COLUMBUS, Ohio – Vanderbilt wrapped up the Buckeye Preview with a sixth-place finish in the 13-team event Saturday.
The Commodores finished the six-kilometer race with 140 points, finishing two spots ahead of No. 11 Michigan State. The highly competitive field also included three other nationally-ranked teams: No. 7 Michigan, No. 16 Penn State and No. 21 Ohio State.
“This was another step forward with a very solid team effort for the women,” head coach Steve Keith said. “Our 1-5 time differential was good, but our 1-4 time gap was just 24, which is something to build on for the next three weeks.”
The Commodores were paced by Grace Jensen. The sophomore from Mobile, Alabama, earned a 19th-place individual finish with a time of 21:34.
Another Vanderbilt sophomore Haley Walker, running in her first race of the campaign, finished 25th overall with a time of 21:46.
The Commodores utilized three more top-50 finishes behind Walker in the field of 131 runners: senior Caroline Pietrzyk (30th, 21:53), senior Reagan Bustamante (33rd, 21:58) and freshman Niki Narayani (48th place, 22:14).
Jenson and Walker were followed by Ana Wallace (56th, 22:20) and Gillian Mortimer (60th, 22:29).
“All seven represented well in a field heavy with nationally ranked teams,” Keith said.
The Commodores continue the fall cross country slate with both men’s and women’s cross country competing next Saturday at the Louisville Classic in Louisville, Kentucky.
