NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt will travel north for the Buckeye Preview on Saturday as the Commodores continue the regular season portion of their cross country slate.
Saturday’s 6,000-meter race begins at 8:45 a.m. CT and will be contested at the Ohio State Golf Club.
The Commodores will be one of 13 teams competing in the event, as the field includes four top-25 programs in addition to second-ranked (NCAA DII) Grand Valley State. Eleven teams are tabbed within the top-10 of their respective regions, including No. 5 Vanderbilt (South Region).
“This is a great opportunity to get out of our region and race against some nationally ranked teams,” said head coach Steve Keith, who will pit his Commodores against the likes of No. 7 Michigan, No. 11 Michigan State, No. 16 Penn State and No. 21 Ohio State.
“We will run our top group (7) with the addition of Haley Walker running her first race this fall”
Vanderbilt will send its top group, which includes seven student-athletes, with the addition of Haley Walker running her first race this fall.
“In a field this deep, it is very important to keep our 1-5 time gap as close as possible,” Keith added. “Running inside of 20-30 apart should be our best race and yield a good result.”
Following the Ohio State Invitational, the Commodores remain on the road for the Louisville Classic (Sept. 28) and the NCAA Pre-Nationals (Oct. 19) in Terre Haute, Indiana.
This season’s edition of the SEC Championships will be contested Nov. 1 in Lexington, Kentucky.
