June 14, 2016
The Vanderbilt track and field and cross country programs had a breakthrough last season when they earned a spot in the USTFCCCA’s Program of the Year standings for the first time in school history.
This year, the Commodores took it several steps further. Not only did Vanderbilt once again make the women’s list, but the Commodores broke into the Top 10, moving up five spots from last year’s No. 15 ranking to No. 10 this year.
“I guess you could say I am doubly excited to be making the list for a second time,” said head coach Steve Keith. “We are doing some things now that the program has never done before and it’s always great to be recognized for things like that.”
Vanderbilt was the second highest-ranked SEC women’s team on the list, behind only No. 2 Arkansas. Oregon was No. 1 in both the men’s and women’s standings. (Final standings: HERE).
In order to be eligible for the Program of the Year standings, teams must qualify for the NCAA Championships in each of the following three seasons — cross country, indoor track and outdoor track. Scoring is based on the team’s finish at each NCAA Championship meet.
The Commodores finished 19th in cross country, 25th in indoor track and 29th in outdoor track.
“It’s certainly rewarding to see our programs making an impact on a national level,” said Keith. “Now it’s just a matter of not only maintaining those standards, but improving on them.”
NCAA Release: HERE