Summer 2012
BEST of the YEAR
table of contents
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2 Compliance Corner Send us your questions 4 National Commodore Club NCC baseball tailgate 7 More from McGugin By the numbers 8 My Game Baseball junior Anthony Gomez 10 Best of 2011-12: Champions 11 Viral Play/Comeback Story 13 Events not on the field of play 15 Four more impressive women 17 Images from the spring semester 19 My Turn Rod Williamson’s monthly column
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21 Camden’s Commodore Ryan Flaherty as a Baltimore Oriole
22 2012 Fall Schedule Football, soccer, cross country slates
23 Champions in Portugal Risper, Wirth win professional title
24 Last Shots Athletic graduation
To submit a letter to Commodore Nation, you can e-mail: commodorenation@vanderbilt.edu or write to Commodore Nation, 2601 Jess Neely Drive, Nashville, TN 37212. Letters should include the writer’s name and address and may be edited for clarity and space.
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VUCOMMODORES.COM
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COMPLIANCE
COR NER
The Vanderbilt Athletic Compliance Office would like to thank everyone who reads Compliance Corner. We’re glad to be a resource for you. In order to better serve you, we’d like to extend the opportunity for you to submit topics to be covered in this section. Please contact us by email at ncaacompliance@vanderbilt.edu or on our Twitter or Facebook pages. We look forward to hearing from you!
Editorial
Publisher: Vanderbilt University Editor-in-Chief: Chris Weinman
Director of Communications: Rod Williamson
Designers: Jeremy Teaford Chris Weinman
Thank you again for your time, and GO ’DORES!
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Compliance questions? Please contact: Candice Lee George Midgett Director of Compliance Compliance Coordinator 615/322-7992 615/322-2083 candice.lee@vanderbilt.edu george.d.midgett@vanderbilt.edu John Peach Andrew Turner Compliance Coordinator Recruiting/Compliance Coordinator 615/343-1060 615/322-4543 john.w.peach@vanderbilt.edu andrew.turner@vanderbilt.edu
Digital Image Specialist: Julie Luckett Turner
VU Photography: Daniel Dubois Steve Green Joe Howell Jenny Mandeville Anne Rayner John Russell Susan Urmy Contributors: Brandon Barca Andy Boggs Larry Leathers George Midgett Kyle Parkinson Emily Sane Ryan Schulz Jennifer Stevens
Administrative
Chancellor: Nicholas S. Zeppos Vice Chancellor for University Affairs: David Williams II Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs: Beth Fortune
Vanderbilt University’s Mission, Goals and Values Vanderbilt University is a center for scholarly research, informed and creative teaching, and service to the community and society at large. Vanderbilt will uphold the highest standards and be a leader in the quest for new knowledge through scholarship, dissemination of knowledge through teaching and outreach, and creative experimentation of ideas and concepts. In pursuit of these goals, Vanderbilt values most highly intellectual freedom that supports open inquiry, and equality, compassion and excellence in all endeavors. Vanderbilt University is an equal-opportunity, affirmative-action university. ON THE COVER: Collage of the 2011-12 Vanderbilt Commodores, by Mike Smeltzer, VU Creative Services. Images by VU Photography and Tyler Kaufman. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to National Commodore Club, 2601 Jess Neely Drive, Nashville, TN 37212. SUBSCRIPTION: To subscribe, contact Chris Weinman by e-mail at commodorenation@vanderbilt.edu ADVERTISEMENT: To advertise with Commodore Nation, please contact Vanderbilt IMG Sports & Entertainment Properties. Jeff Miller, general manager 615/322-4468; jeff.miller@imgworld.com
Commodore Nation is printed using (10% post-consumer) recycled paper.
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JUNE 2012
hank you T for your scholarship support through the National Commodore Club.
On May 11, our student-athletes in the Class of 2012 graduated. Your gifts to the NCC helped them advance to the next level. Your membership truly matters. Thank you!
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C O M M O D O R E C LU B
COR N E R
PHONE: 615/322-4114 • ONLINE: NationalCommodoreClub.com NCC BASEBALL TAILGATE — APRIL 28 National Commodore Club members, young alumni and their guests tailgated on McGugin Lawn and then watched the Commodores beat the Wildcats at Hawkins Field.
