AUBURN, Ala.—The Auburn track and field program will have six athletes, including four men and two women, competing in the 2021 NCAA Division I Indoor Championships, March 11-13, at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Ark. The top 16 declared athletes in each event and relay receive bids to the championships.
Junior Joyce Kimeli and Madi Malone will represent the Auburn women. A two-time indoor All-American, Malone will be making her third consecutive appearance, while Kimeli has qualified for the second year in a row. Both were set to compete at the 2020 championships before they were cancelled due to COVID-19.
The SEC Champion at 3000m and 5000m, Kimeli has qualified in both events and enters the championships seeded No. 2 in the 3000m and No. 3 in the 5000m. Kimeli holds the Auburn indoor record in the mile, 3000m and 5000m. Auburn's school record holder in the weight throw, Malone was eighth at nationals in the event as a freshman and this season has posted eight of the top 10 marks in Auburn history. She has the third best mark in the country this season.
On the men's side, junior sprinter Dante Brown has qualified in the 60m dash, with fellow junior field athletes James Courson (pole vault), Dontavious Hill (high jump) and Alex Spyridonidis (heptathlon) joining Brown as first-time national participants. This is the first time since 2017 that the Tiger men have qualified four individuals for nationals.
A junior transfer, Brown won the SEC Indoor title at 60m last week becoming the first Auburn sprinter to claim an SEC title since 2012. Brown won the NAIA national title at 60m indoors last season at William Carey and is ranked ninth nationally.
Spyridonidis was the NCAA Division II runner up in the indoor heptathlon at Angelo State in 2019 and after solidifying a bronze at SECs with a score of 5712, he is ninth in the country. Hill and Courson, meanwhile, are ranked No. 10 and No. 11, respectively, in the country after both winning silver medals at the conference meet last week.
Individuals and relays that finish in the top at the NCAA Indoors will score points towards the team standings and earn first team All-America honors.
Live championship coverage will be streamed on ESPN3 with additional details to be forthcoming. A re-air of the championship will take place at 8 p.m. CT on Sunday, March 14 on ESPNU.
MEN'S NCAA QUALIFIERS
Dante Brown, 60m
James Courson, Pole Vault
Dontavious Hill, High Jump
Alex Spyridonidis, Heptathlon
WOMEN'S NCAA QUALIFIERS
Joyce Kimeli, 3000m & 5000m
Madi Malone, Weight Throw