May 10, 2018
SEC Championship Meet Info | Live Results | SEC T&F Weekly Release
Twenty Vanderbilt track and field athletes will compete at the Southeastern Conference Outdoor Championship, scheduled to start Friday at the University of Tennessee.
The Vanderbilt contingent will start competition Friday with several running preliminaries at UT’s Tom Black Track at LaPorte Stadium. The conference meet continues with a full event of prelims on Saturday and event finals on Sunday.
Pole vaulter Kristen Denk, middle distance runners Courtney Clayton and Reagan Bustamante, and sprinter Jenn Edobi are Vanderbilt’s primary individual contenders, though several teammates will compete for points at the meet.
Vanderbilt head coach Steve Keith is looking forward to seeing his young squad compete in the SEC Championship, considered by many observers as the second toughest collegiate meet of the season behind only the NCAA Championships in early June.
“We’ve had two strong weeks of training and preparation since our last big competition,” Keith said. “I’m happy about how the team is coming into the meet and excited to see them compete.
“Annually, the SEC Championship demands that athletes bring their best effort and compete at a very high level. That’s our expectation this weekend,” Keith added.
Clayton, Edobi and distance runner Mailin Struck highlight the Commodores’ opening-day lineup. Clayton, an All-American at 800 meters last year who returned in April from a three-month layoff, will race in the 800-meter prelims Friday. She is coming off a recent 2:08.15 effort at the UT track. Edobi will join teammates Regan Clay and Sophia Falco in the 200-meter prelims. Struck is the lone Commodore entry in the 10,000-meter run that caps the Friday schedule.
On Saturday, Bustamante and Edobi are among the Vanderbilt highlights, competing in trials for their featured events, the 1,500-meter run and 400 meters, respectively. Falco also is scheduled in the long jump and 100-meter dash. Kacie Breeding will compete in the 3,000-meter steeplechase to close the Saturday schedule.
Denk, one of the league’s top pole vaulters, will be joined by teammates Caleigh Lofstead and Margaret Ollinger in their specialty in a Sunday feature for the Commodores. The final day of competition also features Falco in the triple jump and finals in numerous running events.
Schedule of Events (central times)
Friday, May 11
2:00 p.m. – 800-meter run (prelims): Courtney Clayton, Reagan Anderson
2:40 p.m. – 200-meter dash (prelims): Jenn Edobi, Regan Clay, Sophia Falco
8:30 p.m. – 10,000-meter dash (final): Mailin Struck
Saturday, May 12
6:10 p.m. – 1,500-meter run (prelims): Reagan Bustamante, Reagan Anderson, Maddie Criscione, Kendall Derry, Ginger Hutton
6:30 p.m. – Long jump (prelims/finals): S. Falco
6:55 p.m. – 400-meter dash (prelims): J. Edobi, R. Clay
7:45 p.m. – 100-meter dash (prelims): S. Falco
8:35 p.m. – 3,000-meter steeplechase (final): Kacie Breeding
Sunday, May 13
2:00 p.m. – Triple jump (prelims & finals): S. Falco
5:20 p.m. – 1,500-meter run (final): TBA
5:30 p.m. – Pole vault (final): Kristen Denk, Caleigh Lofstead, Margaret Ollinger
6:00 p.m. – 400-meter dash (final): TBA
6:20 p.m. – 100-meter dash (final): TBA
6:40 p.m. – 800-meter run (final): TBA
7:20 p.m. – 200-meter dash (final): TBA
7:40 p.m. – 5,000-meter run (final): Devon Grisbaum, Megan Huebner, Anna Grace Morgan, Gillian Mortimer, Caroline Pietrzyk, Sara Tsai
Where the Commodores rank (updated SEC top-20 performance lists)
Event – Name, Position, Result (Meet)
400 – Jenn Edobi, 14th, 53.33 (Tennessee Relays)
800 – Courtney Clayton, 13th, 2.08.15 (Tennessee Challenge)
1,500 – Reagan Bustamante, 8th, 4:21. 19 (Duke Invitational)
5,000 – Devon Grisbaum, 11th, 16:44.07 (Duke Invitational)
3,000-meter steeplechase – Kacie Breeding, 9th, 10:43.86 (Duke Invitational)
Pole vault – Kristen Denk, 3rd, 4.30m/14-01.25 (Tennessee Relays); Caleigh Lofstead, 11th, 4.05m/13-03.50 (Tennessee Relays); Margaret Ollinger, 4.00m/13-01.50 (Tennessee Relays)
Triple jump – Sophia Falco, 19th, 12.32m/40-05 (Lyles-Wood Invitational)