The members of the Vanderbilt women’s cross country team knew the Wisconsin adidas Invitational was their chance to make a statement. And boy, did the Commodores deliver.
Competing against a top-level field that featured 22 of the nation’s top 30 teams, the No. 27-ranked Commodores beautifully executed their pack-running scheme and finished tied for ninth place with Virginia.
Vanderbilt’s top five runners posted a spread of only 35 seconds, which was the second-best margin of any team in the race. New Mexico (31 seconds) was the only team with a better 1-5 spread.
“The team came out today and performed really well in a high-pressure environment,” said head coach Steve Keith after his team’s final regular-season meet. “This is definitely something we can build on. … Overall, it was a very positive step for us.”
Carmen Carlos led the way for Vanderbilt, posting a career-best time of 20:40 to finish 42nd overall. She was followed by Katherine Delaney (20:52, 67th), Claire Benjamin (20:54, 69th), Amira Joseph (21:05, 85th) and Sara Barron (21:15, 104th). Rebecca Chandler was next at 22:07.
Vanderbilt finished ahead of 10 teams that were ranked in front of the Commodores in the latest USTFCCCA poll, including No. 12-ranked Syracuse, No. 13 North Carolina, No. 14 Washington, No. 16 Boise State, No. 17 Boston College, No. 19 William & Mary, No. 23 Providence, No. 24 Dartmouth, No. 25 Arizona State, and No. 26 Minnesota. (Final team standings listed below).
The strong performance should serve as a big boost of momentum for the Commodores as they head to the SEC Championships in two weeks, followed by the NCAA Regionals two weeks later.
“The ladies ran with a lot of confidence and determination today,” said assistant coach Rhonda Riley, “and as coaches, we are very proud of the entire team’s effort. The ladies really stepped up today in a tough field.”
Carmen, a sophomore, easily surpassed her previous personal best of 21:26, which she set at this same event last year.
“Carmen really ran a great race,” said Riley. “We needed someone to break out today and be our low number, and she came through.”
Vanderbilt also had a strong showing in the Open race, placing three runners among the Top-25.
Freshman Emma Abrahamson led the way for the Commodores, finishing 17th with a time of 21:37. Reagan Anderson finished 20th at 21:40, and Maddie Criscione was 21st, also at 21:40. Hannah Jumper was 31st at 21:53.
Megan Huebner posted a time of 23:00 and Courtney Kriegshauser finished at 23:07.
“The girls who ran the open race did really well,” said Keith, “and had a great showing just like the (VU runners) in the Invite.”
Riley said she sensed the Commodores were poised for a strong performance.
“When they previewed the course on Thursday, they were very focused but also very relaxed,” Riley said, “and they had that same vibe today. Their attitude was very positive.”
Although Riley was pleased with the team’s work on Friday, she said the Commodores can’t afford to get complacent.
“We still have room to improve,” she said, “and we need to continue to work hard as we head into the championship portion of our schedule.”
FINAL STANDINGS — POINTS
(USTFCCCA rankings in parenthesis)
1. Michigan State (2) — 87
2. Arkansas (5) — 191
3. Iowa State (8) — 212
4. Wisconsin (15) — 227
5. West Virginia (20) — 245
6. New Mexico (11) — 261
7. Stanford (6) — 284
8. Florida State (9) — 309
T-9. Vanderbilt (27) — 367
T-9. Virginia (10) — 367
11. North Carolina (13) — 382
12. Syracuse (12) — 403
13. Washington (14) — 417
14. Ohio State — 443
15. Minnesota (26) — 462
16. Arizona State (25) — 464
17. Boise State (16) — 480
18. Toledo — 497
19. Dartmouth (24) — 511
20. UCLA — 529
21. Boston College (17) — 541
22. Iona — 544
23. SMU — 551
24. Providence (23) — 565
25. Texas AM — 576
26. BYU (30) — 588
27. William & Mary (19) — 590
28. Columbia — 657
29. Indiana — 667
30. Notre Dame (28) — 684
31. Cornell — 690
32. Arizona — 710
33. Weber State — 759
34. Harvard — 798
35. Duke — 858
36. San Francisco — 934
37. Georgia — 957
38. Florida — 976
