NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Championship season is here. Vanderbilt men’s and women’s cross country teams will head to Lexington, Kentucky, for Friday’s SEC Championships on the SEC Network. The men will leave the box at 8 a.m. CT, and the women will start an hour later.
“Both teams have had a lot of success this season and we’ve had some great workouts recently,” said head coach Steve Keith. “The SEC Championships are always a challenging environment with a competitive field and great race intensity. I know our groups are excited to get out there.”
SEC Championship Notables
- Last year at the SEC Championships in Auburn, Alabama, the Vanderbilt women finished sixth with 181 points, while the men were 11th with 291 points. Sara Tsai just missed All-SEC honors last year as the women’s top finisher (15th overall), while Nick Laning is the top returner on the men’s side after his 54th-place finish as a freshman.
- The Commodores have captured one SEC Women’s Cross Country Championship title, coming in 2011 at Maryville, Tenn. Vanderbilt dominated that edition, defeating runner-up Arkansas by 31 points. From the 2010-16, the Commodores earned a top-five team result in every conference meet. In addition to the 2011 win, Vanderbilt claimed a second-place finish in 2014 and third-place results in 2010, 2012 and 2015.
- Caroline Pietrzyk became one of five Vanderbilt first-team All-SEC recipients when she claimed a third-place individual finish at the 2015 edition. Pietrzyk’s performance ranks as the second-best effort by a Commodore at the SEC meet, trailing only a runner-up finish by Alexa Rogers in 2011. Rogers was one of three Commodores to finish in the top eight at the meet, helping Vanderbilt claim the team title.
- Postseason racing will continue into November. The NCAA South Regionals are slated for Nov. 15 in Tallahassee, Florida, followed by the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Indiana, on Nov. 23.
Vanderbilt’s All-Time All-SEC Performers
- 2016 Sara Tsai, second team All-SEC
- 2015 Caroline Pietrzyk, first team All-SEC, All-Freshman
- 2014 Katherine Delaney, second team All-SEC
Claire Benjamin, second team All-SEC
Sara Barron, second team All-SEC - 2013 Liz Anderson, first team All-SEC
- 2012 Hannah Jumper, first team All-SEC, All-Freshman
Kristen Findley, second team All-SEC - 2011 Alexa Rogers, first team All-SEC
Liz Anderson, first team All-SEC
Jordan White, first team All-SEC
Louise Hannallah, second team All-SEC
Kristen Smith, second team All-SEC
Grace Orders, All-Freshman
Amira Joseph, All-Freshman - 2010 Jordan White, second team All-SEC
Rita Jorgensen, second team All-SEC
Liz Anderson, All-Freshman - 2009 Jordan White, All-Freshman
Allie Scalf, All-Freshman - 2008 Kristabel Doebel-Hickok, All-Freshman
- 2004 Ashleigh Wetzel, first team All-SEC
- 2003 Erika Schneble, second team All-SEC
- 2001 Kylene Kownurko, All-SEC
- 1999 Beth Van Dusen, All-SEC
- 1997 Christine Creighton, All-SEC
Pamela Johnson, All-SEC - 1996 Whitney Spanuth, All-SEC
- 1992 Beth Tallent, All-SEC