May 16, 2008
AUBURN, Ala. — Sophomore Cherice Robertson finished the heptathlon in seventh place with a career-best 4854 points to lead the Vanderbilt track and field team on day two of the Southeastern Conference Track & Field Championships at Hutsell-Rosen Track on the campus of Auburn University. Through two days of competition, Vanderbilt is tied for 10th in the team standings with two points.
“Overall, we’re sitting about where we thought we would be at this point in the competition,” Vanderbilt track and field head coach D’Andre Hill said. “The bulk of our important races are coming up over the next couple of days and we’re looking forward to seeing what we can do in those events.”
After finishing the opening day of the heptathlon in seventh place, Robertson maintained her position on day two. She opened the day with a seventh-place finish in the long jump, recording a jump of 17’7 1/2″. The second event of the day and sixth of the heptathlon was the javelin throw. Robertson demolished her previous career best mark by nearly 18 feet, with a throw of 111’1″, good for a fourth-place finish. In the final event of the heptathlon, the 800 meters, the Memphis native finished in 11th with a time of 2:36.60.
“Cherice did a great job,” Hill added. “She really did a good job of coming on strong today and posting PR’s in both the javelin and the 800 meters.”
Robertson finished the heptathlon with 4854 points, which ranks as the sixth best heptathlon score in school history. Fellow Commodore Mallory Hitt also competed in the heptathlon, finishing in 14th place with 3795 points.
In other notable performances, freshman distance runner Kristabel Doebel-Hickok competed in the 10,000-meter run on Friday, finishing the race in 12th position with a mark of 37:21.44.
The SEC Outdoor Track and Field Championships continue Saturday and Sunday.
