Nov. 8, 2017
NASHVILLE – The Vanderbilt cross country teams continue championship season with the 2017 NCAA South Regional on Friday (Nov. 10) in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The women’s 6K race is scheduled to start at 9 am with the men’s 10K starting at 10 am at the Harry Pritchett Running Course.
Setting the Stage
Event: NCAA South Regional Championship
Date: Friday, Nov. 10
Host: NCAA/Alabama
Site: Harry Pritchett Running Course
Start Times: Women’s 6K: 9:00 am/Men’s 10K: 10 am
Live Scoring: Click Here
Championship Season is Here
Friday’s race is the second opportunity the Commodores during this championship season after the SEC Championship on Oct. 27. Should Vanderbilt advance out of the NCAA Regionals, the NCAA Championship will be on Nov. 18 in Louisville, Ky.
Vanderbilt at the NCAA Regionals
The Commodore women are looking to qualify for their sixth NCAA Championship in the last seven years on Friday. The Commodores qualified for the NCAA Championship by way of the NCAA Regionals for five consecutive seasons from 2010-2015. The women’s team narrowly missed a spot last season finishing in third place behind Mississippi State and Ole Miss. The men’s team is looking for a strong finish at Regionals. In 2016, the men’s team finished 16th for its best finish since 2010 when they finished 14th. [ Meet Central ]
Dores Looking to Improve at Regionals
The Commodores are looking to put all of their training to the test on Friday. The women are coming off a top-10 showing at the SEC Championships with a ninth-place finish on Oct. 27 while the men’s team is coming off a 12th-place finish. The women will run a 6K on Friday for the third straight meet while the men’s team will up their mileage to a 10K, their first 10K of the season.
Second Go ‘Round for Men’s Team at Pritchett Running Course
This will be the second time the Vanderbilt men have run on the NCAA Regional course this season as they also ran it at the Crimson Classic on Oct. 13. The squad placed 22nd as junior Jason Vincze was Vanderbilt’s top runner clocking a time of 26:13.1 over the 8,0000-meter course.
Preview of the 2017 National Championship Course
The Commodores had a chance to run the course that will serve as host to the 2017 NCAA Cross Country Championships in November at the Louisville Classic. The 2017 NCAA Cross Country Championships will be hosted by Louisville on Nov. 18.
Scouting The Field
This NCAA regional field is loaded as it is every year. The men’s field features 34 teams and the women’s team will have 41 teams. Both the men’s and women’s field features 18 regionally and nationally ranked teams.
Defending Champions
Mississippi State is the defending South Reginal women’s champion, while Ole Miss is the defending South Regional men’s champion.
In The Rankings
The Commodore women were receiving votes in the last national poll 3 and are sitting as the No. 5 women’s team in the South region for the fourth straight week. [POLLS]
On Your Marks, Get Set, GO…
A total of 16 Vanderbilt runners will make the trip with 14 runners set to compete this weekend. A list of all Vanderbilt runners competing is listed below:
Women (8): Reagan Bustamante, Maddie Criscione, Kendall Derry, Devon Grisbaum, Megan Huebner, Anna Grace Morgan, Gillian Mortimer, Mailin Struck (Alternate)
Men (8): Caleb Casolaro, Sam DeFabrizio (Alternate), Waqqas Fazili, Andrew Irvine, Aidan Livingston, Evan Suzman, Harrison Thomas, Jason Vincze
Last Outing… SEC Championships (Oct. 27)
The Vanderbilt women’s cross country team placed ninth at the SEC Championships in Athens, Georgia on Friday morning with the men’s team taking 12th place. Maddie Criscione paced the women’s team with a time of 21:15.6 while Aidan Livingston was the men’s top finisher with a time 25:40.6. The women’s squad was paced by four runners placing in the top 50 of the always talented SEC Championship field. Criscione led the way with her 27th-place finish and a season-best time of 21:15.6.
Up Next
If the Commodores finish in the top two of the regional they will advance to the 2017 NCAA Championship on Nov. 18 in Louisville, Kentucky.
A Look at the 2017 Schedule
The Commodores will race in four regular-season meets this season. Following the Belmont Opener, Vanderbilt will host the Commodore Classic on Sept. 16 before traveling to the Louisville Classic (Sept. 30). The men will get a preview of the NCAA South Regional course at the Alabama Crimson Classic (Oct. 13) while the women will head to Wisconsin for the Wisconsin-Nuttycombe Invitational. The Dores will head to Athens, Ga., for the SEC Championship on Oct. 27 before heading back to Tuscaloosa for the NCAA South Regional on Nov. 10. [ SCHEDULES: MEN | WOMEN ]
Follow The Commodores on Social Media
For all the latest information on the Vanderbilt cross country teams give them a follow on Twitter at @vandyxctrack.
