Feb. 9, 2012
The Vanderbilt Commodores will split three ways this weekend, heading to three separate track and field meets across the country as they head down the stretch to the SEC Indoor Championships in two weeks.
Kristen Findley, Jordan White, Liz Anderson and Louise Hannallah head to the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, while freshman Grace Orders heads to the USA Cross Country-Track & Field World Junior Trials in St. Louis, Mo.
“That’s always a rockin’ meet for distance races,” said Head Coach Steve Keith about the Washington Classic. “Runners go there to get some fast times, and the talent is so deep there. A tenth of a second difference could mean completely different races.”
The rest of the team will head to Birmingham, Ala. for the Samford Invitational. The meet, which will have both track and field events, will be held in the brand new facility, which features a banked 200m track and mondo surface.
“It’s yielded good performances across the board in the short time that it’s been around,” said Keith. “It’s a great facility.”
The US XC-TF World Trials will host the top junior runners, all 19 and under. The top six have an opportunity to compete on the National Team and represent the US at international competitions.
“It’s Grace’s last opportunity to compete in cross country as a junior,” said Keith. “There will be about 50 kids, college freshmen, high school juniors and seniors. We want to have this as an option in our program for our athletes.”