Jan. 20, 2007
 |
| Carmen Mims finished third with a time of 9:52.14, shattering her personal best by 37 seconds. |
Lexington, Ky. – Vanderbilt fifth-year senior Erika Schneble and sophomore Carmen Mims provided the Commodore highlights at the Rod McCravy Memorial Track and Field Meet at the University of Kentucky Saturday by running second and third, respectively, in the 3,000-meter run.
Schneble, the 2004 Southeastern Conference outdoor champion at 5,000 meters and runnerup in the SEC’s indoor 5,000, set a personal best of 9:47.39, one second behind the eventual winner, Chattanooga senior Lanni Marchant.
Mims, running in her home state, put together a sensational race just behind Schneble, finishing in 9:52.14, four seconds ahead of Tennessee’s Sarah Bowman. The effort, nearly 37 seconds faster than Mims’ previous career best, offers the promise of a outstanding sophomore campaign for the Louisville native.
While Schneble and Mims provided the team high points, veteran Commodores such as 2006 SEC heptathlon champion Garnetta Holloway returned to action in the first indoor meet of the year. Holloway finished sixth in the long jump, with a leap of 18’1.5″. Several Commodore newcomers, including hurdler-high jumper Cherice Robertson from Memphis, also displayed promise at the meet, which opened Friday.
Schneble’s 3,000-meter performance ranks as the fourth all-time among Commodores, behind Amy Huss (9:40.43 in 2006), Beth Tallent (9:41.90 in 1994) and Stefanie Black (9:45.37 in 1989). It came on the same indoor surface where she set the Vanderbilt indoor 5,000-meter record of 16:32.06 while finishing second at the 2004 SEC Championships. The effort also took six seconds off Schneble’s previous best indoor 3,000-meter performance, which also came at the University of Kentucky facility in 2004.
Mims’ performance has mirrored her outstanding training since the conclusion of cross country season. While finishing third and beating nearly a dozen SEC runners, Mims vaulted up the Vanderbilt indoor charts at 3,000 meters, moving just ahead of Kylene Kownurko (9:56.37 in 2002) into fifth place all-time.
Prepping for the SEC indoor pentathlon in late February, Holloway paced teammates Mllory Hitt and junior Sydney Faulkner, in the long jump. Hitt and Faulkner finished ninth and 10th with jumps of 17’7.5″ and 17’7″, respectively.
Robertson qualified for the finals of the 60-meter hurdles, and finished ninth overall with a solid 8.84 effort. Robertson also cleared 5’3″ in the high jump competition.
Elsewhere, fifth-year senior Brittany Sizer narrowly missed a personal best in the mile, running 4:59.52 for 10th place. Another senior, Kasi Foster, finished 12th overall in the weight throw, while junior Valerie Kazmer finished 12th in the deep 3,000-meter field.
