Oct. 30, 2015
Event: SEC CHAMPIONSHIPS
Day, Date: Friday, Oct. 30
Site: College Station, Texas — Dale Watts Cross Country Course
Host: Texas A&M
Results: HERE
Championship Central: HERE
Host Championship Central: HERE
TV coverage: Highlights of the meet will air on the SEC Network on Sunday, Nov. 8 at 11:30 a.m.
The success of the regular season spilled over into the postseason for Caroline Pietrzyk and the Vanderbilt women’s cross country team.
Competing against a talent-steeped field at the SEC Championships on Friday morning, Pietrzyk stormed to a third-place individual finish with a time of 19:54.00 and helped steer the No. 28-ranked Commodores to third place in the team standings.
Pietrzyk, who was the top freshman finisher in the field, earned SEC Freshman of the Year honors with her performance. She also earned All-SEC First Team and All-Freshman Team selections.
Arkansas’ Dominique Scott won the meet for third consecutive year, posting a time of 19:23.50 to help the No. 4-ranked Razorbacks capture their third straight SEC title with 38 points. Mississippi State was second with 95 points, and Vanderbilt was third with 112.
“We had a lot of positives today,” said Vanderbilt head coach Steve Keith. “Caroline’s performance was certainly the highlight of the day, but I felt like it was a good day for us all around. We’re happy with what we did, and we’re excited about what we still can do moving forward.”
Carmen Carlos was the second Commodore across the line, taking 19th at 20:27.50. Two other VU representatives earned spots among the Top 30, with Vanessa Valentine taking 26th at 20:42.10 and Sara Tsai, another talented freshman, taking 30th at 20:46.90. Maddie Criscione produced her best race of the season and notched the No. 5 spot for Vanderbilt, finishing 36th overall at 20:57.40.
Lily Williams was 38th at 21:00.70 and Reagan Anderson was 40th at 21:04.50.
“It was a solid third place for us, and we are pleased with how the ladies performed,” said associate head coach Rhonda Riley. “We had some girls who really stepped up today and ran incredible races, and that was great to see. But what is most exciting for me is to know that our best race is still ahead of us.”
Pietrzyk’s performance extended her already outstanding freshman campaign. She was the Commodores’ top finisher in all four of the team’s regular-season meets, and was twice named the SEC Freshman Runner of the Week.
As expected, she showed no signs of being intimated Friday while holding her own against many of the nation’s best.
“She’s a savvy little racer,” said Keith. “Today was a war of attrition — and Caroline proved she ‘attrits’ less than others. She really ran a great race.”
The Commodores, who are pursuing their fifth straight appearance in the NCAA Championships, now shift their focus to the NCAA Regionals, which take place in two weeks in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Vanderbilt won the South Region championship last year for the first time in team history.
“We are a team that historically gets better every week at this time of year,” said Riley. “We haven’t talked about what happened last year (at Regionals), but the girls are aware of it. But I think the most exciting aspect to them is knowing that they still haven’t had their best race yet. They are capable of even more.”
VANDERBILT RESULTS
3 – Caroline Pietrzyk – 19:54.00
19 – Carmen Carlos – 20:27.50
26 – Vanessa Valentine – 20:42.10
30 – Sara Tsai – 20:46.90
36 – Maddie Criscione – 20:57.40
38 – Lily Williams – 21:00.70
38 – Reagan Anderson – 21:04.50
TEAM RESULTS
1. Arkansas – 38
2. Mississippi State – 95
3. Vanderbilt – 112
4. Alabama – 143
5. Ole Miss – 147
6. Auburn – 164
7. Florida – 183
8. Missouri – 228
9. Texas A&M – 249
10. Georgia – 267
11. Tennessee – 296
12. Kentucky – 297
13. South Carolina – 352
14. LSU – 436
Women’s First-Team All-SEC
Dominique Scott, Arkansas
Chelsea Blaase, Tennessee
Caroline Pietrzyk, Vanderbilt
Brenda Kigen, Auburn
Karis Jochen, Texas A&M
Kaitlin Flattmann, Arkansas
Katelyn Greenleaf, Alabama
Women’s Second-Team All-SEC
Devin Clark, Arkansas
Marta Freitas, Mississippi State
Mary Alex England, Ole Miss
Valerie Reina, Arkansas
Regan Ward, Arkansas
Kelsey Schrader, Arkansas
Karissa Schweizer, Missouri
Women’s SEC All-Freshman Team
Caroline Pietrzyk, Vanderbilt
Brenda Kigen, Auburn
Devin Clark, Arkansas
Maria Larsen, Florida
Rachael Reddy, Alabama
Sydney Brown, Arkansas
Elisabeth Bergh, Florida