NCC members Woody Powers and John Henderson
Vanderbilt young alumni Chris Griffin (BA ’10) and Natalie Daniel (BA ’10, M.Ed. ’12)
Vanderbilt young alumna Trisha Plemmons (BS ’09) and NCC member/young alumna Emily Crowell (BA ’09)
Vanderbilt young alumnus Bob Ramenofsky (BE ’09) and Derek Hoevel
Anchor down on the best football parking NCC priority football parking is your best option for Commodore game days. Enjoy the tailgating fun before the game and a short walk to Dudley Field for the game. To receive priority football parking in Lots 1, 1A, 2, 3 and 4, a donation to the National Commodore Club is required at the levels listed to the right. Spots in all lots are still available.
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To view the priority football parking map, you may visit NationalCommodoreClub.com.
Lot 1
$3,000+ (includes reserved spot)
Lot 1A
$1,500-$2,999
Lot 2
$500-$1,499
Lot 3
$250-$499
Lot 4
$150-$249
Reserve your priority parking spot today! Call (615) 322-4114.
UNDER CONSTRUCTION — ATHLETIC FACILITIES UPGRADED FOR 2012-13 Have you visited campus lately? If you have not, we want to share with you the athletic facilities currently under construction. McGugin Center and Vanderbilt Stadium are receiving upgrades for 2012-13. The facility enhancements will include new meeting and locker rooms in McGugin Center and also a new artificial playing surface, hillside seating area and video board at Vanderbilt Stadium. All projects are scheduled to be complete in the next few months—we hope to see you there soon. Thank you to all of our supporters who help make these facility upgrades possible.
NEW COMPLEX EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETED BY SUMMER 2014 show a commitment— “ Facilities they show a commitment from the university to the recruits, to our players, to our fans and alumni. This place is going to impact our football program,
In April, the Board of Trust approved the Vanderbilt Recreation Center and Multipurpose Facility Expansion project.
our athletics department and our whole university.
”
James Franklin Head Football Coach
For more facility information, visit
vanderbilt.edu/multipurposefacility.
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PASSIONATE PEOPLE
JUNE 2012
©2012 Ferguson Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
More from McGugin
Carey is first-team All-American for third time
V
anderbilt midfielder Ally Carey was named a first-team All-American for the third consecutive season by the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association. The IWLCA honored a total of 48 student-athletes in Division I on one of three All-America teams for 2012. The IWLCA will honor the National All-Americans at the IWLCA All-American banquet on June 16, 2012 at the Radisson Hotel Valley Forge in King of Prussia, Pa. “I am extremely proud of Ally for receiving first-team All-America recognition again,” Vanderbilt Head Coach Cathy Swezey said. “Her effort and skill have meant so much to our program over the years, and it’s certainly fitting for her to be honored as one of the nation’s best players this year. Ally’s dedication to our sport is incredibly special and I look forward to following her career past Vanderbilt.” A native of Bel Air, Md., Carey is Vanderbilt’s career leader for ground balls (166) and draw controls (263). This season, she broke her own school record by pulling 80 draw controls and led the American Lacrosse Conference with a 5.0 draw controls per game average. Carey, who graduated this month with a degree in human and organizational development, ranks among VU’s career leaders in goals (sixth), assists (third), points (fourth) and caused turnovers (third). Carey also earned first-team All-ALC honors for the third straight year as she paced Vanderbilt in goals scored, points, draw controls and caused turnovers this season. She becomes Vanderbilt’s first three-time first-team All-American—a list that includes fewer than 30 names nationally.
Southeastern Conference schools that played in a football bowl game and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in men’s and women’s basketball as well as baseball: Vanderbilt and Florida.
3.73
grade point average in political science and public policy studies for senior Charlie Jones, who was named the SEC Men’s Tennis Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Ally Carey
A member of the 2011-12 U.S. women’s national senior team, Carey and her teammates—which include VU Assistant Coach Amber Falcone—will take part in the North American Challenge Cup this summer. The North American Challenge Cup will be July 13-15, 2012, in Oshawa, Canada, host of the 2013 Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) World Cup. Junior Paige Cahill joined Carey on the IWLCA’s 2012 All-West/Midwest Region First Team. Cahill started all 16 games on defense for the second consecutive season. She ranked among team leaders in all three defensive categories. A native of Nashville, Cahill typically matched up against the opponent’s top offensive player. She earned second-team All-American Lacrosse Conference honors earlier this month.
