Cross Country: Men’s team finishes 12th at SEC Championships

Vanderbilt Men’s Cross Country repeats placing at SEC Championships by finishing 12th overall for the second year in a row.

Barrie Barto

Vanderbilt Men’s cross country team runs in the Belmont Opener, as photographed on Sept. 1, 2023. (Hustler Multimedia/Barrie Barto)

By Grace Hall, Staff Writer

Oct 27, 2023

The Vanderbilt Men’s Cross Country team started their postseason on Friday, Oct. 27 with the SEC Championships. The competition took place at Charwood Golf Club in Columbia, S.C. where the team finished in 12th place, the same standing they left last year’s 2022 SEC Championships with.

The last time the men’s team competed in a competition was a month ago in the Joe Piane Invitational on Sept. 29. The team looked to add to their winnings from this season which include a third place finish at the Belmont Opener and three other top-10 finishes.

Graduate student Andrew Pahnke was the first Commodore to cross the finish line, where his time of 25 minutes, 34.7 seconds earned him an 83rd-place finish. Right behind Pahnke was teammate Zach Hodges who finished the race 84th with a time of 25:35.6. Rounding out the scores for Vanderbilt were the freshman trio of Jackson Scruggs (25:40.5), Brady Bliven (25:53.9) and Jack DesRoches (25:54.2).

“[The men’s team is] a very young team in both age and experience. This meet will prove to give them the grit to compete at regionals and understand what they’re capable of,” Vanderbilt Track and Cross Country Director Althea Thomas said. “It really tested them, so we’re looking forward to how it will help them have a great fight at the NCAA Regional Championships.”

The next stop for Commodores in the postseason is the NCAA South Region Championships which will take place on Nov. 10 in Gainesville, Fla.

About the Contributors

Grace Hall, Deputy Sports Editor

Grace Hall (‘26) is from Belfast, Maine, and is majoring in public policy studies with a minor in legal studies in the College of Arts and Science. Grace previously served as the Assistant Sports Specialist for Revenue Sports. She is also president of the Vanderbilt Club Field Hockey team and the Vanderbilt Sports and Society Club. When not writing for the Hustler, you can find her watching the Boston Red Sox or Celtics or at a concert. You can reach her at [email protected].

Barrie Barto, Editor-in-Chief

Barrie Barto ('25) is majoring in medicine, health & society and communication of science & technology with a neuroscience minor in the College of Arts and Science. She previously served as Photography Director. When she’s not hiking in Percy Warner, you can find Barrie cheering on the St. Louis Blues or tracking down the best gluten-free food in Nashville. She can be reached at [email protected].

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