Sept. 6, 2011
Nashville, Tenn. –
The SEC office announced Vanderbilt cross country runner Jordan White as the athlete of the week today. White, a junior, paced her Commodores to a first place finish at the Belmont-Vanderbilt Opener over the weekend.
White set a school-best performance with her finish of 14:05 on the 4,000-meter course at Percy Warner Park, despite sizzling and humid conditions. She is ranked fifth all-time on the course for the event, where she improved her 2010 performance by 16 seconds.
“Looking at where she was last year and this year, she’s obviously improved a bit as far as her time,” said Head Coach Steve Keith. “She’s quietly leading our team, which is very nice, leading by example. She’s got her head set on having a better season than last year, and this was a nice start for her.”
With White leading the way, Vanderbilt scored a school record-low 18 points, defeating SEC foes Kentucky and Tennessee, along with the seven other competing schools. An All-Academic award winner as well for cross country and track, White placed first or second for the Commodores in every race in 2010.
“It’s nice to get recognition,” said Keith. “There are a lot of other deserving girls out there, and the conference is getting better every year. She put a very nice effort out there. It’s great to be honored for that.”