Both Vanderbilt cross country teams raced to successful finishes in Monday's Southeastern Conference Championships in Starkville, Miss. The women's team captured an eighth place overall finish, paced by sophomore standout Rita Jorgensen (19th) and redshirt freshman Kristabel Doebel-Hickok. Meanwhile, junior Thomas Davis led the men's team into 11th place with a top-45 finish.

Coach Steve Keith was reminded of his team's dedication and competitiveness during Monday's race.

"Last year we were a little intimidated and I saw none of that today," Keith said. "Rather, we were more focused and confident in what we wanted to accomplish."

While Jorgensen improved 12 places from last year's race, Doebel-Hickok ran the best race of her career and was named to the All-SEC Freshman team with the fourth-best time in the group.

"Making the team is nice because it's a measure of performance," said Doebel-Hickock. "It is really hard to see where you stack up in collegiate racing with so many talented runners, many of which are often far more developed."

Next up on the schedule are the NCAA Regionals which take place in the middle of November. With individual and team improvements over the course of the season, Keith is excited for his team to perform competitively in the upcoming races.

"Both teams have more (physical and emotional) gas in the tank, so to speak," Keith said. "We will look for some solid performances at regionals to finish off the season."

With improved scores over last year's championships, the men's and women's teams are satisfied with Monday's performance. However, they are continuing to practice and train hard for the rest of their season.

"The SECs were important for our confidence," Jorgensen said. "Also, we are still a young team, and it was a positive finish for us to do better than last year."