WXC: SEC Championship Preview

WXC: SEC Championship Preview

10/27/2005

VU’s Cross Country teams will compete in the SEC Championship this Saturday at the University of South Carolina.

The coach’s pre-season poll picked Vanderbilt’s women team fourth at the tournament, their highest pre-season rank in Head Coach Jim Spivey’s five year career at VU. The team ranked behind Tennessee, Georgia, and Arkansas, and placed just a head of Alabama.

The Commodores, however, suffered a disheartening blow earlier this week when it was revealed that the team’s lead runner, Erika Schneble, will be unable to participate this weekend due to injury.

Schneble recently placed 54th out of the 232 runners at the NCAA pre-nationals despite a minor injury. The senior out of North Carolina also helped lead the team to a 10th place finish at the Notre Dame Invitational, ahead of four nationally ranked teams.
 
“This will put a lot of pressure on Shannon Capps and Caitlin Shannon to have strong showings,” Spivey said.

Capps and Shannon are currently the fifth and sixth runners on the team and their placement in the tournament will be vital in determining Vanderbilt’s outcome.

Junior Amy Huss and sophomore Julie Eckerly will assume the first and second runner positions in Schneble’s absence.