Hahn Adds SEC High Jump Runnerup Finish

Hahn Adds SEC High Jump Runnerup Finish

2/27/2005

Fayetteville, Ark. – Vanderbilt senior Josie Hahn added her second runnerup finish at the Southeastern Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships, finishing second Sunday in the high jump.

Hahn’s best jump of 5’10” topped every competitor except pre-meet favorite Krystle Moss of Florida, who cleared 5’11.25″ to claim the crown.

In other action Sunday involving Commodore athletes, juniors Brittany Sizer and Alisa Cotter used yearly bests in the mile to earn valuable team points.

Vanderbilt concluded the meet with 19 team points, finishing ninth overall. It matched the squad’s best result since an eighth place finish in 1998.

Hahn, a three-time All-American who owns five team records, was attempting to become just the second Commodore ever to win a SEC indoor title. The team’ lone indoor champion is Ryan Tolbert, who captured the 400 meters in 1997.

In the high jump competition, Hahn matched Moss at each height through 5’10”.  The Florida standout applied pressure to Hahn at 5’11.25″, clearing the height on her first attempt.  Hahn, who set the Vanderbilt indoor high jump mark of 6’0″ at this facility one year ago, lost any chance to win the competition by missing three attempts at the barrier.

Despite the loss, Hahn was one of the meet standouts. On Friday, Hahn was edged out of winning the pentathlon when Arkansas senior Beyonka McDowell blew away her previous personal best with a 4,076-point effort, 30 points better than Hahn.

Hahn’s two second place finishes resulted in 16 of Vanderbilt’s 19 team points.
Sizer, who set a personal best on Saturday to qualify for the mile final, finished seventh with an effort of 4:58.33, 1.67 seconds faster than her qualifying time.

Sizer edged Cotter, who ran eighth in 4:58.38, a yearly best.  Cotter’s previous best this year, 5:00.00, came three weeks ago at the University of Kentucky Invitational.  A third Commodore in the mile, Caitlin Shannon, missed scoring points, finishing 10th in 5:03.04.

Other Commodores competing Sunday without scoring points were Julie Eckerly, 5,000-meter run; Anjarae Washington, high jump; the distance medley relay foursome of Cotter, Amani Floyd, Shannon and Wetzel; and the 4×400-meter relay quintet of  Andrea Rosemond, Lauren Fortson, Hahn and Latisha Bryant.