ATLANTA, Ga. – The Vanderbilt track and field team concluded the second day of the Georgia Tech Invitational in record breaking style, with numerous records on Saturday.
“This weekend proved to have all the ingredients of a successful meet for us,” said Althea Thomas, director of cross country and track and field.
“Georgia Tech consistently hosts great meets and we got the opportunity to compete against top talent and show what we are made of. We walked away from the meet with five wins, several school records, and additional improvements in our all-time top-10 list. Our student-athletes have taken the initiative to elevate their mental and emotional training to match their hard physical work.”
The day commenced with the 4×100 meter relay with the Commodores taking gold in the event with a time of 44.93, a top-10 mark in the Southeastern Conference. The relay team of Haley Bishop, Taiya Shelby, Nicole Anderson, and Madison Fuller set the new number one time in school history with their midday effort.
Jess Creedon (1:05.52) and Josephine Dal (1:02.65), first time running the event, competed in the 400 meter hurdles.
Shelby led the way for the Dores in the 400 meters with a time of 51.91, for an overall first-place finish. Kaira Brown (54.04) Fuller (54.68) also contended in the event with Vandy coming in third and six respectively. Brown’s personal best is now the fourth best time in school history.
In the discus, Divine Oladipo notched a silver finish of 51.62 meters.
Vanderbilt was represented by six Commodores in the 800 meters on the afternoon. Grace Jensen set the pace with a bronze finish of 2:06.39, a personal best. Jensen reset her own record today with her time serving as the new ninth time in school history. Haley Walker (2:10.17), Joslin Blair (2:12.97), Julia Rosenberg (2:13.48), Anderson (2:19.55), and Emma Curry (2:25.51) also vied for position in the event. This was the first time running the 800 for Blair and Curry.
Jada Sims raced in the 200 meters, finishing at 25.87. Bishop’s first-place time of 23.20 is now the new top time all-time in the event and a personal best.
Vanderbilt competed in the 4×400 meter relay with an A and B team, both teams finished the event in the top-10. The B team of Anderson, Jensen, Dal, and Creedon notched a time of 3:53.22 for seventh overall. The A team of Shelby, Fuller, Brown, and Bishop not only won the event with a time of 3:36.22 but etched their names at third all-time in school history.
“Today proved how believing and seeing yourself in your greatness will unlock your true potential. This weekend has given us the momentum for our only home outdoor meet next weekend. We will honor our seniors and showcase our work at home in front of Commodore nation.”
The Commodores will return home for the two-day Outdoor Music City Challenge on April 29 – 30 before competing in the SEC Championships in May.