S
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Alex, Stratton named first-team All-Americans enior Marina Alex and junior Lauren Stratton were named first-team All-Americans by the National Golf Coaches Association, the first time in school history the Commodores have placed two on the first team. The NGCA honored 11 members on the first team, 11 on the second team, and 11 honorable mention team members. Alex, who leaves Vanderbilt as the school’s all-time stroke leader and is a twotime SEC Player of the Year, was named to the first team for the second time—she also was selected in 2010. Stratton, from nearby Spring Hill, Tenn., cracked the top 11 for the first time in her career. The Commodores also had two All-Americans in 2004 and 2006, with only one of those being a first-team pick (May Wood, 2004).
By The
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consecutive seasons that Head Coach Tim Corbin’s baseball team has made the field of the NCAA Tournament.
92
career singles victories for 2012 graduate Jackie Wu of the women’s tennis team.
263
career draw controls by lacrosse All-American Ally Carey, who already owned the school’s all-time record before collecting 80 draw controls in her senior campaign.
285 Marina Alex
Lauren Stratton
The Commodores recently finished their fifth season under Head Coach Greg Allen and their third consecutive appearance in the NCAA Championship, with the 2012 edition hosted on their home golf course, the Vanderbilt Legends Club North Course. Vanderbilt finished 11th at the national championship.
strokes counted by the women’s golf team on the final day of the NCAA Championship at Vanderbilt Legends Club—the day’s lowest team total.
325.1
yards for the average drive by Nationwide Tour leader Luke List (’07), named the April Player of the Month after winning the South Georgia Classic.
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My Game
JOHN RUSSELL
JOE HOWELL
Anthony Gomez
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As the 2012 regular season came to a close, junior Anthony Gomez had started 168 consecutive games for Head Coach Tim Corbin’s baseball team. A product of New Jersey’s prestigious Don Bosco Prep, Gomez led the Commodores in hits and RBI this season. The shortstop, known to teammates and fans as “Go-Go,” discussed his game with Commodore Nation. On growing up playing baseball: “We have home videos of me in diapers swinging the bat. At 3 or 4 years old I was going out and playing tee ball. My dad coached me right up until high school. All my memories are of him coaching third base and my mom filling up the water jugs for the team.” On adjusting to college baseball his freshman year: “I was calling my parents back home and trying to figure out what I could do to calm myself down while I was getting splinters (from sitting on the bench) in the beginning of the season. It was tough, coming out of high school and never really sitting before. But obviously, I respected both guys that were out there—Riley [Reynolds] and Brian [Harris]. I enjoyed it actually. It was pretty humbling and made me a better team player.” On the transition from underclassman to team leader: “It was just a growing process. We’ve had a lot of older guys here. Twelve guys left last year, and up until that point I was one of the younger guys and I was looking up to them. So I had a lot of guys that I looked up to, and now I’ve been able to pass down everything I learned from them to younger guys.” On his streak of consecutive games started: “I didn’t even realize it until someone said it to me. So many games go by, you don’t even think about games you’ve played, games you haven’t. There were a few last year where Corbs tried to sit me out and I was like, ‘No, I can play.’ I was messing with a little bit of a pulled (hamstring) for a little bit, nothing serious. Other than that, I’ve stayed healthy. Knock on wood.” On playing for Coach Corbin: “I’ve become a totally different player since I got here, in terms of preparation and learning the game. More than just swinging and fielding, there’s so much attention to detail here. You learn so much, the ins and outs of the game, moving runners over, the game inside the game. And he brings a passion to the field every day that he’s out here. He’s out here giving us everything he’s got, and we’re just trying to give the same back to him.” On his routines or superstitions: “Before the game, I don’t have a superstition. A bunch of the guys will go to Chago’s the night before for dinner, about every home series. But leading up to the game, not really. In the on-deck circle, there’s a routine and I guess the guys get a pretty good kick out of it. I spit and hit it twice, two swings. Then I just relax and watch the pitcher after that. When I get up, I clean off the box—just try to make it my box—and get comfortable, then it’s eyes on the pitcher and let it rip.”
