ORLANDO, Fla. – Vanderbilt capped off day 2 of the Black and Gold Invitational in style on Saturday afternoon at the UCF Track and Field / Soccer Complex.
“Today was a good transition into our outdoor season,” said Althea Thomas, director of cross country and track and field. “As a team we attacked some secondary and new events with tenacity and zeal. We had the opportunity to compete against great talent from other teams from the SEC, BIG 10, and a national caliber team in host UCF. The competition, coupled with the expected yet unpredictable weather, allowed us to exercise resilience which is something any great athlete or team needs in elite competition. We had a school record in the 100m from Haley Bishop and a near school record with the 4×100, with other great marks to start the season.”
The day commenced for the Commodores with the steeplechase where Joslin Blair contended with competitors from Connecticut, Rutgers, UCF, and Florida Atlantic. This was Blair’s first time competing in the event and she placed fourth overall with a time of 7:15.72.
The 4×100 meter relay team Madison Fuller, Haley Bishop, Jordan Smith, and Taiya Shelby raced against other teams. Vandy’s time of 45.84 positioned them in fourth place.
Nicole Anderson set a personal record in the 400 meters finishing the event at 58.26.
In the 100 meter dash, Fuller and Bishop represented the Commodores in the stacked event. Fuller’s pace of 11.62 notched her a top-10 finish on the day and is currently the 21st time in Division I track and field. Bishop, who previously shared the top time in school history with Fuller, reset the mark today. Finishing the day in fifth place, Bishop’s time of 11.51 is now the program’s top time in the event.
Fuller, Bishop, Anderson, and Kaira Brown were the 4×400 meter relay team that placed sixth in a field of 17 teams. The Commodores finished with a time of 3:49.48.
“We are looking forward to the progress and continued competition in the meets to come,” said Thomas.
Vanderbilt will head to Raleigh, North Carolina for a three-day meet hosted by NC State on March 24 – 26.
