Oct. 16, 2015
Event: Wisconsin adidas Invitational
Day, Date: Friday, Oct. 16
Host: Wisconsin
Site: Thomas Zimmer Course (Madison, Wisconsin)
Results: HERE
Caroline Pietrzyk finished the regular season in fitting fashion on Friday, with the touted Vanderbilt freshman once again leading the way for the Commodores.
Competing in the prestigious Wisconsin adidas Invitational against a vastly-talented field, Pietrzyk paced the VU runners and took 35th overall with a time of 20:22.6 to help the No. 21-ranked Commodores earn an 18th place finish. Sara Tsai, another freshman, was the second VU runner across the line, taking 94th at 20:55.9
Top-ranked New Mexico dominated the meet, finishing with 32 points. Arkansas was second with 188 points and Virginia was third at 217. Individually, Boise State’s Allie Ostrander won the meet and set a new course record with a time of 19:19.5, and was followed by Notre Dame’s Molly Seidel at 19:33.4 and Arkansas’ Dominique Scott at 19:32.5.
Vanderbilt head coach Steve Keith and associate head coach Rhonda Riley each said the meet — which featured 20 ranked teams and five more that received votes in the latest USTFCCCA poll — was a learning experience for the Commodores.
“Anytime you compete in a meet like this, it’s going to be a tough challenge — and that’s always a good thing,” said Keith. “Today, we didn’t quite have the race we wanted to have. It wasn’t a disaster but the results weren’t as solid as we think we are capable of having.”
“This race is very much like the national meet,” said Riley. “We are still a young team, and we are learning how to execute in these types of races. But we are very happy with the way the freshman ran today.”
Pietrzyk’s performance capped an impressive regular season for the freshman from Malibu, Cali. She was Vanderbilt’s top finisher in all four of the Commodores’ regular-season meets, and was a two-time selection for SEC Freshman Runner of the Week. Pietrzyk finished sixth among all freshmen in Friday’s race.
Sara Barron was 104th with a time of 21:01.7, Carmen Carlos was 120th at 21:10.6 and Reagan Anderson was 131st at 21:17.6 to round out the Commodores’ top-5. Vanessa Valentine posted a time of 21:23.8 and Megan Huebner finished at 21:42.2.
The Commodores also competed in the Open race, where Maddie Criscione earned a Top-10 finish, posting a time of 21:14.5 to take eighth.
“Maddie had a great race today, and this was a very productive trip for her,” said Keith.
Lily Williams was 19th in the Open race at 21:40.5 and Devon Grisbaum was 21st at 21:45.1. Ginger Hutton took 33rd at 22:15.9 and Courtney Kriegshauser was 42nd at 22:55.6.
Vanderbilt now turns its attention to the SEC Championships, which will be held Oct. 30 in College Station, Tx.
Women’s Invite
Vanderbilt Results
35 – Caroline Pietrzyk – 20:22.6
94 – Sara Tsai – 20:55.9
104 – Sara Barron – 21:01.7
120 – Carmen Carlos – 21:10.6
131 – Reagan Anderson – 21:17.6
146 – Vanessa Valentine – 21:23.8
178 – Megan Huebner – 21:42.2
Invite Team Results
1. New Mexico – 32
2. Arkansas – 188
3. Virginia – 217
4. North Carolina State – 240
5. Providence – 264
6. Boise State – 275
7. Iowa State – 283
8. Washington – 293
9. BYU – 316
10. Penn State – 352
11. Syracuse – 382
12. Notre Dame – 415
13. Princeton – 421
14. Michigan State – 421
15. Minnesota – 429
16. William & Mary – 464
17. Columbia – 481
18. Vanderbilt – 484
19. North Carolina – 492
20. Dartmouth – 500
21. Northern Arizona – 553
22. Indiana – 564
23. Florida State – 566
24. Arizona State – 579
25. Wisconsin – 580
26. Harvard – 600
27. West Virginia – 601
28. Tulsa – 601
29. Boston College – 634
30. Baylor 671
31. Ohio State – 730
32. SMU – 751
33. Lamar – 789
34. UCLA – 799
35. Iona – 885
36. Toledo – 999
Women’s Open Race
Vanderbilt Results
8 Maddie Criscione – 21:14.5
19 Lily Williams – 21:40.5
21 Devon Grisbaum – 21:45.1
33 Ginger Hutton – 22:15.9
42 Courtney Kriegshauser – 22:55.6
Open Team Results
1. Arkansas – 31
2. Washington – 43
3. Michigan State – 84
4. BYU – 109
5. Minnesota – 199
6. Vanderbilt – 123
7. South Dakota State – 132
8. Toledo – 221
