Oct. 27, 2007
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Vanderbilt men’s and women’s cross country teams opened 2007 postseason competition today at the SEC Championships. After two grueling races against some of the stiffest competition the NCAA has to offer, the women’s team finished eighth out of 12 teams, and the men finished 10th.
Vanderbilt’s women’s team scored a total of 217 points. The Commodore women were led by sensational freshman Rita Jorgensen. Jorgensen led VU in the 6k race and finished 31st overall in a time of 21:49.94. Carmen Mims and Adrienne DiRaddo placed second and third, respectively, on the squad. Mims finished 44th with a time of 22:18.37. DiRaddo’s 22:47.21 earned her a 51st place showing at the SEC Championships.
“We didn’t run as well as I hoped we would, but I was pleased that everyone was able to finish the race without any difficulties,” noted Steve Keith, adding, “I’m especially proud of Val Kazmer. I thought she did an exceptional job running today.”
Kazmer was Vanderbilt’s fourth place runner (59th overall) and finished the 6k race in a time of 23:02.59.
The Commodore men scored a total of 302 points. Individually, the team was led by Thomas Davis. Davis was the team’s fastest runner for the second race in his last three tries. He finished the 8k event 64th overall in a time of 26:11.75. Next in line for the Commodores was Austin Williamson. In his final SEC Championship race, Williamson completed the course in 26:26.88, good for 72nd overall. Rounding out the top four for the Commodore men were Rick Semones and Rob Whiting. In his final SEC Championship race, Semones placed 75th overall with a time of 26:37.93. Whiting was Vanderbilt’s fourth place team finisher (78th overall), completing the 8k race in 26:44.30.
“I was happy to see Rick continue his streak of impressive performances for our squad this season,” commented Keith. “He has done very well, and I’m proud of all that he has accomplished for us.”
The Vanderbilt cross country teams will return to competitive action in two weeks on November 10 when they travel to Gainesville, Fla., for the NCAA Regional Championships. The NCAA Regional Championships are a qualifying prelude to the NCAA National Championships, which will be held a week afterward in Terre Haute, Ind.
