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Commodores Conclude SEC Indoor Action 2/25/2006
Gainesville, Fla. – Despite seasonal bests by former Southeastern Conference 5,000-meter champion Erika Schneble and the distance medley relay foursome, the Commodores were unable to garner points during the closing day of the Southeastern Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships. The Commodores closed the meet 12th overall in the women’s division, with points coming from eighth place individual finishes by senior Garnetta Holloway in the pentathlon and junior Amy Huss in the 3,000-meter run. Both Holloway and Huss set indoor personal records in their performances at the meet, with Holloway’s performance securing a berth in the upcoming NCAA Indoor Championships. The Vanderbilt’s hopes to move up in the team standings never materialized Sunday. Schneble, returning to action in an important competition for the first time since the 2004 outdoor season, ran gamely in the 5,000 meters, but finished 11th overall in 17:18.72. The performance was a seasonal best for Schneble, but 45 seconds off her career best established during a second place finish at the 2004 SEC Indoor Championships. In the distance medley relay, strong closing legs by Caitlin Shannon and Amy Huss wasn’t enough to push the Commodore foursome into the top eight. After splits by senior Alisa Cotter and sophomore Lauren Fortson, Shannon and Huss ran career-best legs in the 800 and mile, respectively, closing the Vanderbilt deficit with the entire field. When Huss crossed the finish line to conclude an outstanding 4:55 mile split, five seconds was the difference between fourth place and the Commodores’ eventual ninth place result. Coach Lori Shepard was proud of her team’s effort, but said the Commodore result should have been better. “Overall, the effort was good. We have some athletes that performed on an outstanding level. Normally, the events where we scored (pentathlon and 3,000 meters) would have generated more points, but both of those events were the competitive in the history of the SEC Championships. But I’m also disappointed that we left some points on the table,” Shepard said. Performance Marks Personal Best For Amy Huss Vanderbilt junior Amy Huss used a career-best performance to earn eighth in the 3,000-meter run at the Southeastern Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships Saturday. Huss, of Wyomissing, Pa., finished the race in 9:46.58, a four-second improvement off her previous best set earlier this month at the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark. Huss’ performance was the second-day highlight for the Commodores, who saw several women athletes compete in preliminaries, but not advance to finals scheduled Sunday at the University of Florida campus. On Sunday, one of five Vanderbilt women to ever claim an individual SEC title, Erika Schneble of Hendersonville, N.C., is entered in the 5,000-meter run. Schneble has been training well in recent months after missing the last year of competition to leg injuries. She won the SEC outdoor 5,000 meters in 2004. Huss raced much of the 3,000 meters in a pack of five runners behind pre-race favorite and eventual champion Penny Splichal of Arkansas and Georgia junior Jill Steffens. At the finish line, Huss trailed Tennessee’s Felicia Guliford by less than three seconds for seventh overall. Huss’ twin sister, Debbie, did not finish the race. The performance concludes a solid indoor campaign for Huss, who set four previous records this winter. Only two Commodores have ever run the 3,000-meter distance faster indoors: Beth Tallent (9:41.90 in 1991) and Stefanie Black (9:45.37 in 1989). In other Commodore action Saturday: ? Senior Garnetta Holloway and freshman Lauryn Smith finished 16th and 19th, respectively, in the long jump with performances of 18’5″ and 17’10.75. Smith also competed in the 200 meters, running 26.32 ? In the mile, senior Alisa Cotter ran 19th (5:04.11), senior Caitlin Shannon ran 22nd (5:05.78) and freshman Carmen Mims ran 24th (5:20.40). ? Sophomore Lauren Fortson ran 2:22.15 in the 800 meters. Holloway Sets Personal Best in Pentathalon
Vanderbilt senior Garnetta Holloway eclipsed her pentathlon personal best by more than 300 points while finshing eighth in the event Friday at the Southeastern Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships. Holloway, from Cleveland, Tenn., used all-time bests in the 55-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put and 800-meter run to accumulate 3,703 points. The total breaks Holloway’s previous best in the pentathlon by 193 points. Those 3,703 points qualify Holloway to participate in the NCAA Championships for the first time. Holloway, who finished 12th in the SEC pentathlon the last two years, missed topping Caitlin Ward of Tennessee by four points. LSU senior Megan Akre captured the pentathlon with a 3,971-point total. Holloway opened the competition with a personal record in the 55-meter hurdles of 8.52, then set another best in the high jump with a clearance of 5’4.25″. After the high jump success, Holloway moved to seventh overall with a 36’11” throw in the shot put. The effort marked a 18-inch personal record for Holloway in the event. Though beaming with confidence, Holloway’s lone underachievement came in the long jump, an event regarded as her specialty. After narrowly fouling on a jump beyond 19 feet, Holloway was credited with a best leap of 17’11.5″. The effort was a foot less than her previous best set twice earlier this winter. Holloway needed to make up ground in the final pentathlon event, the 800-mter run. Starting the 800 ninth overall, she ran an indoor best of 2:27.56 to edge ahead of Mississippi State’s Lauren Johnson, who ran two seconds behind Holloway. Several other Commodores, including solid distance hopefuls Amy Huss and Erika Schneble, are expected to compete this weekend at the SEC Indoor Championships. Huss, a junior from Wyomissing, Pa., could contend for points in the 3,000 meters Saturday. She will joined in the race by her twin sister, Debbie. Schneble, the SEC 5,000-meter champion in 2004, is entered in the 5,000 on Sunday afternoon. Three Commodore milers — seniors Caitlin Shannon and Alisa Cotter, and freshman Carmen Mims — will compete in preliminaries Saturday, as will freshman Lauryn Smith in the 200-meter dash and sophomore Lauren Fortson in the 800-meter run. The Commodores also are expected to compete in the distance medley relay on Sunday.
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