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SS EL L JO HN RU
On designing his own major: “There’s no business school here, and I knew I wanted to do something with business. Biology and chemistry weren’t my forte. I found out you could make your own major, so I put together a few different classes and we called it financial management.” n
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Biggest Win: Men’s
BEST OF THE YEAR 2011-12
TYLER KAUFMAN
Senior center Festus Ezeli celebrating after the men’s basketball team knocked off No. 1 Kentucky to win the SEC Tournament in New Orleans.
Liz Anderson and Louise Hannallah congratulate Alexa Rogers following the women’s cross country team’s SEC championship rout. Five Vanderbilt runners were among the top nine finishers in the race, including Rogers (2nd), Anderson (4th) and Hannallah (8th).
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ASHLEY CROSBY
Biggest Win: Women’s
In Coach James Franklin’s first Southeastern Conference game, Zac Stacy’s 26-yard gain on a Statue of Liberty play was part of a 30-7 victory over Ole Miss. A video of the play was uploaded to YouTube and received more than 30,000 views—the most of any play this season.
JOE HOWELL
Viral Play
Comeback Story
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JOHN RUSSELL
The baseball team made it above .500 for the first time on May 12, a 10-inning comeback win at No. 4 LSU. The following weekend, Vanderbilt would sweep Ole Miss at Hawkins Field. The images above show left fielder Jack Lupo throwing out a Rebel runner to preserve T.J. Pecoraro’s Friday shutout.
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Party You Attended
JOHN RUSSELL
Thousands of Commodore fans descended on Memphis to spend the last weekend of 2011 at the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.
Party You Couldn’t Attend
JOHN RUSSELL
During the banquet for teams playing at the 2012 NCAA Women’s Golf Championships, Vince Gill played an intimate show at the historic Franklin Theatre.
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T H E D R I V E TO W I N
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W
T
hen the Vanderbilt Legends Club played host to the 2012 NCAA Women’s Golf Championship last month, there was no guarantee that the host team would be competing at the event. The team traveled to Columbus, Ohio needing to finish in the top eight of the NCAA Central Regional. Senior Marina Alex quickly got to work ensuring that VU would not be a spectator at its home event. The twotime SEC Player of the Year opened with a two-under 70 and finished as one of only three players under par. The Wayne, N.J., native paced the ’Dores to a second-place finish. Alex would earn a Top 20 finish at the national championship and earn first-team All-America honors for the second time.
MATT BLISS
JOHN RUSSELL
Marina Alex
he perfect game is an elusive thing, in any sport. Whether it’s a bloop single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth or a seven-pin that spins but refuses to fall, there are many ways that perfection can disappear. But on Feb. 4, everything came together for 12 shots as senior Brittni Hamilton recorded the first 300 game in Vanderbilt bowling history. While impressive, the perfect game—which occurred during her fourth game on day two of the Prairie View Invitational—was truly just one tree in a forest of accomplishments for the Webster, N.Y., native. The three-time first-team AllAmerican averaged 207.04 pins per game this season, making five all-tournament teams as Vanderbilt claimed a trio of team championships.
GREAT PERFORMANCES 2011-12 Christina Foggie
A
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Ally Carey
W
ithout the benefit of a preseason warmup, the Vanderbilt lacrosse team opened its 2012 season with a tough test against Duke on Feb. 12. Duke owns a sizable advantage in the alltime series and entered as the fifth-ranked team in the nation. But the Commodores came into the game with nine seniors, led by All-American Ally Carey, and refused to flinch. Just one minute into the contest, Carey scored the opening goal on a freeposition shot. She would win the ensuing draw and feed Kelly Connors for a second goal just 10 seconds later. Vanderbilt never trailed. The Bel Air, Md., native led VU in scoring this season and became the school’s alltime leader in ground balls and draw controls. She was named a first-team All-American for a record third time.
