Feb. 22, 2017
Start ListUpdated 200 and 400-meter Dash Start ListsLive Stats
Facility Records
Nashville — Vanderbilt’s track and field program will make history this weekend by hosting the Southeastern Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships for the first time.
An array of elite athletes and top teams will gather at Vanderbilt’s Multipurpose Facility for the SEC Championships, which opens this Friday and continues through Saturday afternoon. The deep talent pool coming to Nashville is expected to produce many facility records. The meet is expected to draw up to 15 Olympians from the 2016 Rio Games, eight nationally ranked women’s teams and seven ranked men’s squads.
Arkansas captured the men’s and women’s team titles at the 2016 SEC Indoor Championships and are serious contenders to repeat in Nashville.
The meet is open to the public, though capacity is limited in the facility. Adult general admission tickets are $15 daily. A special $5 ticket is available for ages 17 and under and college students with a valid student ID.
Public parking for the championship event is in the 25th Avenue Garage (via the Highland Avenue entrance).
TOP CONTENDERS FOR TEAM TITLES
Four of the top five men’s teams in the NCAA USTFCCA Poll are from the SEC. Florida’s men’s team comes into the meet ranked No. 1 in the NCAA and is followed by No.2 Arkansas, No. 4 Georgia and No. 5 Texas A&M. The only non-SEC program in the top 5 is No. 3 Oregon. On the women’s side, No. 2 Arkansas is the top-ranked SEC program and is trailed directly by No. 3 Georgia and No. 4 LSU.
USTFCCA National Men’s Rankings:
No. 1 Florida, No. 2 Arkansas, No. 4 Georgia, No. 5 Texas A&M, No. 8 LSU, No. 9 Alabama, No. 12 Tennessee
USTFCCA National Women’s Rankings:
No. 2 Arkansas, No. 3 Georgia, No. 4 LSU, No. 6 Kentucky, No. 9 Alabama, No. 10 Texas A&M, No. 11 Florida, No. 13 Ole Miss
TOP ATHLETES TO WATCH:
Besides the 15 Olympians, the loaded field includes seven athletes who hold facility records at Vanderbilt and 16 athletes who currently rank first in the NCAA in their events. Here are six athletes to watch this weekend:
Christian Coleman (Sprints) — Tennessee
Coleman leads the NCAA in not just one, but two sprinting events, the 60-meter dash with a time of 6.51 and the 200-meter dash with a time of 20.46. Coleman also broke the Vanderbilt Multipurpose Facility record in the 60-meter dash earlier in the 2017 season with a time of 6.54. He also represented Team USA at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics in the 4×100 relay.
Fred Kerley (Sprints) — Texas A&M
Kerley heads into the SEC Championship meet with a bit of momentum. At the Clemson Tiger Paw Meet on Feb. 11, he set the NCAA’s top time in the 400-meter dash this season with a mark of 45.02. Kerley is the cousin of San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jeremy Kerley.
Clive Pullen (Triple Jump) – Arkansas
Pullen is about as decorated of an athlete as one could be. Among the distinctions that Pullen earned in just 2016 alone were NCAA Indoor Champion (54’7.25″), First Team All-American, 2016 Rio Olympics Qualifier (Jamaica), and Jamaican National Championship. Pullen is already a two-time SEC Champion and will be looking for his third title this weekend.
Raven Saunders (Throws) — Ole Miss
Saunders in the NCAA’s all-time record holder in the shot put with a mark of 63’1.25″. Saunders placed fifth overall in the shot put at the 2016 Rio Olympics with her career-best put of 63’6″. Before transferring to Ole Miss, Saunders won the 2015 NCAA Indoor Championships in shot put at Southern Illinois University.
Lexi and Tori Weeks (Pole Vault) — Arkansas
It’s double trouble for competitors when sisters Lexi and Tori Weeks are in the pole vault lineup. The sophomores from Cabot, Ark. both hold high honors heading into the meet. Lexi was a 2016 Olympian, is the defending SEC pole vault Champion and also a two-time NCAA Champion (indoor/outdoor). She also ranks first in the NCAA this season with a top mark of 15’1″. Tori currently holds the Vanderbilt Multipurpose Facility pole vault record with a vault of 14’6.75″ and was named the NCAA’s First Team Indoor All-American team a season ago.
COMPETING COMMODORES
Several Vanderbilt athletes rank in the top 25 in their respective events and are on the cusp of qualifying for the Indoor Track and Field National Championships in College Station, Texas on Mar. 10-11. Athletes must finish among the top 16 in the nation for their event in order to qualify for Nationals. Here is a list of Commodores who currently rank in the top 30 seeking to qualify:
Simone Charley (Triple Jump) current national rank: 9th
Charley is a five-time NCAA All-American and was invited to the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore. Charley ranks first all-time on Vanderbilt triple jump list with a career-best leap of 44’0″. Simone is one of five SEC triple jumpers that currently rank in the Top Ten across the nation.
Courtney Clayton (800-Meter Run) current national rank: 13th
Courtney Clayton broke Vanderbilt’s all-time record in the 800-meter run earlier this month at the Music City Challenge, crossing the finish line at the 2:04.24 mark. Clayton was also a member of the Vanderbilt distance medley relay team in 2015 that set a school record with a time of 11:19.34.
Sarah Bell (Pole Vault) current national rank: 20th
Like Charley and Clayton, Sarah Bell occupies the top spot on Vanderbilt’s all-time performance list for her event. Bell boasts a career-best vault of 4.20 meters and she nearly matched that performance at this season’s Music City Challenge with a mark of 4.19 meters.
Here is a full list of Commodores competing this weekend:
Friday
Pentathlon* — Sarah Goodale
*(first event at 10:15 a.m.; last event at 5:50 p.m.)
Pole Vault (3:30 p.m.) — Sarah Bell, Caleigh Lofstead, Margaret Ollinger
Long Jump (5:30 p.m.) — Tierney Price
Mile Run (6:00 p.m.) — Kendall Derry, Courtney Kriegshauser, Lauren Moffett
400-meters (6:40 p.m.) — Skyler Carpenter, Jenn Edobi
800-meters (7:30 p.m.) — Reagan Bustamante, Courtney Clayton, Maddie Criscione, Ginger Hutton, Lydia Witty
3000-meters (8:50 p.m.) — Kacie Breeding, Carmen Carlos, Devon Grisbaum, Birdie Hutton
Saturday
Triple Jump (2:00 p.m.) — Simone Charley, Tierney Price
Mile Run (Finals) (2:50 p.m.) — TBD
400-meters (Finals) (3:15 p.m.) — TBD
5000-meters (3:40 p.m.) — Megan Huebner, Mailin Struck
800-meters (Finals) 4:05 p.m.) — TBD
Distance Medley Relay (5:15 p.m.) — Reagan Bustamante, Ginger Hutton, Maddie Criscione, Carmen Carlos
4×400 Relay (5:55 p.m.) — Skyler Carpenter, Courtney Clayton, Lydia Witty, Jenn Edobi