NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Postseason competition begins Friday for Vanderbilt men’s and women’s cross country with the SEC Cross Country Championships. The women will run a 6-kilometer race, and the men will compete on an 8-kilometer course at Charwood Golf Club in Columbia, South Carolina.
The Commodore men have had a month off from competition, last competing in the Joe Piane Invitational in September. This season, the men’s team has recorded three top-10 finishes, opening the season finishing third at the Belmont Opener.
At the Joe Piane Invitational, Jack DesRoches helped the men’s team place 10th when he finished second among freshman and 18th overall (24:45.7) in the 5-mile race. After finishing first among his teammates two weeks in a row, DesRoches was named SEC Men’s Freshman of the Week. Placing 32nd overall and second on the team was Andrew Pahnke, who turned in a time of 25:03.6. Vandy’s third finisher was Brady Bliven who came in 58th, followed by Dylan Ballard (60th) and Jackson Scruggs (71st).
The Vanderbilt women last competed in the XC23 Invitational where they raced against several nationally ranked and SEC teams. Led by Caroline Eck’s 71st-place finish, the team came in 22nd place. Vandy’s second finisher was freshman Colette Kinsella who was 99th overall in the 6-kilometer race. Lainey Phelps (122nd), Julia Rosenberg (129th) and Emma Curry (133rd) were additional scorers for Vanderbilt.
The Commodores opened the 2023 season with a runner-up finish at the Belmont Opener. All five of Vanderbilt’s scorers, led by Ella Lambert, placed in the top 15. The women’s team recorded another second-place finish at the Mountain Dew Invitational in Gainesville, Florida. Vandy’s third top-10 finish of the season came at the Joe Piane Invitational when Rosenberg led the team to eighth place.
At last year’s SEC Championships, the Vanderbilt men’s cross country team placed 12th overall, and the women finished in ninth place. Vandy’s top finisher in last year’s men’s race was Philip Metcalf. Zach Hodges was the second Dore to finish. Cameron Fawcett (28th) was the top finisher for the women, followed by Eck (39th) and Audrey Allman (40th).
The 2023 SEC Cross Country Championships will kick off Friday at 9:08 a.m. CT with the men’s race. The women’s race will follow at 9:50 a.m. CT. The meet will be broadcast on SEC Network and results will be available online.