C O M M O D O R E N AT I O N
STEVE GREEN
JOE HOWELL
fter starting 2-4 in Southeastern Conference play, the women’s basketball team needed a lift when No. 15 Georgia visited Memorial Gym on Jan. 26. Enter Christina Foggie. When the sophomore scored 34 points that night, Head Coach Melanie Balcomb called it “one of the best performances I’ve seen here.” It marked the first time since 2006 that a ’Dore had notched a 30-point game. That performance would fuel VU to a five-game winning streak that culminated in a home victory over No. 11 Tennessee. Foggie went on to be the SEC’s scoring champion, joining men’s counterpart John Jenkins at the top of the league’s points-per-game chart and giving VU its first female scoring champ since 1991. Foggie was named first-team All-SEC and earned WBCA All-Region honors.
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IMAGES OF SPRING 2012
Clockwise from top: Women’s basketball student-athletes Gabby Smith, Tiffany Clarke, Elan Brown and Stephanie Holzer goofing off at the Black & Gold Banquet; lacrosse’s Kelly Connors at commencement; Casey Bakker of lacrosse at Vanderbilt Field Day with Westmeade Elementary School students; Anthony Gomez thanking a serviceman during baseball’s Military Appreciation Day.
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2/8/12 5:14 PM
It’s My Turn by Rod Williamson
Taking stock of the year
I
JUNE 15 Beethoven’s Triple Concerto
JUNE 22 “Emperor” Piano Concerto
JUNE 30 Beethoven’s Ninth BUY TICKETS AT: NashvilleSymphony.org 615.687.6400 CONCERT SPONSORS:
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s it possible our athletic year has already ended? Hawkins Field is empty. Memorial Gymnasium echoes as technicians apply final touch-ups to our tremendous new video board. Workers are spread throughout Vanderbilt Stadium installing new turf, another Jumbotron and improved lighting. Gear has been checked, practice venues are quiet. It must be over. The longer we are involved in collegiate athletics, the harder we find it to capture the essence of a sports year. Winning is important, but unlike Vince Lombardi’s famous line “winning... is the only thing,” at Vanderbilt winning wears several hats. Of course we want to win on the field, and in 2011-12 we did. Once again we will be one of a small handful of Division I universities that had a football team in a bowl game, men’s and women’s basketball teams in the NCAA Tournament and a baseball program that went to the NCAA Regional title game. We won Southeastern Conference championships in women’s cross country and men’s basketball. We are poised to crack the Top 50 in the all-sports Directors’ Cup, which will put us among the top echelon of overall athletic programs in America. Our goals are loftier, but the point is made that the Vanderbilt Commodores have come a long way in the past decade. Most of our readers already understand this. Our goal is a truly elite program that wins “both ways”—in the classroom and on the field of play. Academically we have been winning for decades, so the objective is not to lose an inch of ground there while hoisting more trophies and following the spirit and letter of NCAA rules. That’s a tall order, and to accomplish that we need to work together. There is a lot of passion in our nation and in our world. We have politicians, for example, who flat-out refuse to work with the other party because compromise has become a dirty word to some. It’s a path to nowhere, but to some it is a matter of principle. Over any year there are things said, policies made and actions or inactions that could divide us. With the speed of today’s communications and the types of issues that sports media tend to focus upon, it’s a wonder that there aren’t more. Over the years we have had various labels hung upon us by the outside world. We were supposedly lovable losers that didn’t have commitment to victory. We supposedly had an elite faculty that didn’t care for sports. We supposedly had academic standards that were too tough to field winning teams. There were other tags you know, too. Today we still have labels placed upon us, some flattering and others not so much. It can be easy to stereotype, but a great university cannot and should not be defined by a difference of opinion, a policy or the latest sports talk show. Every day we are lucky in having the privilege to work with some of the nation’s best young people. We hope that we can, in a very small and modest way, make a difference by helping shape their lives through an extraordinary experience on our campus. We accomplish this by togetherness, by each one of us helping as we can—whether that is buying a ticket and cheering for a team, by supporting our National Commodore Club, by wearing Black and Gold with pride or by being known as the “Vandy fan” at the workplace. As we reflect upon the year, when the cheers have faded and night has fallen, it is not just about the final score. We truly hope our student-athletes have been winners, often in very different ways. n
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by Eric Jones
BALTIMORE ORIOLES (ACTION SHOT ON PAGE 1 BY CHRIS DONAHUE)
A Commodore at Camden Yards
Ryan Flaherty’s Baltimore Orioles took 2 of 3 games from David Price’s Tampa Bay Rays at Camden Yards in early May.
T
STEVE GREEN
he Baltimore Orioles had not selected a Vanderbilt Commodore in Major League Baseball’s Amateur Draft in nearly 40 years when they chose Jason Esposito in the third round last summer. Prior to that, left-handed pitcher Mike Willis, a Nashville native, was the last ’Dore the O’s had chosen, in the 20th round of 1972. But Willis would never pitch an inning for the Orioles. Instead, the Toronto Blue Jays selected Willis in the Major League Expansion Draft prior to their inaugural season of 1977. Willis—who held the all-time strikeout record at VU (350) until David Price broke it in 2007—would log 296 innings as a Blue Jay. So it seems only fitting that another club, in this case the Chicago Cubs, created a similar opportunity through the Rule V (five) Draft for the Orioles to redeem themselves and to finally get a Commodore to help them in their quest for the postseason.
Flaherty was a second-team All-American at shortstop in 2007.
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For anyone not familiar with the Rule V concept, it’s a chance for baseball prospects who have been toiling in the minors to be selected by another organization. And this past December, former Commodore Ryan Flaherty got that chance. Flaherty’s early Christmas present was being selected with the fourth pick by the Orioles. Considering Flaherty immediately became the Orioles’ No. 7 prospect, according to Baseball America, the Orioles are eager to give Flaherty a chance to prove himself in the majors. “Initially, we liked Ryan’s versatility and his ability to hit,” said Orioles manager Buck Showalter, whose late father is a graduate of Vanderbilt’s Peabody School. “Now it’s a combination of everything as we felt he could serve our club’s needs. We didn’t draft him to be a utility guy, though; we feel he can blossom into an everyday player.” Flaherty’s Rule V Draft odyssey was the culmination of 1,670 at-bats in the Cubs’ minor league system dating back to 2008 when he was drafted in the sandwich first round of the amateur draft. One step at a time, the man known as “Flash” to Commodore fans worked his way through every level in the Cubs minor league system, getting as high as Triple-A Iowa last season. Overall, Flaherty hit a combined .280 with 19 HR and 88 RBI between Double-A and Triple-A in 2011. He also showed he was ready to play any position, logging 63 games at second base, 28 games at third base, 14 games at shortstop, another 39 in the outfield and even four games back at first base, where he had started his Vanderbilt career back in 2006. This summer at Camden Yards has already proven memorable. Flaherty got his first major league hit on April 26, a bunt single in the seventh inning against Toronto’s Luis Perez. On May 10, he made American League history by combining with teammates J.J. Hardy and Nick Markakis to be the
first trio to lead off a game with consecutive solo home runs. “My first hit was nice, for sure,” said the terminally low-key former ’Dore. “It’s something special that you dream about your whole life when you play as a kid. I guess that I will give the ball to my Mom and Dad; it was pretty special. “As for the home run, I didn’t even know how significant it was until they told me later it had never been done before. That was great to be a part of a record, but honestly winning those games is what matters. That is the fun part.” The Orioles were tied for first place with Price’s Tampa Bay Rays heading into the end of May. It is a fast start for a once proud organization that hasn’t had a winning season since 1997. It makes you wonder whether playing in the majors could have sunk in yet for Flaherty. “It is what you work for, what we worked for playing for [Head Coach Tim Corbin] at Hawkins Field,” Flaherty explained. “I really like Baltimore, and there are more Vanderbilt fans in Baltimore and Washington than I originally thought. Living by the water takes me back to growing up in Maine, and I even have (former VU assistant baseball coach and current Maryland head baseball coach) Erik Bakich and his wife offering to cook me dinner down at the University of Maryland, so I feel really at home.” There is even one rival Red Sox fan who is watching the Orioles rookie with a personal interest. “Ryan is one of the greatest young men that I have had the opportunity to coach…. [He is] completely unselfish and playing the game for the right reasons,” according to Corbin. “Besides his baseball ability, Ryan will certainly be an asset to the environment of a big-league clubhouse and the chemistry of a winning organization. He is nothing but a quality individual.” n
