March 17, 2017
Vanderbilt track & field opened its outdoor season at the Yellow Jack Invitational in Atlanta, Ga. on Friday and saw several strong performances throughout the day.
Pole vault was one event where the Commodores enjoyed a great deal of success with freshmen Caleigh Lofstead and Margaret Ollinger both jumping at new personal-best bars. Lofstead was one of just two athletes to clear the 13’1.50″ (4.00m) mark en route to a second place finish and Ollinger finished right behind her in third with a vault of 12’7.50″. Lofstead’s vault places her second on Vanderbilt’s all-time performance list for the outdoor season and Ollinger’s mark places her sixth.
Junior Jenn Edobi also posted a new personal-best mark during the day, finishing the 200-meter dash with a time of 24.17. That time earned Edobi a fourth place finish and places her second all-time on Vanderbilt’s outdoor season record book. Freshman Becca Schulte also competed in the 200-meter dash for the Commodores and placed 25th with a time of 25.55. Sophomore Lydia Witty ran in the 400-meter dash and finished with a time of 1:00.13, which placed 17th overall.
The event with the most Vanderbilt athletes was the 1500-meter run, which featured 10 Commodore runners. Junior Megan Huebner seventh overall with a time of 4:35.14, which was the top finish for Vanderbilt in the race. Ginger Hutton and Maddie Criscione were the next two Commodores across the line and finished back-to-back in 11th and 12th place, respectively, with times of 4:36.81 and 4:37.07. Hutton’s time marked a new personal record. Mailin Struck and Courtney Kriegshauser also earned top-20 finishes for Vanderbilt in the race, with Struck finishing 16th with a time of 4:39.57 and Kriegshauser running a time of 4:40.64, which was good for 19th overall. Other Commodores competing in the race included Caroline Pietrzyk (21st; 4:41.76), Kendall Derry (23rd; 4:43.27), Reagan Bustamante (27th; 4:44.67), Devon Grisbaum (36th; 4:52.46) and Lauren Moffett (37th; 4:53.07).
Senior Tierney Price also produced a strong showing for Vanderbilt in the long jump with a ninth place finish and a leap of 17’5.50″.
Freshman Kacie Breeding competed in the 2000-meter Steeplechase for the first time in her career and finished with a time of 7:38.12.
Senior Sarah Goodale competed in both the Javelin, where she recorded a throw of 94’2″, and the 100-meter hurdles. Goodale finished 15th overall with a time of 14.60 in the hurdles, which was a new personal best. Goodale was the only Commodore on Friday to compete in multiple events.
Quoting the Coaches
Associate Head Coach Clark Humphreys
On the overall performance of the team this weekend:
“I’m happy with the efforts from the ladies today. After spring break, it can take some time to get in a good rhythm. We still have some work ahead, but we’re excited to see what we can accomplish this outdoor season.”
Assistant Coach Donnie Young
On Jenn Edobi’s strong performance in the 200-meter dash:
“With this being the first meet of the outdoor season, our plan was to race down this weekend. Jenn did not have the best start out of the blocks, but she used her strength to carry her in the race. She ran a 24.17, which is a huge PR for her and the second-fastest 200-meter time in program history.”
On Becca Schulte getting to compete for the first time this season:
“This was Becca’s first all season since battling an injury all throughout indoors, so just seeing her on the track today was a good sight. For her, she simply needs races and today was a good start.”
Assistant Coach Rebekah Smeltzer
On Kacie Breeding’s first race in the 2000-meter steeplechase:
“The women’s distance squad started off Friday with Kacie Breeding debuting in the 2000-meter steeplechase. She’s new to the event, so this was her first real exposure to this type of race. After some mishaps during the early stages, she did a nice job of rallying back and finishing strong. It was a really promising start for her.”
On the team’s showing in the 1500-meter run:
“Highlights from the 1500-meter run included a come-from-behind win in her heat from Megan Huebner (4:35.14) and a lead from the start win in her heat for Kendall Derry (4:43.27). Ginger Hutton finished second in her heat with a new PR of 4:36.81.
On the team’s mindset coming into the meet:
“This was a fun way to start up the outdoor season. Having almost all our women together really helped foster the team effort. We went into the race with one goal in mind: to race without restraint. It is still early, so we had nothing to lose.”
Up Next:
Vanderbilt track & field will be off next weekend, but will have double duty two weeks from now. The team will split up and compete in both the Florida Relays in Gainesville, Fla. and also the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif.