Vanessa Aniteye
Seattle Pacific University track coach Karl Lerum first planted the seed that blossomed into Vanessa Aniteye’s ascension at 800 meters when his star long sprinter was riding a high as a 400-meter specialist last May.
Aniteye, the former Chugiak High exchange student and former UAA runner, was still savoring her First-Team All-American finish in the 400 at the NCAA Division II outdoor nationals in Michigan when Lerum posed the idea of switching to the 800.
Though Aniteye had spent the outdoor season lowering the school record in the 400 three times, down to a personal-best 53.64 seconds to seize sixth place in the NCAA final, Lerum knew the current indoor season was her last season of eligibility. And he had seen Aniteye deliver a couple intriguing 800s races early in the 2022 outdoor season.
“We had one season left, and I felt she really ran well last spring, but I thought she might have a higher ceiling at 800,’’ Lerum recalled.
Nothing left to do but ask, even knowing plenty of long sprinters like Aniteye would take a hard pass at the suggestion to double their distance. But Aniteye didn’t dismiss the notion out of hand.
“No adverse reaction, like some sprinters,’’ Lerum said. “She actually does go for runs.’’
GNAC Indoor Track & Field Championships
The Podium, Spokane, Washington
MONDAY
Men’s Heptathlon 8:00am
Women’s Pentathlon 8:15am
Running Events 1:15pm
Field Events 1:30pm
TUESDAY
Men’s Heptathlon 7:30am
Field Events 8:30am
Running Events 10:00am
*All times AST
Aniteye’s tune changed a bit when Lerum later suggested she run cross country for the first time in the fall of 2022 to build strength for the 800 in the indoor season.
Aniteye’s reaction: “Oh, no. Long runs are not part of (my) journey. One hundred percent not my idea. I still listened. He said, ‘We’ve done some things in the 400, let’s do something different.’ ’’
Still, Aniteye agreed to run cross country. But by season’s end, she was SPU’s No. 2 runner.
And the strength and fitness she gained on the grass has helped propel her to the fastest 800 time in Division II this season as she prepares to race the Great Northwest Athletic Conference’s indoor championships in Spokane, Wash., starting Monday.
Aniteye on Feb. 11 clocked 2:07.53 for 800 meters at the Husky Classic in Seattle to post the No. 1 D-II time this season and the No. 6 all-time mark in GNAC history, and to also pull herself within .01 of Lynelle Decker’s 2016 SPU record.
“One hundred percent credit to my coach,’’ Aniteye said.
Aniteye, an eight-time All-American, has raced the 400 meters 42 times in her college career at SPU and UAA. Her 800 last week marked just the seventh time she has raced that distance in college.
“I would say I’m a complete newbie every single time,’’ she said. “I’m learning.’’
Given Aniteye’s progression in the 800, despite her lack of experience, and given her success at 400, Lerum believes her capable of slashing more time off her personal best for 800. He pointed out that because the fields for heats in the indoor regular season are based on a runners’ top times from the previous season – 2:12.31 was Aniteye’s 2022 best – Aniteye has led all her indoor 800 heats this season from gun to tape. That means she set the pace from the outset and did all the physical and emotional labor at the front without the benefit of cruising in another runner’s slipstream or getting a quick mental break.
“I would love to see her in a race with women who can run 2:05 and see what she can do when someone else is doing the work,” Lerum said.
Vanessa Aniteye’s NCAA Division II Track All-American Awards
For Seattle Pacific University
2022 Outdoors – 6th in 400 meters, First-Team All-American
2022 Outdoors – 9th in 4×100 relay, Second-Team All-American
For UAA
2019 Outdoors – 8th in 4×400 relay, First-Team All-American
2019 Indoors – 9th in Distance Medley Relay, Second-Team All-American
2018 Outdoors – 10th in 4×400 relay, Second-Team All-American
2018 Indoors – 2nd in Distance Medley Relay, First-Team All-American
2017 Outdoors – 10th in 4×400 relay, Second-Team All-American
2017 Indoors – 7th in 4×400 relay, First-Team All-American
In one sense, Aniteye’s continued success while switching events shouldn’t be surprising. She’s adept at change. After all, her 2022 outdoor season was her first season in three years – her last previous competitions were for UAA in the 2019 outdoor season, when she was a Second-Team All-American in the 4×400 relay.
After marrying her former Seawolves teammate, jumper Brandon Nicholson, in 2019, she gave birth to their son, Josiah, in 2020. Then, last fall, she transferred to SPU – the family lives close to campus. Aniteye, on pace to graduate with a degree in exercise sciences this spring, began light training on her own following Josiah’s birth in Alaska.
“The main thing was not to expect too much,’’ she said. “(Training) wasn’t always amazing. But I kept telling myself to be patient.’’
Aniteye, 24, has a maximum of just two meets left in her college career – GNAC champs and, barring something unforeseen, the NCAAs – but she said she intends to keep competing post-college. German by birth, she owns a 4×400 silver medal from the European U-20 Championships in 2017 and has competed in Germany each of the last two summers.
“It’s pretty incredible what she’s done,’’ Lerum said. “I hope she keeps at it. I think she has a little unexplored potential.’’
