Vanderbilt Track and Field smashed records at the Bob Pollock Invitational Jan. 31 in Clemson, South Carolina — registering five program top-10 performances and clocking 15 personal bests. The Commodores competed against top schools across the Southeast, along with unaffiliated athletes, to secure big records in preparation for the postseason.
Field
Sophomore Mackenzie Dagrosa recorded a big win on the field side. Her 1.77-meter high jump is a record for her collegiate career, tying her for third all-time at Vanderbilt. First-year Cali Bryant also performed well in the high jump, matching her collegiate best with a 1.74-meter jump to earn second place honors. Senior Marta Sivina continued to break records, with a personal-best 12.01-meter throw in the shot put. Graduate student Sarah Marvin had a 15.17-meter throw, placing seventh in the event.
Sophomore Pryncess Jackson also had an outstanding performance on Saturday. She had a personal-best 12.73-meter triple jump, which earned her an overall third-place finish and a spot in the program record book, tying for second in program history. Junior Lena Gooden also recorded a personal best in the triple jump, recording 12.2 meters.
The Commodores dominated in the long jump with a one-two result and two program records. First-year Janie Ford continued her breakout season with a personal best jump of 6.56 meters, winning first overall and breaking the school record. Sophomore Lena Gooden also had a personal best, jumping 6.3 meters and placing second overall.
Junior Oliva Kosanovich also had a record-breaking performance in the pole vault, clearing her collegiate best at 3.82 meters and earning her eighth place overall on the program’s all-time list.
Track
The track team excelled too, breaking records and personal bests. In the middle distance, Graduate Jayden Hill had an outstanding performance, matching the Vanderbilt record in the 800 meters with a personal-best time of 2:04.24 to finish as the top collegiate finisher and second overall finisher. Hill’s win comes after her victory at the Commodore Invitational, which took place just two weeks ago. First-year Josie Donelson ran a personal best of 53.19 in the 400-meter, good for fifth place overall and third place of all collegiate runners.
Vanderbilt’s sprinters also found success in South Carolina. Senior Falon Spearman placed second overall in the 60-meter hurdles and first of collegiate runners. Her time of 8.07 was a personal best and enough to shatter the overall school record by 0.16 seconds. First-year London Jackson-Bray placed 20th overall in the 200-meter with a personal best of 24.38, tying for seventh overall in program history.
Capitalizing on momentum, the 4×400-meter relay team of Franklin, Ford, Spearman and Donelson continued its hot-streak following a win at the Commodore Invitational. The squad of primarily underclassmen finished second overall, with a time of 3:32.54, breaking the school record to end the meet.
The Commodores look to follow up their outstanding performances and close out the regular season when they host the Music City Challenge Feb. 13-14.
