Shannon, Mullins-Hall Set Personal Bests Friday at Sea Ray Relays in Knoxville 4/11/03

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Vanderbilt freshman distance runner Caitlin Shannon, competing at 3,000 meters for the first time in her collegiate career, finished sixth Friday at the Sea Ray Relays in Knoxville.

Shannon, a native of DePere, Wisc., finished with a time of 10:08.48, the 11th fastest 3,000 meters ever by a Vanderbilt runner. When converted to the two-mile distance, the mark is more than 10 seconds faster than her best previous effort.

Another Vanderbilt freshman, Amanda Mullins-Hall, lowered her personal best in the 100-meter hurdles. Mullins-Hall’s 14.04 performance met the NCAA Region qualifying mark was .02 faster than her previous collegiate best set three weeks ago at the Alabama Relays. Mullins-Hall finished 12th in the highly-competitive race Friday.

Sophomore pole vaulter Paige Roberts cleared 11’2”, then had three unsuccessful attempts at 11’8”. If she had cleared the height, Roberts would have broken the team outdoor record of 11’6.25” she established last week at the SEC Quad Meet in South Carolina.

A former Vanderbilt athlete competing unattached at the meet, Ryan Tolbert, captured the 400-meter hurdles with a 58.09 performance. Tolbert, a former Commodore all-American who is preparing for the USATF Outdoor Championships this summer, has now captured all four races she has entered this year.

Day 2

Hahn Uses Javelin Throw To Earn Third In Sea Ray Relays Heptathlon Thursday

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Commodore sophomore Josie Hahn used a solid javelin toss in the sixth of seven heptathlon events to earn third place overall Thursday at the Sea Ray Relays Thursday in Knoxville.

Hahn, a native of Clinton, Tenn., paced the field of 15 competitors in the javelin with a throw of 123’9”. The performance netted Hahn 624 points, vaulting her ahead of Eastern Michigan’s Lela Nelson of Eastern Michigan into third place.

Hahn solidified her third place standing in the final heptathlon event, finishing second in the 800 meters with a clocking of 2:25.54. She ended the competition with 4,972 points, finishing behind former Stephen F. Austin athlete Jennifer Hoppe (5,506 points) and Hyleas Fountain of Georgia (5,282 points).

Several teammates, including thrower Vensherrie Campbell, pole vaulter Paige Roberts, hurdler/sprinter Amanda Mullins-Hall, 800-meter runner Cicely Campbell and miler Caitlin Shannon, will join Hahn this weekend as the meet continues on the University of Tennessee campus. A second group of Vanderbilt track and field members will compete in the Boston/Moon Invitational Saturday at the Tennessee State campus in Nashville.

Hahn’s javelin performance, which topped the nearest competitor by four feet, was Hahn’s best of the season though shy of her personal best. Hahn threw 135’9” at the 2002 USATF Junior Nationals, becoming the second finest javelin thrower in Vanderbilt history.

Hahn entered the competition Thursday hoping to close the gap with Hoppe, Fountain and Nelson, but could only muster a leap of 17’0.5” in the long jump. The long jump dropped Hahn 96 points behind Nelson, adding importance to the javelin event. Hahn outscored Nelson by 228 points in the javelin, enabling her to comfortably gain control of third place. She added more distance from Nelson after the 800 meters.

While Hahn fell short of her previous best in the heptathlon this year (5,143 points at the Alabama Relays), she did improve slightly over her 2002 Sea Ray performance of 4,966 points.

After this week’s competition, the Commodores begin preparations for their only home meet of the 2003 season, the Vanderbilt Invitational scheduled April 18-19 on campus. The meet, expected to feature up to 20 collegiate teams, will be held on the Commodores’ new $1.6 million track facility.

Day 1

VU’s Josie Hahn In Fourth Place Wednesday After First Day of Sea Ray Relays Heptathlon in Knoxville 4/9/03

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - A solid high jump performance vaulted Vanderbilt sophomore Josie Hahn into fourth place after the first day of the Sea Ray Relays heptathlon Wednesday in Knoxville.

Hahn accumulated 2,943 points after the 100-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put and 200-meter dash Wednesday and heads into Thursday needing excellent performances in three events to leap over her top three contenders. Hyleas Fountain of Georgia, one of the Southeastern Conference’s top heptathletes, had the top effort in three events Wednesday to take the overall lead with 3,396 points.

Ten Commodore teammates will join Hahn this weekend at the four-day Sea Ray Relays on the University of Tennessee campus. The 37th annual meet, formerly known as the Dogwood Relays, has drawn hundreds of collegiate athletes across the eastern United States. A second group of Vanderbilt women’s track and field athletes is expected to compete in the Boston/Moon Invitational this weekend at the Tennessee State campus.

Hahn, competing near her hometown of Clinton, Tenn., started slowly in the cool, wet conditions in Knoxville, finishing 10th in the 100-meter hurdles with a 15.06 clocking. She responded well in the high jump, clearing 5’7” for three place. It was her best effort since the Alabama Relays March 20 when a 5’7.75” clearance keyed Hahn’s win at the meet.

Hahn missed an opportunity to add valuable points in the shot put with a throw of 34’2.25”, more than four feet off her best effort this year. She finished the first day of competition with a solid 26.67 in the 200 meters.

Hahn could easily cut into the lead with excellent efforts in the long jump, javelin and 800 meters scheduled Thursday.

After the first day, Fountain leads former Stephen F. Austin University all-American Jennifer Hoppe (3,302) and Lela Nelson of Eastern Michigan (3,003). Hahn is just 17 points behind Nelson.

The Commodores will host athletes from nearly 20 teams next Friday and Saturday, April 18-19, at the Vanderbilt Invitational. The Vanderbilt Great Eight Meet for Middle Tennessee prep athletes also is scheduled late next week at the Commodores’ new $1.6 million track facility.