NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt men’s and women’s cross country heads to South Bend, Indiana, Friday for the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational.
Twenty-two schools are competing in the women’s blue division 5-kilometer race, including Adams State, Belmont, Boise State, Bradley, No. 5 BYU, California Baptist, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Grand Valley State, Kansas, Liberty, Michigan State, Mississippi State, No. 2 Northern Arizona, No. 3 Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Purdue, Texas Tech, Washington State, Western Ontario (Canada), Wyoming and Vanderbilt.
The men’s 19-team gold division field includes Akron, Central Michigan, Dayton, Eastern Michigan, Idaho State, Indiana State, IU Indianapolis, Pepperdine, Purdue-Fort Wayne, Saint Thomas (Minn.), Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Western Illinois, Western Ontario (Canada), Wisconsin-Green Bay, Wisconsin-LaCrosse, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Wright State and Vanderbilt.
Steady start
Three weeks ago, Vandy participated in the Southern Showcase where the women’s and men’s teams finished fifth and ninth, respectively. Freshman Michael Skora and sophomore Bria Bennis were the Dores’ top finishers, earning individual placements of 15th and eighth, respectively.
In the Commodores’ season opener, the Belmont Opener, six student-athletes recorded personal bests. They doubled that number at the Southern Showcase where seven men and five women notched career-best times.
The Vanderbilt women’s team started off the season with a team win at the Belmont Opener behind a runner-up finish from senior Cameron Fawcett. In his collegiate debut, Skora won the men’s race and led the team to second place.
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This is the fourth consecutive year the Dores have competed in this event. In 2023, the Commodore men’s and women’s squads each earned top 10 finishes, the women coming in eighth and the men placing 10th as a team. Top finishers for Vanderbilt were senior Julia Rosenberg and sophomore Jack DesRoches.
Keeping up with the Commodores
Action begins in South Bend Friday at 9:30 a.m. CST with the women’s blue division 5k. The men’s gold 8k is slated for 1:15 p.m. The women’s and men’s open division races will be at 11 a.m. and 11:45 p.m., respectively. Live results and course maps are available online.