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Kristen Denk vaulted 14’ 2.5” for a new school record and third finish this past weekend at the SEC Indoor Championships hosted by Arkansas in Fayetteville.
“14-2.75? Yeah, that’s not a problem.”
— Vanderbilt XC • Track & Field (@vandyxctrack) February 24, 2019
-@kkdenk, probably. #AnchorDown pic.twitter.com/RsEQdQ2Fva
Denk, a Junior, finished second to two Arkansas robots vaulters Alexix Jacobus and Victoria Hoggard who vaulted 4.68m (15’ 3.5”) and 4.60m (15’ 1”), respectively. Both Jacobus and Hoggard are ranked first and second in the nation in the PV while Denk is 12th.
Denk’s finish was met with a 7th and 9th place finish by Margaret Ollinger and Caliegh Lofstead who vaulted 4.09m (13’ 4”) and 3.94m (12’ 9”) each.
Pole vaulters go 3-7-9 at @SEC Indoor Championships and @kkdenk sets a school record (and personal record) at 14’ 2.75”! #AnchorDown pic.twitter.com/b9dNH6jgY5
— Vanderbilt XC • Track & Field (@vandyxctrack) February 23, 2019
The three vaulters were the highest finishes for the Commodores at the meet. Haley Walker placed 10th in the 800m with a heat time of 2:08.91 but failed to qualify for the finals. Senior Ginger Hutton placed 11th in the mile with a time of 4:54.13.
The ‘Dores DMR team placed 8th with three freshman (Taiya Shelby, Grace Jensen, and Haley Walker) and Junior Reagan Bustamante. The team ran 11:48.67 defeating Texas A&M, Alabama, Georgia, and Miss St.
The Commodore team is a great mix of experience upperclassmen and talented freshmen, but the best performances came from the experienced runners. However, the DMR and Walker’s 800m are good signs for the outdoor season.