COLLEGE STATION, Texas — The Commodores capped off the final day of the Charles Invitational exactly like they started it, in record-breaking style.
“This week was a true test for our program,” Vanderbilt head coach Althea Thomas said. “We traveled with the majority of our team, to the host site of the SEC championships later this month, to the place where many national champions have competed. Our goal was to take what we have accomplished so far this season and do it against some of the nation’s best, including some professional athletes.
“Our DMR started the weekend yesterday competing at various distances, then we had great performance with Josie having personal bests in two of her five events in the pentathlon.”
Vanderbilt competed in eight different events on the day beginning with the high jump where Jess Creedon ended in a tie for seventh place with a mark of 1.60 meters.
Haley Bishop was the lone racer in the 60 meter dash for Vandy, finishing a time of 7.57 for 11th overall.
A quartet of Commodores competed in the mile and all notched top-15 finishes in the event. Caroline Eck (4:49.38) set the pace finishing third overall, Joslin Blair (4:52.75; personal best) placed fifth, Julia Rosenberg (4:56.86; personal best) crossed the finish line in 10th place and Ella Lambert (4:57.29) finished in 11th place overall.
Kaira Brown’s time of 55.61 in the 400 meters contended with some of the best in the country, placing her 12th on the day.
The 800 meters was highlighted by Grace Jensen’s and Taiya Shelby’s back-to-back finishes. Jensen took gold in the event with a person best of 2:07.40, the third best mark in program history, 38th in the NCAA this season and seventh in the Southeastern Conference.
Shelby also set a new personal best in the event with a time of 2:07.41 for fourth in the record book, 39th in the NCAA this season and eighth in the SEC. Lainey Phelps (2:11.09; personal record) and Nicole Anderson (2:11.91) also competed in the event.
Niki Narayani (9:41.32) and Cameron Fawcett (9:47.97) competed in the 3,000 meters for the first time this indoor season and took fifth and seventh respectively in the event.
“Today we saw a lot of grit in the events with several personal bests in the 800 meters, mile and 3,000 meters. We finished in the top two in the 800 with a near photo finish amongst ourselves,” Thomas said. “Niki and Cameron improved by 19 seconds which shows how they trust the process and are setting new standards for themselves as well as this program. These performances definitely ignited a fire for the final event.”
Bishop’s 23.97 time was good enough to contend in the top-10 in the 200 meters. Madison Fuller shed time off of her previous best, setting a new personal of 24.25 to stay third in school history in the event. Ella Escobar (25.31) also raced in the 200 meters.
In the final event of the day, the 4×400 meter relay, the Commodores deployed two teams in the race. The B team of Escobar, Anderson, Phelps and Jensen completed the relay in 3:49.65 for 12th place.
The A team of Shelby, Fuller, Brown and Jordan Smith notched a time of 3:37.20 to finish first in the race. The team’s finish positions them second in school history, 22nd in the NCAA and seventh in the SEC.
“The 4×400 meter relay teams summed up the weekend by competing against A&M and Alabama, two top SEC contenders in that relay,” Thomas said. “The effort from the start was amazing and the anchor leg by Kaira showed that up we are a total team. Not one or two good competitors but a complete team. A program. I couldn’t be more proud of how we executed today.”
Elsewhere this weekend, Divine Oladipo competed in the Doc Hale Virginia Tech Elite in the shot put, finishing second overall with a mark of 16.97m.
“In track and field, you must go to competitions that fit your needs. In this case, there are was a good group of throwers from schools across the country and world competing at Virginia Tech. We sent Divine there to test her limits in a field of very accomplished and consistent athletes,” Thomas said. “She was battle tested and had to climb from fourth-place to second-place. That is the atmosphere of an elite throwing competition and will prepare her for what is ahead at conference and NCAA championships.”
Vanderbilt returns to the David Williams II Recreation and Wellness Center for the final home meet of the indoor season Friday and Saturday for the Music City Challenge.
