AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn track & field will send a trio of senior All-Americans to the Birmingham CrossPlex Friday and Saturday to compete in the final meet of the indoor season, NCAA Championships.
Representing Auburn at this year's championships will be seniors Dontavious Hill and Alex Spyridonidis on the men's side and senior Madi Malone for the women's side.
Hill will make his second consecutive appearance at the meet, the first Auburn man to do so in high jump. At last year's championships, Hill jumped 2.13m/6-11.75 to secure a ninth-place finish and second team All-American status.
"Dontavious has been jumping on another level this year," Tigers head coach Ralph Spry said. "He's also been very consistent for us, which is what it all comes down to, if you can perform your best when it matters most."
This season, the Mobile, Alabama native boasts two event wins and a silver medal at SEC Championships two weeks ago. At the Clemson Tiger Paw Invite, Hill elevated his personal best to a 2.21m/7-3 clearance.
Spyridonidis also heads into Birmingham fresh off a silver medal-winning performance at SEC Indoors. The senior set career bests in the 60m hurdles and the 1000m en route to posting a season-high 5,786 points, the most since his 5,863 at NCAAs a year ago.
"The heptathlon is a very challenging event, and the field is stacked this year, but Alex is right in the mix and has the ability to challenge anybody," Spry said.
Like Hill, Spyridonidis also becomes the first Auburn man in program history to qualify for back-to-back NCAA Indoor meets in his event. Spyridonidis was named a first team All-American following a fifth-place finish in the heptathlon last year.
One of Auburn track & field's most decorated female athletes in school history, Madi Malone, looks to make even more history as she steps to the national stage for the fourth time in her career. Malone joins Nivea Smith (2009-12) and Joanna Atkins (2008-11) as the only Auburn women to accomplish the feat.
The Wichita, Kansas product earned First Team All-America honors with a 22.16m/72-8 throw at the 2021 NCAA Indoor Championships. Her fifth-place finish is the highest ever by an Auburn woman in the weight throw.
The top 10 throws in program history all belong to Malone, half of which came during the 2022 season. A month ago, Malone smashed her own school record with a 23.32m/76-6.25 throw at the USA Jaguar Invitational, a mark that ranks fourth in the nation.
"Madi has been on a tear all year long," Spry said. "She goes toe-to-toe with the best competitors in our conference each weekend, so this meet will be nothing new for her. I expect her to continue to be great both this weekend and heading into outdoor season."
Spyridonidis will kickstart the action for the Tigers in the men's heptathlon 60m dash at 10 a.m. CST Friday while Malone competed the same day, stepping into the throwing pit at 7 p.m. CST. Both men will see action Saturday, with Spyridonidis completing the final events in the heptathlon, beginning with the 60m hurdles at 10:30 a.m., and Hill high jumping at 12:30 p.m. CST.
Each day of action at the Birmingham CrossPlex will be streamed via ESPN 3. A re-air telecast will be available Sunday night beginning at 9:30 p.m. CST on ESPNU.
Live results for the meet will be available at FlashResults.com.
