From now through Friday, VMIKeydets.com will provide a preview of this coming weekend's Big South Indoor Track and Field Championships, set for Saturday and Sunday in Clemson, S.C. The first four days of the preview will feature one in-depth event preview per day, with a focus on events that could favor the VMI squad, and will culminate with a video interview with Coach Darrin Webb that will air on Friday. The preview continues today with the women's 5,000-meters.
The 5K appears to shape up as a repeat of cross country, as it is during many seasons. Radford's Lori Crotts holds the top time on the Big South performance list, a 17:40.07, with cross country runner-up Dacia Bushman sitting second in 17:44.60. In fact, Bushman's teammates sit third, fourth and sixth respectively, so expect XC champion Liberty to be a force in this event. VMI could counter with the majority of its runner-up cross country team, including Big South champion Hannah Granger.
Top Contenders:
Crotts, Radford: Crotts was fifth in cross country, but enters this event as the top-ranked 5K runner in the conference. The Radford veteran has competed in just one 5K this season, the race where she posted her Big South-leading 17:40.07 mark. That was at the Akron Invitational two weeks ago. No doubt, Crotts is looking for her first Big South title in what should be her final indoor conference meet.
Bushman, Liberty: The Liberty standout seems to be developing a bit of an on-course rivalry with VMI's Granger, as Bushman has finished behind her at each of the last two conference events. When Granger won the 10K at last year's outdoor championships, she and Bushman exchanged the lead throughout the race before Granger pulled away for the win, leaving Bushman second. She also earned the runner-up spot at the cross country championships, as she was the only competitor to finish within 10 seconds of Granger's winning time. So far this season, Bushman has a ninth-place finish in this event during a prominent meet at Penn State, where she posted her 17:44.60 time, and also owns a second-place 5K finish from the Hokie Invitational in late January.
Granger, VMI: Granger has not run a 5,000-meter race all season, but still comes into the Championships as one of the favorites in the event. Her lifetime best, a 17:29.09 set last year, is one of her many VMI school records and is 11 seconds faster than the conference's top time during this campaign. Of course, she is the current Big South cross country champion as well, a fact that would bode well for her in this race. She has had a solid indoor campaign, including a school-record 10:04.95 3K at the Armory in January, a mark that currently ranks third in the Big South in that race. One of VMI's team captains, Granger will be seeking her seventh career All-Conference honor.
Jenna Moye, VMI: If she runs this event, Moye could be a bit of a dark horse. The VMI freshman has had a strong first indoor season, as she currently ranks fourth in the Big South in both the 3K (10:11.09) and the mile (5:06.05). She also showed during the cross country campaign, when she was the Freshman of the Year, that she has the speed to be a serious player in a race of this length. She placed just 14 seconds behind Granger's winning effort that day, and averaged a six-minute mile throughout.
Jennifer Klugh, Liberty: Don't overlook Klugh in this field, as the sophomore could be the sleeper of the event. A 17:49.44 at the first meet of the season, the Liberty Kickoff, ranks her third on the conference performance list and could make her a legitimate player in one of the most crowded fields at the Championships. In addition, she was third during cross country (edging Moye by two seconds), so her long-term speed and stamina is not in question.
Others:
Khristina Kanagy, Liberty: Kanagy sits in fourth on the conference performance list, an impressive spot for a freshman. Her 18:23.58 mark puts her 36 seconds out of the third spot, and earning an all-Big South honor would take a considerable improvement on that mark. A top-eight finish is well within reach, however, and she could certainly alter the outcome of this race.
Emily Webb, High Point: Webb sits in fifth in the conference in this event, two seconds behind Kanagy, and was the eighth-place finisher in cross country. She comes off a sophomore year during which she finished sixth in this event, with a time nearly seven seconds under her 2010 seasonal best, so she has the speed to be a factor.
Lindsey Carty, VMI: Carty has run six races this year and has posted personal-best efforts in two of them. She has run one 5K this year, a sixth-place finish during a January meet at Kent State, where she came home in a time over the 19-minute mark. Since then, however, Carty has posted personal-best marks in both the mile and the 3K, and is clearly a better runner than she was just two short months ago. That could make her the surprise among this second group of runners.
Leah Schubel, VMI: Despite Carty's improvement throughout the year, it is Schubel who sits as the only Keydet in the 5K's top-10 this season. Her 19:09.39 at Kent State places her ninth in the Big South. Since that race at Kent State, both of the VMI freshmen have concentrated on shorter events, including the 800-meters, the mile, and in Carty's case, the 3,000-meters. That makes not only Carty, but Schubel as well, wild cards in what could be the most competitive event at the Big South Indoor Championships.
Other Previews:
Monday - Women's Pole Vault
Tuesday - Men's Weight Throw
Wednesday - Men's 800-meters
Thursday - Women's 5K
Friday - Video Interview with Head Coach Darrin Webb
