NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt cross country teams will commence the 2022 season on Friday at the Belmont Opener.
Hosted by the Bruins of Belmont at Percy Warner Park, the men will race first at 9 a.m.; the women’s race will begin at 9:30 a.m. The Commodores will compete against Alabama A&M, Austin Peay, Belmont, Dalton State, Lipscomb, Murray State and Tennessee State.
Vanderbilt will be represented by Dylan Ballard, Max Beck, Brody Haar, Zach Hodges, Philip Metcalf, Mathew Ragsdale, Michael Schumacher and David Song on the men’s team. The women’s squad will feature Audrey Allman, Joslin Blair, Gigi Clifford, Mackenzie Culpepper, Emma Curry, Caroline Eck, Cameron Fawcett, Johna Grisik, Jenna Holland, Ella Lambert, Niki Narayani, Lainey Phelps, Julia Rosenberg and Haley Walker.
Embarking on year two under director of cross country and track and field Althea Thomas and distance coach Michael Porter, Vandy is a youthful team entering this season. Beck (senior) and Ragsdale (junior) are the lone upperclassmen on the men’s team, which features six underclassmen. The women’s team boasts several returners in senior duo Eck and Narayani, in addition to Walker, who is a graduate student. The team’s junior triple threat consists of Blair, Holland and Phelps, who all add to the experience of this squad, leading eight underclassmen.
Last season, Vanderbilt hosted the Commodore Classic at Percy Warner Park. The men’s team finished fifth overall in their 8k race, led by Matthew Estopinal’s time of 24:46.7. The women were paced by Mackenzie Yanek’s 5k time of 17:07.04. Both Commodores were the runners-up in their respective races
