May 23, 2007
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Four Commodore athletes, topped by All-America distance runner Erika Schneble, will attempt to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at the Mideast Regionals, scheduled this Friday and Saturday at the University of Missouri.
Schneble, a fifth-year participant from Hendersonville, N.C., will seek her second invitational to the NCAA Championships in the 5,000-meter run. Schneble’s previous competition at the NCAAs, coming in 2004, resulted in an eighth place finish and All-America recognition in the 5,000.
Sophomore Carmen Mims of Louisville, Ky., will compete with Schneble in the 5,000 on Friday night, while senior Ashleigh Wetzel of Lewisburg, Pa., will run in the 3,000-meter steeplechase on Saturday. The fourth Commodore participant, fifth-year senior Garnetta Holloway of Cleveland, Tenn., will seek an NCAA qualifier in the javelin throw.
To advance to the NCAA Championships in Sacramento, Calif., the Commodore competitors likely will need to finish fifth or better at the Mideast Regionals.
Schneble is the top seeded Vanderbilt athlete, ranking ninth overall in the 5,000. Her seasonal best of 16:34.33 occurred April 26 at the Drake Relays. To advance to the national championships, Schneble likely will need to lower her time to the mid-16:20s. Four of the 22 competitors in the 5,000 have run sub-16:20 races this season.
Commodore distance coach Steve Keith is pleased with Schneble’s training, and expects an outstanding effort from the senior.
“Erika is coming off an awesome week of training, her best of the year. She’s fit and ready,” Keith said. “Erika has been in this position before and she knows what it takes to move on. Mentally and physically, I think she’s a good place. It was wonderful for Erika to run well and advance, then get to conclude her Vanderbilt career by competing in the NCAAs.”
Wetzel, who competed in the 1,500 meters at the 2004 Mideast Regionals, also has a solid chance to advance in the steeplechase. To move on, Wetzel likely needs a school record, putting together a performance one notch up from her 10:39.59 career best at the Vanderbilt Invitational in late April. The steeplechase field is deep, with 10 runners under 10:34 entering the regionals.
“I’m looking forward to Ashleigh’s race,” Keith said. “It’s going to take Ashleigh’s very best effort. Ashleigh has shown the ability at our invitational. To finish among the top five, she’s going to have to race with tremendous mental toughness and awareness.”
Keith wants Mims to race hard and enjoy the experience. “Carmen is young and inexperienced at this level, but she has a ton of talent and a bright future. I expect her to be racing here in the next two years, so it’s important she understand the level of competition, race hard, and just take everything in. I want Carmen to have a positive experience and take a great deal of position energy from the meet into her junior year,” the coach said.
Holloway, who narrowly missed a chance to participate in the NCAA heptathlon after finishing 10th overall in the event in 2006, also needs to produce a school record in the javelin to advance. Two weeks ago, Holloway added 12 feet to her javelin personal record during the SEC heptathlon.
