BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Taiya Shelby concluded the opening day of the NCAA Indoor Championships inside the Birmingham CrossPlex as a second team All-American.
Shelby competed in her signature event — the 400 meters — in a stacked field that included 14 entries with 10 of those student-athletes from the Southeastern Conference. She vied for position in the third heat of the event and clocked a 52.64, placing 10th overall on the night. She ultimately finished outside of qualifying for Saturday’s finals.
“From the conversations I had with Taiya prior to my arrival to Vanderbilt it was very obvious that she is special,” said Althea Thomas, director of cross country and track and field. “She is someone with high goals, a great deal of accountability, vision, and is very coachable. That is who she continues to be as she grows and is getting better, from gaining the school record from a very notable alum in Ryan Tolbert, and then dropping the time even further, to just being consistent.
“Tonight really shows her the progress that she’s made but also keeps her very hungry. She’s someone who appreciates every step that she makes, but is never satisfied and very humbly so … to where she wants to evaluate herself and know how she can get better. That’s a mark of someone who’s going to be very successful.“
Previously at the SEC Indoor Championships, Shelby broke the aforementioned school record that stood for 26 years. Not only did she reset the program mark in the 400 meters, she shaved time off her previous mark. Her 52.40 propelled her to the first career NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships appearance.
“By Taiya coming here to her first indoor national meet and coming in 16th and placing 10th, says a lot. It says a lot about what she’s not satisfied with and how she just wants to be the best,” Thomas said. “What she has done for Vanderbilt is exactly what I wanted before even officially meeting Taiya, which is to make Vanderbilt visible in all events and not being pigeonholed to certain events.
“She is definitely showing that here at Vanderbilt, we sprint with the best. She truly sprints with the best … she shows up, and that’s what she did. Today, she was a little short but she’s already talking about adjustments for the outdoor season.
Divine Oladipo will compete for Vanderbilt at the NCAA Championships at 7 p.m. Saturday in the shot put.
