May 17, 2014
Saturday’s Results: Here
Saturday’s SEC Release: Here
After seeing his team deliver a performance that featured two school records and several point-scoring efforts, Vanderbilt head coach Steve Keith summed up the third day of the SEC Championships by saying “It was the kind of day that we wanted to have.”
Indeed, it was a impressive showing by the Commodores. They had five individuals finish among the top-8 in their respective events on an exciting afternoon at the Kentucky Track and Field Complex in Lexington, Ky.
Highlighting the day were Sarah Bell and Rebecca Chandler, who set new school records.
Bell, a freshman, cleared 13-01.50 in the pole vault to finish in a tie for fifth place. By doing so, she scored 3.5 points for the Commodores and qualified for the NCAA first round.
Chandler, a junior, set a new school standard in the Steeplechase with a time of 10:23.17, which was a 10-second PR. Chandler earned a sixth-place finish.
“We had some scoring opportunities that we were able to capitalize on, and that was really important,” said Keith.
Keith said Bell’s big performance was a carry-over from the strong performances she’s had during practice. “We’d been waiting to see that from her (in a meet),” said Keith.
Another big highlight for the Commodores was sophomore Sara Barron’s performance in the 1500. She finished second in her heat and qualified for Sunday’s finals with a time of 4:22.28.
Also scoring points for Vanderbilt on Saturday were Brionne Williams and Amira Joseph.
Williams tied for fifth place in the high jump at 5-07.75 to score 3.5 points, and Joseph recorded the second-fastest time of her career in the Steeplechase, finishing at 10:31.99, to earn eighth place.
The Commodores have now amassed 11 total points as they head into the meet’s final day on Sunday.
“We still have a couple of bullets left in the gun (in terms of) opportunities to score points,” said Keith, noting that freshmen Simone Charley (the school record holder in the triple jump) and Barron (1500) could both be primed for strong performances Sunday.
With her sixth-place effort, Barron was one of five Commodores who finished in the top 25 in the 1500. The others were Lily Williams (13th at 4:24.66), Katherine Delaney (15th at 4:29.80), Reagan Anderson 17th at 4:30.34) and Carmen Carlos (22nd at 4:36.31).
Erin Edmond finished 21st in the 400 at 56.16.
Live coverage of Sunday’s action begins at 12:50 p.m. on ESPN3.com.
Team Standings (Through Saturday)
1. Arkansas 77
2. Georgia 54.50
3. Missouri 51
4. Florida 39.50
5. LSU 29.50
6. Miss State 18
7. Auburn 14
8. South Carolina 13.50
9. Kentucky 13
10. Vanderbilt 11
10. Texas A&M 11
12. Alabama 10
13. Tennessee 6
14. Mississippi 3
