Oct. 12, 2017
NASHVILLE – The Vanderbilt cross country teams will hit the road again this weekend but for the first time splitting squads. The men’s team will travel to Tuscaloosa, Ala. for the Crimson Invitational hosted by Alabama while the women’s team will head north to Wisconsin for the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational in the final regular-season meets.
Setting the Stage
Event: Crimson Invitational (M), Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational (W)
Date: Friday, Oct. 13
Host: Alabama (M)/Wisconsin (W)
Site: Harry Pritchett Running Park/Zimmer Championship Course
Start Times: Men’s 8K: 9:00 am/Women’s 6K: 12:20 pm
Final Regular-Season Races on Tap
Both teams will hit the road for their final regular-season races this weekend. The men travel to SEC foe Alabama while the women heading to north to run in the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational. This marks the first and only race this season the cross country squads will split up.
Commodore Men to Get Preview of SEC South Regional Course
The Vanderbilt men will get a peek at the course which will serve as the course for the 2017 South Regional on Friday. The Harry Pritchett Running Park will serve as host for the NCAA South Regional on Nov. 10. The top two teams from that regional will advance to the NCAA Championship meet in Louisville, Ky.
Women Return to Wisconsin
The Vanderbilt women will return to Wisconsin to race in the prestigious Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational for the seventh consecutive season. Vanderbilt’s best finish was runner-up in 2011. The Commodores last placed in the top 10 in 2014 finishing tied for ninth. The race is perennially one of the top races in the country each year. FloTrack will stream the event live [ VIDEO STREAM]
First 6K Race for Women
Friday’s 6K race marks the first regular-season 6K race for the women. The women have run 5K’s in each of their previous three races. This weekend’s 6K race will be good preparation for the championship races in which the race distance is 6K.
Running on Friday the 13th
The Commodore harriers will both race on Friday the 13th this year. It’s the first Friday the 13th meet for the squads since 2006 when they raced at the Blue Ridge Open in Boone, N.C. The teams did race the 2014 SEC Championships on Halloween in Tuscaloosa.
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.
From the Coaches
Head Coach Steve Keith
On the importance of the weekend …
“This is a big weekend for us. Two weeks before conference championships and we will see teams running at their best in preparation for the coming championship meets. No holding back for either squad.
Wisconsin is always the most competitive meet outside of the actual NCAA championship race so we know we’ll have our hands full. The movement up to 6k will also be a change but something we’ve prepared for with the women. A little more aggressive and still running a tight 20-25″ group will yield our best result for both men and women.”
Scouting The Field
This weekend’s field is a strong one at both races. The Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational features 33 teams including 16 nationally-ranked opponents and five of the top 10 team’s in the country, led by No. 3 New Mexico. Kentucky and Vanderbilt will be the lone women’s representatives from the SEC in the women’s race [ NUTTYCOMBE WISCONSIN MEET CENTRAL] In Tuscaloosa, there will also be several national and regionally-ranked teams. [CRIMSON CLASSIC INFORMATION]
In The Rankings
The Commodore women are receiving votes in the latest national poll on Oct. 3 and are sitting as the No. 5 women’s team in the South region for the second straight week. [POLLS]
On Your Marks, Get Set, GO …
A total of 19 Vanderbilt runners will compete this weekend. A list of all Vanderbilt runners competing is listed below:
Women (10): Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational
Kacie Breeding*, Reagan Bustamante, Maddie Criscione, Kendall Derry, Devon Grisbaum, Megan Huebner, Ginger Hutton, Anna Grace Morgan*, Gillian Mortimer, Mailin Struck*
Note: The women will race in two divisions at Wisconsin. Those racing in the open division are noted with an asterisk.
Men (9): Crimson Classic
Caleb Casolaro, Sam DeFabrizio, Waqqas Fazili, Edward Harpstead, Andrew Irvine, Aidan Livingston, Harrison Thomas, Caleb Van Geffen, Jason Vincze
Last Outing … Louisville Classic
The Vanderbilt women’s cross country team placed 12th among 37 NCAA Division I teams at the Louisville Classic on Sunday. For the second straight race seniors, Megan Huebner and Maddie Criscione led the way. Huebner finished 47th and Criscione 65th, with times of 17:27.63 and 17:38.79, respectively. The Vanderbilt men’s team finished 30th and were paced by Jason Vincze who finished with a time of 25:40.13. Aidan Livingston and Andrew Irvine crossed the finish line with times of 26:06.70 and 26:08.47. [ Full Recap]
Up Next
The Commodores will open championship season on Oct. 27 when they travel to Athens, Ga., for the SEC Championships.
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.
