April 13, 2018
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Four Commodores, including sophomore pole vaulters Caleigh Lofstead and Margaret Ollinger, established new outdoor personal records Friday at the Tennessee Relays.
Lofstead and Ollinger both soared over 13 feet to complete a 1-2 finish for the Commodores in the collegiate pole vault staged at The Tom Black Track on the University of Tennessee campus.
Lofstead, from Camas, Wash., captured the collegiate vault competition with a clearance of 13-3.50 (4.05 meters), equaling the team’s No. 2 all-time outdoor vault. It bettered her previous best of 13-2.25 from the 2017 Southeastern Conference Championship.
Lofstead won the competition in a jump-out with her Commodore classmate. Ollinger, from Fairhope, Ala., reached the 13-foot barrier for the first time outdoors. Her top clearance of 13-1.50 (4.00 meters) becomes the fourth highest mark in program history.
Freshman sprinter Sophia Falco and junior middle distance runner Ginger Hutton matched the vaulters’ collegiate-best efforts in the 100-meter dash and 800-meter run, respectively.
Falco, from Lakewood Ranch, Fla., significantly lowered her best in the 100-meter dash with a clocking of 11.92. Only two Commodores, Anna Hawkins Carr in 2010 and Taylor Jackson in 2011, have ever run the sprint faster than Falco.
Hutton, from Aspen, Colo, dropped her collegiate-best in the 800 meters significantly with a time of 2:11.10. Hutton finished 15th in the collegiate 800, eight places behind sophomore teammate Reagan Bustamante, who posted a strong 2:08.57 effort.
Vanderbilt 400-meter specialist Jenn Edobi also registered a strong performances during the opening day. Edobi, a junior from Union, N.J., ran her fastest 400 meters of the outdoor season with a fourth-place result. She was clocked in 53.33.
Head coach Steve Keith was pleased with the Commodores’ results on Friday. “It was a fun day. Caleigh and Margaret were both impressive and finished with two of our top four vaults ever. Jenn got a few tenths off her 400 which is a great sign, and Ray [Bustamante] and Ginger ran strong 800-meter races. Falco with her best 100 as a Commodore also was great to see,” Keith said.
The Commodores have two athletes entered in field events on Saturday: Falco in the triple jump and redshirt sophomore Kristen Denk in the invitational-only pole vault. They will also send out foursomes in the distance medley, sprint medley and 4×800-meter relay.
Vanderbilt results Day 1 -Tennessee Relays
Long jump – Sophia Falco 11.92.
Pole vault (collegiate division) – 1. Caleigh Lofstead 13-3.50 (4.05m). 2. Margaret Ollinger 13-1.50 (4.00m).
400 meters – 4. Jenn Edobi 53.33. Regan Clay 57.59.
800 meters – 7. Reagan Bustamante 2:08.57. 15. Ginger Hutton 2:11.10.
1,500 meters – Maddie Criscione 4:40.59. Kacie Breeding 4:42.08. Kendall Derry 4:43.74. Caroline Pietrzyk 4:48.98. Reagan Anderson 4:56.35.
5,000 meters – 6. Mailin Struck 17:18.61. 8. Megan Huebner 17:24.49. Gillian Mortimer 17:47.61. Anna Grace Morgan 17:53.71. Devon Grisbaum 18:20.40.
