April 18, 2013
WALNUT, Calif. —Vanderbilt’s Liz Anderson traveled to the Mt. SAC Relays to see where she stacked up against the nation’s best in the 10,000 meters and she came away with a school record.
Anderson ran the 10K at the 55th annual Mt. SAC Relays in 33:51.35, placing fourth. She was roughly 25 seconds behind the winner, Mexico’s Katya Mirelle Garcia. Providence College’s Laura Nagel was the top collegiate finisher in 33:45.69, while Boise State’s Emma Bates (33:49.64) was the only other runner to finish ahead of Anderson in the Invitational Elite field.
“It was an excellent effort for her first ever 10K,” said Vanderbilt Head Coach Steve Keith. “She ran very calm and composed, making good decisions throughout the race.”
Anderson’s splits we’re almost identical, running the first 5,000 meters in 17:00 and the second 5,000 meters in 16:51.
Assistant coach Rhonda Riley, who traveled with Anderson to the meet while the rest of the squad prepares for this weekend’s Vanderbilt Invitational, was also quite proud of the performance.
“Liz ran an incredibly smart race,” Riley said. “She was patient early on and had a great second half of the race.”
Anderson embraced the chance to run on a big stage and knows she can compete at that level.
“I really enjoyed the experience and have a lot of confidence now in what I can do on a national level,” Anderson said.
Anderson’s time bests the five-year old Vanderbilt school record by nearly two minutes. Kristabel Doebel-Hickok was the previous record holder with a time of 35:40.27. Since 2000, only one other VU runner (Lauren Price) has completed a time under 38 minutes.
Anderson’s time would be the 15th best in the nation, based on the the list entering this week.
The rest of the Commodores return to action this weekend when they host the Vanderbilt Invitational. Competition will be held at the Vanderbilt Track on Friday and Saturday, April 19-20, and Anderson is among those who will be in attendance.
“I’m really excited to go home and cheer on my teammates at the home meet tomorrow,” she concluded.
