Feb. 25, 2016
Looking to extend its regular-season success into a productive postseason run, the Vanderbilt track and field team travels to Fayetteville, Ark., this weekend for the SEC Championships. Here’s a closer look at the meet:
Event: SEC CHAMPIONSHIPS
Day, Date: Friday-Saturday, Feb. 26-27
Host: Arkansas
Site: Randal Tyson Trak Center
Live Results: HERE
Streaming, Day 1: HERE
Streaming, Day 2: HERE
Full Schedule: HERE
l The skinny on the Commodores. Vanderbilt comes into the SEC Championships looking to build on an impressive regular season that included a host of school records and numerous entries into the Vanderbilt Top-10 list. Vanderbilt was hit hard by injuries early in the season — losing Courtney Clayton, Tierney Price and Sarah Goodale — but rebounded from that to deliver a memorable season that included top finishes throughout January and February. Vanderbilt All-American triple jumper Simone Charley was among the school record setters, along with Sarah Bell (pole vault), Jennifer Edobi (500), Katherine Delaney (1000), Sara Barron (mile) and the 4×800 relay team of Regan Anderson, Maddie Criscione, Delaney and Barron. (On the men’s side, Jake Van Geffen and Nikos Gkotsis also set new schools records).
l Competing for the Commodores: Here’s a look at who will be representing Vanderbilt at this weekend’s meet:
Friday, Feb. 26- Track Events
5:35 pm Mile Women Prelim (Vanderbilt: Sara Barron, Sara Tsai)
6:25 pm 400 Meters Women Prelim (Vanderbilt: Jennifer Edobi, Faith Washington)
7:05 pm 800 Meters Women Prelim (Vanderbilt: Reagan Anderson, Maddie Criscione, Katherine Delaney, Ginger Hutton, Lydia Witty)
7:50 pm 200 Meters Women Prelim (Vanderbilt: Faith Washington)
8:40 pm 3000 Meters Women Final (Vanderbilt: Carmen Carlos, Devon Grisbaum, Megan Huebner, Courtney Kriegshauser)
Saturday, Feb. 27- Track Events
5:45 pm 5000 Meters Women Final (Vanderbilt Caroline Pietrzyk, Vanessa Valentine)
6:40 pm Distance Medley Relay Women Final (Vanderbilt)
Saturday, Feb. 27- Field Events
4:30 pm Pole Vault Women Final (Vanderbilt: Sarah Bell, Megan McCabe)
4:30 pm High Jump Women Final (Vanderbilt: Ashlyn Hare)
4:30 pm Triple Jump Women Prelim/Final (Vanderbilt: Simone Charley)
l QUOTING THE COACH:
Head coach Steve Keith discusses this weekend’s meet:
On his assessment of the regular season as the team heads to Arkansas:
“We have had a couple of injuries and an intentional redshirt but that really hasn’t slowed the momentum of the team at all. It has been a really solid indoor season and we’re proud of all that we’ve accomplished. Credit some of that to competing at home meets in three of our five meets this year.”
On the confidence level of his team.
“Confidence is essential going into your championship meets and this group has matured nicely through the season. Setting three school records (Mile, PV and TJ) in our last meet is a testament to that.”
On the competitiveness of the SEC meet.
“Arguably, the SEC Indoor Championship is the most exciting, highest quality, meet in the world for this coming weekend and just to score one point and finish among the top eight is quite an accomplishment. Excitement is the operative term so the challenge is to direct that energy as positively as you can and good things will happen.
l Leaving their mark: The Commodores have made their presence felt throughout the season, with six times/distances that rank among the SEC’s Top-10 and a total of 26 times/distances that rank among the conference’s Top-30. Here’s the list:
Triple Jump
4 – Charley, Simone – 43′ 9.75″ – 13.35m – Music City Challenge – 02/12/16
Pole Vault Women
5 – Bell, Sarah – 13′ 9.25″ – 4.20m – Music City Challenge – 02/12/16
19 – McCabe, Megan – 12′ 9.5″ – 3.90m – Commodore Invitational – 01/15/16
400m Women
19 – Edobi, Jennifer – 54.11 – Music City Challenge – 02/12/16
800m Women
9 – Delaney, Katherine – 2:08.90 – Vanderbilt Invitational – 01/29/16
15 – Barron, Sara – 2:10.09 – Vanderbilt Invitational – 01/29/16
24 – Criscione, Maddie – 2:12.07 – Vanderbilt Invitational – 01/29/16
29 – Hutton, Ginger – 2:13.36 – Music City Challenge – 02/12/16
30 – Witty, Lydia – 2:14.00 – Music City Challenge – 02/12/16
Mile Women
5 – Barron, Sara – 4:39.96 -Music City Challenge – 02/12/16
13 – Delaney, Katherine – 4:46.61 – Music City Challenge – 02/12/16
17 – Carlos, Carmen – 4:48.22 – Music City Challenge – 02/12/16
21 – Tsai, Sara – 4:49.81 – Music City Challenge – 02/12/16
23- Valentine, Vanessa – 4:49.98 – Commodore Invitational – 01/15/16
30 – Williams, Lily – 4:52.56 – Commodore Invitational – 01/15/16
3000m Women
6 – Carlos, Carmen – 9:27.96- 2016 Armory Track Invitational (Colleges) – 02/05/16
12 – Valentine, Vanessa – 9:31.25 – Conference Clash / Power 5 Invite – 01/22/16
14 – Pietrzyk, Caroline – 9:32.47 – Music City Challenge – 02/12/16
16 – Kriegshauser, Courtney – 9:32.92 – Music City Challenge – 02/12/16 5000m Men
29 – Van Geffen, Jake – 14:52.17 – Music City Challenge – 02/12/16
5000m Women
6 – Valentine, Vanessa – 16:25.75 – 2016 Armory Track Invitational (Colleges) – 02/05/16
13 – Pietrzyk, Caroline – 16:37.74 – 2016 Armory Track Invitational (Colleges) – 02/05/16
20 – Kriegshauser, Courtney – 17:03.59 – 2016 Armory Track Invitational (Colleges) – 02/05/16
4 x 400 Relay Women
13 – Vanderbilt – 3:52.15 – Vanderbilt Opener – 12/05/15
High Jump Women
18 – Hare, Ashlyn – 5′ 7.25″ – 1.71m – 2016 Armory Track Invitational (Colleges) – 02/05/16
26 – Goodale, Sarah – 5′ 5.25″ – 1.66m – Vanderbilt Opener – 12/05/15
