NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt track and field kicks off its 2025 season Saturday at home when it hosts the Commodore Challenge at the David Williams II Recreation & Wellness Center.
Competing teams
Eighteen schools, including Austin Peay, Belmont, Campbellsville, Cumberland (Tenn.), Indiana, Lindsey Wilson, Lipscomb, McNeese State, McPherson, MTSU, Murray State, Ole Miss, Southern Indiana, Southern Wesleyan, UT Martin, Trevecca Nazarene, Vanderbilt and William Carey, will be competing in the event.
Dore notes
- Althea Thomas enters her fourth season as the director or cross country and track and field
- In 2023, Thomas led the Commodores to a top 25 finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships for the second consecutive season and the program’s first NCAA individual title since 1997
- Vandy tied its best finish in school history at the SEC Outdoor Championships finishing eighth with 45 points, which were scored in all disciplines
- Active Commodore student-athletes hold three individual indoor school records and have registered 16 marks ranking in the program’s all-time top 10
- Vanderbilt welcomed 16 newcomers to its roster for the 2024-25 school year, including U20 world champion Josie Donelson, three-time German national champion Tina Benzinger and first-team All-Sun Belt honoree Ellie Wolski
- Eight current Commodore freshmen were high school state or national champions in 2024
- The Commodores added three new faces to its coaching staff, Chad Balyo and Lisa Morgan, who work with the distance student-athletes, and Candace Fuller, who coaches the throwers
Keeping up with the Commodores
The Commodore Challenge will be streamed on SEC Network+ with live results available online. Action gets underway Saturday with field events beginning at 8 a.m. and running events starting at 9:25 a.m.
UPDATE
Due to expected inclement weather in Nashville over the weekend, Friday’s events have been rescheduled for Saturday. The updated tentative schedule can be found on VUCommodores.com. Please monitor @VandyXCTrack on X, Instagram and Facebook for updates.
