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Cross Country Season Opens Friday, Sept. 2 8/31/2005 The Vanderbilt women’s cross country team heads into a promising fall with many veteran faces returning to the squad. “We have Vanderbilt’s largest women’s team ever, with twenty-four student-athletes,” Head Coach Jim Spivey, a three-time U.S. Olympian who enters his sixth season at Vanderbilt, said. “It makes for great team dynamics, and I think the nine incoming freshmen have fit into the team well.” Leading the team will be juniors Erika Schneble (Hendersonville, N.C.), the 2004 SEC 5000m Champion, and Ashleigh Wetzel (Lewisburg, Pa.) who will both be returning after red-shirting the track seasons. “Erika wants to make a statement this fall, and bring back the intensity she exhibited in her 2004 track season when she piled up 13 personal records in a row,” Spivey said. “I think she will peak at the right time, and I am really looking forward to her October and November racing.” Wetzel looks to return to her 2004 form, which saw a 5th place finish at the SEC Championships. “Ashleigh has looked great this fall, and with Erika, it gives us two big hitters up front. That gives the rest of the team a lot of lee-way on placing,” Spivey said. Returning for the Commodores include senior Brittany Sizer (Houston, Texas), junior Debbie Huss (Wyomissing, Pa.) and sophomore Julie Eckerly (Columbus, Ind.). Sizer and Eckerly, coming off a pair of standout track seasons, look to be key scorers this season, while Huss, a 2003 All-Region runner, is expected to return from an off-season injury in time for the Notre Dame Invitational. Also returning from injury is Amy Huss (Wyomissing, Pa.). “The big surprise this fall has been Amy,” Spivey said. “She has been injured for the last year and a half, but made a commitment to herself — on May 1 after traveling home for the summer — to get back into shape. She has looked great in practice, and I expect her to carry that into this race.” The Commodores welcome nine new freshmen to the team, including celebrated Kentucky runner Carmen Mims (Louisville, Ky.). Mims, a Footlocker finalist, Nike Indoor All-American and three-time cross country state champion is expected to challenge for a top five spot by the end of the season. The Commodores will compete in the Belmont Invitational at Percy Warner Park on Sept. 2nd at 5:30 p.m. CT. The team will face a more competitive field this year, including defending SEC Champion Tennessee. The Lady Vols return three NCAA all-Regional runners to this year’s team, led by SEC track 5000m champion Felicia Guilford. She is joined by juniors Katie Flautie and Megan Cauble, who placed 10th and 18th at last year’s SEC Cross Country Championships. |
