April 1, 2007
Stanford Invitational results:
http://www.cstv.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/stan/sports/c-track/auto_pdf/cumulative-stats
Yellow Jacket Invitational results:
http://ramblinwreck.cstv.com/sports/w-track/stats/2006-2007/resultsyji.html
Palo Alto, Calif. – Commodore distance coach Steve Keith took four runners to the Stanford Invitational in California and returned to Nashville with five career performances.
Fifth-year senior Brittany Sizer topped the personal best parade, enjoying career efforts at 800-meter and 1500-meter distances. Sophomore Carmen Mims and junior Valerie Kazmer ran career races in the 5,000-meter and 3,000-meter steeplechase, respectively. Fifth-year senior Erika Schneble, the only athlete to make the trip to the Bay Area and not return with a personal best, ran the fastest race of all Commodores with an excellent 5,000-meter effort.
The results were part of a weekend when two Vanderbilt contingents traveled in different directions for competitions. While the four distance runners participated in Northern California, most of the Commodores went to Georgia Tech’s Yellow Jacket Invitational in Atlanta.
Sizer continues to show the finest form of her Commodore career. Competing Friday on five hours of sleep, Sizer took an amazing four seconds off her 800-meter personal best, running 2:13.08. With more rest, Sizer came back on Saturday and took two seconds off her recent PR in the 1,500, running 4:30.69. The effort leaves Sizer less than three seconds off the 4:27.80 NCAA regional qualifying standard.
While Sizer missed the standard, Schneble and Mims both qualified for postseason competition in the 5,000-meter run. Competing in separate heats, school-record holder Schneble ran her fastest 5,000 in nearly a year, finishing in 16:40.71. Running the 5,000 outdoors for the first time as a collegiate, Mims finished sixth in her heat with an excellent 16:49.48 performance.
The fourth Commodore competing at Stanford, steeplechaser Val Kazmer, set the biggest PR, taking more than 10 seconds off her previous best with a clocking of 11:09.24.
“I was proud of all four of them. We didn’t have the best travel getting there, but each of them ran up to my expectations, and maybe a little better than I expected. It’s a great meet. The conditions are so good and you just have really quality, consistent fields,” Keith said.
Sizer, Mims and Kazmer moved up the team’s all-time performance lists with their performances. Kazmer became the second fastest Commodore ever in the 3,000-meter steeplechase behind only former SEC champion Kylene Kownurko. Mims moves into fifth place all-time in the 5,000 meters, a list topped by Schneble’s 16:08.18 team record set in 2004. Sizer’s 1,500-meter is the team’s No. 7 effort all-time at the distance.
In Atlanta, four Commodores – hammer thrower Kasi Foster, distance runners Amanda Scott and Mindy Skelton, and hurdler Lauren Fortson – topped the team’s performance with career best performances.
Foster added six feet to her hammer PR with a toss of 156’0″. The throw is third all-time among Commodores. Scott and Skelton finished eighth and 10th overall in the 5,000 with PR clockings of 18:03.92 and 18:12.47, respectively. Fortson lowered her career best in the 400-meter hurdles to 1:02.67 with a sixth-place finish.
