Nov. 8, 2016
By David Dawson
vucommodores.com
After narrowly missing a spot on the All-SEC Freshman Team last fall, Vanderbilt’s Sara Tsai turned her devastation into determination.
Fueled by the notion that every second on the course could be a difference maker, Tsai has surged through an outstanding sophomore season, and has been the Commodores’ top finisher in all five of the team’s races this year. Two weeks ago, she earned All-SEC honors by running to an impressive 11th overall finish at the conference meet to earn on spot on the All-SEC Second Team.
“Getting on the All-SEC Team was definitely one of the goals I made for myself before the season started,” said Tsai. “And I went into the (SEC) race with a chip on my shoulder after what happened to me last year. When it became official that I had made it, it was a really, really nice feeling.”
Tsai is now hoping that her success at the SEC meet will be a springboard for even bigger and better things this weekend, when she and her teammates travel to Tallahassee, Fla., to compete in the NCAA South Region championships. The Commodores are the two-time defending region champs and have advanced to the NCAA Championships for five consecutive years.
“What we did at the SEC meet was a big confidence booster for the whole team,” said Tsai. “And for me, personally, it showed that I can run with the top girls and hang in there with them; I kind of proved to myself that I can get up front and stay there.”
With the NCAA regionals — and possibly the NCAA Championships — on the horizon, Tsai has a chance to add even more memorable moments on to a season that has already been filled with them.
She opened the year with an attention-getting performance at the Belmont Opener, where she captured first place with a time of 17:29.90 and finished more than 12 seconds ahead of her nearest competitor. Several weeks later, Tsai posted a career-best time of 17:03.70 at the prestigious Notre Dame Invitational. (Tsai’s time at the Notre Dame race ranked as the 18th best 5k mark in the SEC this season).
“Sara has shown a quiet determination since she arrived in Nashville but even more so during this fall season,” said head coach Steve Keith. “A healthy summer and keeping an eye on the little things has put her near the top of the SEC and, knock on wood, gives her a shot at qualifying for NCAA Nationals as an individual, regardless of how our team does.”
Keith said it has been enjoyable to watch Tsai mature as an athlete, and said he has been impressed as a leader for the Commodores.
“Sara has been a little fragile over her career but now she has a much better idea of what works for her and how not to go over that edge,” said Keith. “Mentally, she has matured with a self-confidence that allows her to set a competitive race plan, run near the front but to do so in a relaxed self-assured way.”
Tsai said that the Region race will obviously be a big challenge for her and the Commodores, but that’s exactly what she is wanting.
“With us being the defending champs, I am sure that people will be looking out for us,” said Tsai. “But at the same time, it’s also a little different this year because we haven’t done as well as we wanted during (some of the regular-season meets). So we just want to really run our best and see what happens.”
