March 23, 2008
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Freshman Rita Jorgensen won the 800 meters to lead the Vanderbilt distance runners as they opened their outdoor season on Saturday at the Jace LaCoste Invitational in Starkville, Miss.
“It was a very good race by Rita, even as she ran close to 65-67 for her splits,” said coach Steve Keith. “This was an outdoor PR for Rita and also faster than she ran indoor this year.”
Also running well for the Commodores was fellow freshman Kristabel Doebel-Hickok and junior Carmen Mims, who finished second and third respectively in the 3000 meters.
“The distance ladies of Kristabel, Carmen, Adrienne (DiRaddo) and Amanda Scott all got off to a good start,” added Keith. “The big thing is that most of them haven’t raced in a while so this should wake up the body and get them ready for some good performances in the coming weeks.”
Running in the first outdoor race of her career, Jorgensen captured the 800 meters, finishing with a time of 2:12.28. Finishing in second was Alina Varpiotaite of UAB, who recorded a time of 2:13.11. Vanderbilt’s Erin Guglielmo finished fifth in the race with a time of 2:20.48.
The Commodores posted a second and third finish in the 3000 meters. Doebel-Hickok finished second, running the distance in 10:15.76. Finishing in third was fellow Commodore Mims, who finished with a time of 10:22.17. Simone Domingue of Mississippi State won the race with a time of 10:08.06.
The rest of the Commodore track and field team will open up its outdoor season next weekend at the Yellow Jacket Invitational in Atlanta.
