Coach:
Steve Keith (9th Year)

Last Year:
5th SEC 

2nd South Region 

27th NCAA

 

Probable Top Five:

SR Rebecca Chandler (9:48 3k; 10:23 3k Steeple; 169th NCAA XC '13)

SR Amira Joseph (17:13 5k; 10:27 3k Steeple; 178th NCAA XC '13)

JR Vanessa Valentine (16:53 5k; 30th South Region XC '13) 

JR Sara Barron (4:20 1500m)
SO Lily Williams (4:22 1500m; 9:45 3k)

 

Impact Freshman/Recruits:

Emma Abrahamson - La Costa Canyon, CA (4:51 1600m; 10:24 3200m)

Maddie Criscione - Park City, UT (5:03 1600m; 10:59 3200m; 34th Footlocker '13)

Megan Huebner - La Quinta, CA (4:50 1600m; 10:26 3200m) 

 

Analysis:
Boy, this is a tough one. Already we wonder if #28 is too low for Vandy, but there are some good teams out there, and this young Lady Commodore team may have to wait a year or two for a higher ranking.

 

It is no secret that Coach Steve Keith has been battling cancer for a while now. It is a great testimony to his pleasant demeanor that he still smiles and he is doing an even better job of recruiting now than in previous years, and he was no slouch before!

 

Last year’s recruiting class was superb, but the three blue chippers Keith reeled in this year, is terrific. He went West and landed Emma Ambrahamson from La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad, CA), a top national recruit with a 10:24 3200m and also talked  La Quinta native, Megan Huebner, into heading Southeast. Megan has almost identical times to Abrahamson. 

Even though Maddie Criscione’s times are not quite as glossy as the other two incoming frosh, she did hers at altitude. She was also a very good cross country runner on the powerful Park City girls team in Utah. 

Okay, now that we told you about the new comers, who is coming back? A lot.

The two most talented returners may be Lily Williams who clocked 4:22 as a freshman, and almost as good a case can be made for junior Sara Barron who ran 4:20, but hasn’t quite shown her chops at the longer distances yet.

Seniors Rebecca Chandler and Amira Joseph are very similar talents. Both run the steeple in the 10:20’s, and their places last year at the NCAA were 169 and 178, respectively. Not much in it for these two. Even though junior Vanessa Valentine was 30th in last year’s region meet, she may have to hustle to make the top 7, such is Vanderbilt’s depth.

The combination of prestigious academics and consistent, quality cross country will probably hold the Nashville school in good stead for a long time. If Keith can work some magic with his youngsters, this team could scare some people.

#28 Columbia Men
#29 Texas A&M Women