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Schedules for 2012 Fall sports 2012 Men’s Cross Country Schedule 2012 Women’s Soccer Schedule Date Opponent Date Opponent Fri., Aug. 31 Belmont-VU Opener Fri., Aug. 17 at UT-Martin Sat., Sept. 15 Commodore Classic Fri., Aug. 24 at Oklahoma State Sat., Sept. 29 at Louisville Classic Sun., Aug. 26 at Oklahoma Sat., Oct. 13 at Evansville Invite Fri., Aug. 31 at MTSU Fri., Oct. 26 SEC Championships Sun., Sept. 2 GONZAGA Sat., Nov. 3 at Va. Farms Open Thurs., Sept. 6 MEMPHIS Fri., Nov. 9 at NCAA Regional Sun., Sept. 9 at Western Kentucky 2012 Football Schedule Sat., Nov. 17 at NCAA Champs Fri., Sept. 14 at Georgia Date Opponent Sun., Sept. 16 at Tennessee Thurs., Aug. 30 SOUTH CAROLINA 2012 Women’s Cross Country Schedule Fri., Sept. 21 at Mississippi State Sat., Sept. 8 at Northwestern Date Opponent Sun., Sept. 23 at Missouri Sat., Sept. 15 PRESBYTERIAN Fri., Aug. 31 Belmont-VU Opener Fri., Sept. 28 ALABAMA Sat., Sept. 22 at Georgia Sat., Sept. 15 Commodore Classic Sun., Sept. 30 SOUTH CAROLINA Sat., Oct. 6 at Missouri Sat., Sept. 29 at Louisville Classic Fri., Oct. 5 at Arkansas Sat., Oct. 13 FLORIDA Fri., Oct. 12 at Wisconsin Invite Sun., Oct. 7 at LSU Sat., Oct. 20 AUBURN Sat., Oct. 13 at Evansville Invite Fri., Oct. 12 OLE MISS Sat., Oct. 27 UMass Fri., Oct. 26 SEC Championships Sun., Oct. 14 TEXAS A&M Sat., Nov. 3 at Kentucky Sat., Nov. 3 at Va. Farms Open Fri., Oct. 19 AUBURN Sat., Nov. 10 at Ole Miss Fri., Nov. 9 at NCAA Regional Sun., Oct. 21 FLORIDA Sat., Nov. 17 TENNESSEE Sat., Nov. 17 at NCAA Champs Thurs., Oct. 25 at Kentucky Sat., Nov. 24 at Wake Forest
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Former ’Dores win Portuguese championship
WIRTH FAMILY
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wo former Commodores earned some international hardware last month. Women’s basketball alumnae Jennifer Risper and Christina Wirth helped Algés capture the Portuguese Basketball Federation’s 2011-12 national championship. Algés took three out of four games from AD Vagos in the championship series, winning the decisive contest, 61-59. In their first season in Portugal, Risper and Wirth led Algés to a 28-2 overall record. For the season, Risper averaged 16 points and eight rebounds per game, earning Player of the Year honors from Eurobasket.com. The Moreno Valley, Calif., native had 18 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in the finale. “I’m proud of this team,” Risper said. “We worked hard all year. Algés is a special club with amazing fans. I love my team.” Wirth was named the Most Valuable Player of the final game for a 22-point, nine-rebound performance. Wirth, from Mesa, Ariz., was a second-team selection on Eurobasket.com’s All-Portuguese League Team. “This season has been fantastic,” Wirth said. “I feel extremely blessed to have had the opportunity to be a part of the Algés family. I love these girls, and I’m just so excited that we were able to finish the year as champions.” n
Jennifer Risper and Christina Wirth with Wirth’s father, Alan, after Algés’ championship victory.
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C O M M O D O R E N AT I O N
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LAST SHOTS
JOHN RUSSELL, VU PHOTOGRAPHY
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hen Vanderbilt held its commencement activities on May 11, there were 10 senior student-athletes who were unable to attend because they were competing away from Nashville. Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos conferred degrees on members of the baseball, women’s golf, men’s and women’s tennis and women’s track and field teams during an alternate graduation on May 15.
From top: Alex DiValerio and Charlie Jones with the men’s tennis team; Baseball’s Will Clinard, Brian Harris and Riley Reynolds with families and Head Coach Tim Corbin; track and field athletes Jordan White, Meagan Martin and Alexa Rogers; Marina Alex and Jackie Wu joined by the women’s golf and tennis teams.
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JUNE 2012
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