Alabama Adapted tabs Williams to coach new track program

By WVUA 23 Sports Reporter Alex Boothe

University of Alabama Adapted Athletics is expanding.

This summer, the schools para-athletic program announced plans to add track and field, naming Evan Williams as the first head coach of the program. Williams is a former UA men’s wheelchair basketball player and assistant coach.

In high school, Williams was a two-sport para-athlete, competing in basketball and track. When he decided to go to attend Alabama, he had to give up track — since there was no program. Now he gets to build that program from the ground up.

“The support that this program has is very, very high compared to a lot of other collegiate schools that we kind of compete against,” Williams said. “Their support is not nearly as high as what we have here. I mean we have the president of the university come to a lot of our events and that kind of support is something that you can really feel both while you’re competing as well as looking at what school you would like to go to.”

Williams and the Adapted Athletic department hope to have enough athletes and funding to start competing in track and field in the fall of 2024. The actual season takes place from March through June.

There are plans to build an on-campus track and field facility for the new program in the future.