March 29, 2008
ATLANTA, Ga. — Freshman Rita Jorgensen and senior Valerie Kazmer captured individual race wins to lead the Vanderbilt track and field team at the Yellow Jacket Invitational held Saturday at the George C. Griffin Track on the campus of Georgia Tech.
Jorgensen continued her excellent start to her freshman outdoor season. After winning one race in last weekend’s meet, Jorgensen continued her success by picking up two victories in Atlanta. She picked up her first win of the meet in the 800 meters, winning the event for the second-straight week. Jorgensen improved her PR in the event to 2:12.04. Fellow freshman Erin Guglielmo also notched a top-10 finish in the race, with an eighth-place finish after turning in a time of 2:16.89.
Jorgensen picked up her second victory of the meet in the 1500-meter run. She bettered the field by nearly three seconds, turning in a time of 4:29.79, which ranks as the sixth-fastest time in school history in the event. Jenny Sims of Georgia Tech finished second with a time of 4:32.48.
Kazmer picked up an impressive victory in the 3000-meter steeplechase. Her time of 11:03.14 was nearly 10 seconds faster than her closest competitor. Her mark also ranks as the fourth-fastest time in school history in the event.
Sophomore Cherice Robertson notched a top-10 finish in the 100-meter hurdles. Robertson finished the event in eighth place, finishing with a time of 14.58.
Vanderbilt returns to action next weekend as the team will send split squads to two different locations. The Commodores will compete in the Tiger Track Classic in Auburn, Ala., and the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif.
