NASHVILLE, Tenn. — This weekend the Vanderbilt track and field team hosts the two-day Vanderbilt Invitational in the David Williams II Recreation and Wellness Center.
The Commodores welcome Little Rock, Arkansas State, Austin Peay, Belmont, Cumberland, East Tennessee State, Georgia State, Kentucky, Lee University, Life University, Memphis, Middle Tennessee, Ole Miss, Southern Mississippi, Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech, Louisiana Monroe and Western Kentucky.
The Vanderbilt Invitational begins Friday with the men’s heptathlon at 11 a.m. followed by the women’s pentathlon at 11:30 a.m. The field events are set to begin with the high jump at 3 p.m. while the running events are slated for 5:30 p.m. with the 200 meter.
Last week, the Dores commenced the 2022 indoor season at home by hosting the Commodore Challenge. The record-setting first day was paced by the efforts of Haley Bishop reseting the 300-meter record. Grace Jenson also secured the program’s second-best time in the 1,000 meters. Vandy swept the top-3 spots in the 300 meters and Josephine Dal posted a top-5 finish in the high jump under the direction of first-year head coach Althea Thomas.
Day 2 of the meet was much more of the same as Divine Oladipo shattered a 24-year shot put record setting the nation’s top indoor mark of 17.92m (58’9.50″), in her debut with the Commodores. Bishop continued her dominance on the track taking the school record in the 60 meters finishing at 7.37, a top-5 mark nationally. Laine Roberts’ 3.35m clearance gave her a stake in the No. 13 spot in the pole vault. Vanderbilt closed the meet with a silver-worthy finish in the 4x400m (3:45.70) as USF (3:45.43) edged the Commodores at the finish line.
This weekend’s meet is the second of the three home meets the Commodores will host this season. Vanderbilt will travel to Louisville to compete at the PNC Bank Lenny Lyles Invitational on Jan. 29.
