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.
