scoring by freshman sensation Caren Kiplagat, who finished fourth in the 3000m (8:54.82) and third in the 5000m (15:12.56), moving to number 2 on Alabama’s all time list!
Multi-Event Success and Podium Finishes
The Crimson Tide established momentum early in the meet through the multi-events. Katelyn Adel and Miracle Ailes opened the championships with a podium sweep in the pentathlon. Adel claimed silver with a new school-record 4,312 points, while Ailes took bronze with 4,295 points, the second-highest score in program history.
On the men’s side, John Landers captured bronze in the heptathlon with 5,588 points, while Patrick Daves added points with a sixth-place finish (5,096 points).
Head Coach Dan Waters praised the team’s resilience and individual brilliance in a competitive SEC field.
“There were a number of strong individual performances this weekend, including multiple podium finishes and SEC titles from Samuel and Doris in facility-record fashion,” Waters said. “That speaks to the preparation and the way some of our athletes competed under pressure. We saw school records fall and several athletes step up when it mattered most.”
With the conference championships concluded, the Crimson Tide will now shift their focus to the NCAA Indoor Championships, scheduled for March 13-14 in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Other Notable Alabama Scorers
- Dismus Lokira: Finished 2nd in the men’s 5000m (13:36.33) and 6th in the 3000m
(7:52.45). - Milicent Wafula: Placed 6th in the women’s mile with a time of 4:40.85.
- Cynthia Jemutai: Finished 7th in the 3,000m (9:03.00), securing the No. 5 spot on UA’s
all time list. - Men’s 4x400m Relay: The quartet of Alexander Osayemi, Mouatez Sikiou, Tarsis
Orogot, and Samuel Ogazi placed 6th (3:05.26).
