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Erika Schneble Earns Second in SEC 5,000-Meter Run 3/1/2004 Commodores Finish Ninth in Team Standings LEXINGTON, Ky. — Vanderbilt sophomore Erika Schneble finished second in the 5,000-meter run Sunday at the Southeastern Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships, easily eclipsing a team record she established two weeks ago. Schneble dictated the pace for much of the distance race but was unable to hold off a final lap rally by Caity Phillips, who captured the event in front of a vocal hometown audience in 16:29.90. Schneble followed closely behind in 16:32.06, joining Ryan Tolbert, Leslie Vidmar and Josie Hahn as the only Commodores to finish first or second at the SEC Indoor Championships. Vanderbilt sophomore Amanda Mullins-Hall set a team hurdles record and freshman Ashleigh Wetzel ran one of the fastest miles ever by a Commodore in other team highlights Sunday during the final day of the SEC meet. The Commodores scored 25 points, equalling the team’s second highest point total ever at the SEC Indoor Championships. In the team standings, Vanderbilt finished ninth, its best overall finish since 1998. After running in midpack for much of the first mile, Schneble quickly moved to the lead and controlled the pace for nearly two miles. When the bell rang signaling the final lap, Schneble had eliminated all but Phillips as contenders. Phillips, who finished a second in the 3,000-meter run Saturday night, used a strong kick to pass Schneble in the final 200 meters. For the second time in two weeks, Schneble blew away the Commodore 5,000-meter team mark. Her final time was more than seven seconds lower than the 16:39.27 performance she posted at the Razorback-Tyson Invitational in Arkansas on Feb. 13. Schneble has knocked 33 seconds off her personal record in the last two races. Wetzel’s performance was just as impressive as the effort turned in by Schneble. Though running as the only freshman in the mile finals, Wetzel was competitive throughout the race, finishing eighth overall. She missed sixth place by one second. Wetzel’s time, 4:51.29, is the third fastest indoor mile by a Commodore. Beth Tallent (4:47.29 in 1992) and Whitney Spannuth (4:50.48 in 1994) are the only Commodores to run faster indoors. Mullins-Hall appears destined for the NCAA Championships after tying for eighth place in the 60-meter hurdles with a team-record 8.35 performance. The SEC hurdles final featured several of the nation’s best hurdlers, including winner Lolo Jones of LSU, runner-up Hyleas Fountain of Georgia and South Carolina’s Ronnetta Alexander. Mullins-Hall missed finishing fifth by just .07 seconds. The Commodores also received a point from eighth place finishes in both the distance medley relay (12:01.27) and 4×400-meter relay (3:50.87). Day Two Results Hahn Finishes Second in High Jump at SEC Indoor Meet; Mullins-Hall, Wetzel Advance to Finals on Sunday Lexington, Ky. – A gutsy high jump performance by Commodore junior Josie Hahn resulted in a second place finish Saturday at the Southeastern Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships. Despite fighting her form, Hahn successfully cleared 5’9″ and 5’10.5″ on her third and final attempts en route to the runner-up finish. Hahn was one of two jumpers to clear 5’10.5″ with talented rival Hyleas Fountain of Georgia earning the event win based on fewer misses. In other action, sophomore Amanda Mullins-Hall and freshman Ashleigh Wetzel advanced to the finals in their specialties Sunday following career-best performances. Mullins-Hall will compete in the 60-meter hurdles while Wetzel advanced in the mile. A trio of Commodores – sophomore Erika Schneble, freshman Debbie Huss and freshman Lauren Pence – also are scheduled to compete Sunday in the 5,000-meter run. Schneble enters as a pre-race favorite posting the fastest 5,000 meters by an SEC runner this winter. After two days of competition, the Commodores have 14 team points, five more than the squad achieved last year while finishing 10th. Hahn is responsible for all 14 points. Hahn, who finished third Friday with a team-record pentathlon performance, struggled through much of the high jump. After clearing an opening height, she missed once at 5’6″ before needing all three attempts to clear at 5’9″. When the horizontal bar went to 5’10.5″, Hahn again needed three attempts to leap the height. She closed the competition with three unsuccessful tries at 5’11.75″. Hahn becomes just the third Commodore to finish first or second in individual events at the SEC Indoor Championships. The others are former hurdler/sprinter Ryan Tolbert and shot putter Leslie Vidmar. Mullins-Hall and Wetzel ran personal bests Saturday to advance to the finals Sunday. Mullins-Hall equalled the team’s 60-meter hurdles record of 8.42 to earn the final position in the finals. Her previous best in the event was 8.45. Wetzel took five seconds off her best in the mile, running 4:52.63 to make the finals. Another outstanding Commodore performance was turned in by sophomore Alisa Cotter. Running in the mile preliminaries before Wetzel, Cotter smashed her personal best with a 4:57.44 effort. It was 16 seconds faster than her previous best. Sophomore Latisha Bryant failed to advance in the 800 meters, but achieved a personal best of 2:12.83. Day One Results Hahn Earns Third in SEC Pentathlon Vanderbilt’s Josie Hahn used a team-record performance to finish third in the pentathlon Friday during the first day of competition at the Southeastern Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships. Hahn, a junior from Clinton, Tenn., used a career best in the 800 meters to secure the third place finish. Her 3,917-point total bettered the former mark of 3,892 points she set last year at the SEC Championships during a fourth-place finish. The pentathlon features scores from five events: 60-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, long jump and 800-meter run. Hahn’s teammate, sophomore Garnetta Holloway, finished 12th in the pentathlon with 3,510 points. NCAA pentathlon favorite Hyleas Fountain of Georgia captured her second consecutive SEC title with 4,417 points. Chelsea Hammond of South Carolina finished second with 4,133 points. Hahn will return to the Nutter Fieldhouse facility on the University of Kentucky campus Saturday to compete in the individual high jump. She also finished fourth in the event last year. Several Commodore teammates are scheduled to compete at the meet during the next two days. Freshman miler Ashleigh Wetzel and sophomore high hurdler Amanda Mullins-Hall will attempt to advance to the finals in their specialties Saturday. School record-holding thrower Vensherrie Campbell also competes Saturday in the weight throw. On Sunday, sophomore distance runner Erika Schneble will compete in the 5,000-meter run, two weeks after smashing the team record at the Razorback-Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark. She has the fastest time at the distance entering the SEC Championships. |
