NASHVILLE – Vanderbilt junior Kristen Denk matched a school record behind a personal-best 4.25 meters in the pole vault to highlight action at the Vanderbilt Indoor Opener on Saturday from the William R. Frist Family Track at the Vanderbilt Multipurpose Facility.
Coming off her 12th-place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, Denk recorded a second-place result while matching Sarah Bell’s Vanderbilt record set two years ago. Fellow junior Margaret Ollinger took fourth in the event with a mark of 3.95 meters.
Vanderbilt added three Top-11 results in the 300 meters including two from freshmen in their collegiate debuts. Freshman Taiya Shelby (40.27) paced the Dores in eighth followed by freshman Jordan Smith (40.48) in 10th place and sophomore Regan Clay (40.59) in 11th place.
Commodore junior Reagan Bustamante took third in the mile with a time of 5:00.18. Fellow junior teammate Lauren Moffett ran 5:30.69 to finish sixth.
Clay finished 27th among 96 competitors with a time of 7.91 in the 60-meter dash to open the action for the Commodores. It marked the second time competing in the event for the Rossford, Ohio, product and first since the 2018 Commodore Invitational.
The track and field squad will take the rest of December off from competition before returning to the Vanderbilt Multipurpose Facility on Jan. 18-19 to host the Commodore Invitational.
Vanderbilt Indoor Opener Results:
60-Meter Run –27. Regan Clay (7.91)
300-Meter Run –8. Taiya Shelby (40.27). 10. Jordan Smith (40.48). 11. Regan Clay (40.59).
1-Mile Run –3. Reagan Bustamante (5:00.18). 6. Lauren Moffett (5:30.69).
Pole Vault – 2. Kristen Denk (4.25 meters). 4. Margaret Ollinger (3.95 meters).
