Nov. 20, 2014
Event: NCAA Championships
Day, Date: Nov. 22, 2014
Place: Terre Haute, Indiana
Host: Indiana St.
Venue: Wabash Valley Family Sports Center
Start Time: 11 a.m. Women’s 6K
NCAA Championship Central: HERE
List of all-time NCAA Championship appearances: HERE
Carrying a South Region Championship banner and a season-best No. 12-ranking, the cross-country Commodores travel to Terre Haute, Ind., on Saturday to compete in the NCAA Championships. It is the fourth consecutive appearance in the Championships for the Commodores, extending a streak that started with the first appearance in the program’s history in 2011. Here’s a look at a few storylines heading into Saturday’s race:
l Not their first rodeo. There’s little chance that the Commodores will be intimidated by Saturday’s intense environment. Five of the seven Vanderbilt runners have previously competed in the Championship, including senior Amira Joseph, who will running in the event for the fourth time in her career. Claire Benjamin, Carmen Carlos, Rebecca Chandler and Vanessa Valentine have each also participated in the Championships at least once in their careers.
l Who’s joining us? A total of 31 teams will participate in Saturday’s women’s championship. The top two, seven-person teams from each of the nine regions automatically qualified and an additional 13 teams received at-large bids. Also, 31 individuals were selected to participate in each championship through an automatic qualifier and at-large selection process. All individual qualifiers finished in the top 25 in their region. The full list of teams can be found at the bottom of the page, and the full list of individual qualifiers can be found here.
l On a major roll. The Commodores enter this weekend’s race looking to cap off a highly-memorable season that has featured one impressive performance after the next, highlighted by last weekend’s South Region championship. The list has also included an eighth-place finish at the Roy Griak Invitational, followed by a sensational showing at the adidas Invitational in Wisconsin, where the Commodores tied for ninth and finished in front of 10 teams that were ranked in ahead of them in the USTFCCCA poll. Vanderbilt then earned a second-place finish at the SEC Championships, which represented the second-highest finish in the program’s history behind only the 2011 SEC championship team.
l Scheduled to run for Vanderbilt. Sara Barron, Claire Benjamin, Carmen Carlos, Rebecca Chandler, Katherine Delaney, Amira Joseph and Vanessa Valentine. Alternate: Emma Abrahamson.
l Last time out. The Commodores won last weekend’s South Region title by placing three runners among the top-10 and five among the top-15. It was the first-ever Region title for the Commodores, who upset four-time defending Region champion Florida State by one point. Senior Claire Benjamin was Vanderbilt’s top finisher, taking sixth place with a personal-best time of 19:53.50. Vanderbilt’s Sara Barron (19:59.40) and Carmen Carlos (19:59.60) took ninth and 10th place, respectively, and Katherine Delaney (13th, 20:05.50) and Amira Joseph (14th, 20:15.10) completed the Commodores’ top-five. All five earned All-Region honors. Vanderbilt, which has successfully used a group-running plan throughout the season, once again showed the power of the pack. The Commodores’ top five had an impressive spread of just 22 seconds.
l Keith earns coaching honor. Vanderbilt cross country head coach Steve Keith was named the NCAA South Region Coach of the Year last week by the USTFCCA. “It’s great to get the recognition from our peers for our program and what we are trying to accomplish year in, year out,” said Keith. It was the second time that Keith has won the Region coach of the year honor in the past four years. He also won the award in 2011. Keith, who has been at the helm of the Commodores for nine years, has directed the Vanderbilt women to three straight appearances in the NCAA Championships — and last week’s South Region title clinched a fourth straight trip for the Commodores.
QUOTING THE COACHES:
Head coach Steve Keith:
On taking an experienced team into the Championships. “Having several girls who’ve been in the Championships before is big, and the success that we’ve had in big meets this season is really big, too. It lends itself to more confident runners. It’s the old ‘been there, done that’ mindset, and when you add that together with the success we’ve had this season, it’s a good combination.”
On the overall environment of the NCAA Championships. “Each (regular-season) meet has its own nervous feel to it, and so this race, in some ways, shouldn’t be any different. Really the kids should just be anxious to go out and show what they can do. … The race in Wisconsin was great preparation for Saturday’s race, because 24 of 31 teams in the Wisconsin race went on to qualify for Nationals.”
On the mindset of his team. “They know that if they run like they did at Region — with a 21-second spread — they ought to do pretty well. We had a pretty tight spread in Wisconsin, too, and they saw how that played out. So, it’s just a matter of being relaxed and allowing yourself to move in the middle of the race.”
On making it to nationals four years in a row. “It’s nice to make it four straight years. But that’s the only four times we’ve ever made it, whereas there are 20 other schools that have been there 10 or 15 or 20 times. So, in that regard, we are still a young program, and we won’t take this for granted.”
Assistant coach Rhonda Riley:
On the team’s approach to Saturday. “I think the women look at it as ‘let’s see if we can save our best for last.’ So far, every really has been progressively better, so why not just really put everything together in this one and see what happens. This is what we’ve been working for all year, so let’s put it all out there.”
On the Commodores’ chances of being successful against the talented field. “If the women race with the same confidence and poise that they had at Region, then anything can happen. I think sometimes at nationals, even the best teams get nervous and under perform. And on the other hand, some teams that aren’t ranked high will step up and do really well. So the key for us is to keep a level head and go in there with confidence and run the way we’ve run all year.”
On the health of the team. “In the past, when we’ve gone into nationals, there was normally something going on — maybe some sickness, or a lingering hamstring issue or whatever. But this year, I can confidently say that we have seven women who are 100 percent healthy, hungry and confident. And going into this type of setting, with seven pieces fitting together, is exciting.”
PARTICIPATING TEAMS
Automatic qualifiers
Arkansas
Baylor
Boise State
Colorado
Florida State
Georgetown
Iona
Iowa State
Michigan State
Minnesota
New Mexico
Oregon
Providence
Vanderbilt
Virginia
West Virginia
William and Mary
Wisconsin
At-large Teams
Boston College
Dartmouth
Michigan
North Carolina
NC State
Notre Dame
Ohio State
Stanford
Syracuse
Toledo
UCLA
Virginia Tech
Washington
