Commodore Nation - Feb. 2008

2008 BAS E BALL PR EVI EW

LOOKING FOR MORE February 2008

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table of contents 4 6

National Commodore Club In My Words

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Commodores Cubed

Jacqui Concolino Know your Commodores

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Point of View

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The Gift That Keeps on Giving

Amani Floyd Satisfaction grows for Hawkins family

11 Commodore Tidbits By the numbers

12 My First Job with Tom Richardson

13 It’s My Turn — Rod Williamson Baseball season tickets

16 Baseball Preview Defending SEC champions at it again

20 Quick Hits A look at Vanderbilt’s sports teams

21 Community Service Spotlight Chris Rockwell

22 Their Final Act Senior quartet leaving mark on program

24 Sports Calendar

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Connect with

VUCOMMODORES.COM Editorial Publisher: Vanderbilt University Editor-in-Chief: Ryan Schulz Director of Media Relations: Rod Williamson Designers: Ryan Schulz Jeremy Teaford

Digital Image Specialist: Julie Luckett Turner Photographers: Brandon Barca

Commodore Nation All-Access Your ticket to free multimedia content online is Commodore Nation All-Access. The page includes live audio, live video, Gametracker, postgame highlights and interviews.

Online Auctions

Neil Brake

Place a bid on exclusive Commodore merchandise through Vanderbilt’s official online auctioning. A few recent items up for auction have been an autographed baseball by Tim Corbin and a golf lesson with head coach Tom Shaw.

Daniel Dubois Steve Green Stan Jones Paul J. Levy John Russell

Contributors: Andy Boggs Chad Crunk John Erck Amani Floyd Larry Leathers Nick Petrone Thomas Samuel Chris Weinman

Administrative Interim Chancellor: Nicholas S. Zeppos

Purchase Tickets

Group Discounts

Interested in attending an upcoming Vanderbilt athletic event? Fans can purchase tickets and view seating charts on VUCommodores.com.

Perfect for a corporate outing or any group occasion, Vanderbilt offers group discounts for all men’s and women’s basketball games for groups of 25 people or more. Vanderbilt also offers birthday party packages, among a host of other group events.

Vice Chancellor for University Affairs: David Williams II Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs: Michael J. Schoenfeld Exec. Director National Commodore Club: Jeff Ulmer

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: (Left to Right): Pedro Alvarez, Ryan Flaherty, Mike Minor (sitting) and Dominic de la Osa. Photo by Steve Green

Desktop Wallpaper

Photo Galleries

Brighten up the desktop on your home computer by downloading exclusive Vanderbilt desktop wallpaper.

Did you want to get a second look at the game-winning shot? Photo galleries from every Vanderbilt sport are on VUCommodores.com.

POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to National Commodore Club, 2601 Jess Neely Drive, Nashville, TN 37212.

SUBSCRIPTION: To subscribe to Commodore Nation, please contact the National Commodore Club at 615/322-4114.

ADVERTISEMENT: To advertise with Commodore Nation, please contact Vanderbilt ISP Sports.

Stacy Hall, General Manager 615/322-4468 shall@ispsports.com

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C O M M O D O R E C LU B

C OR N ER

PHONE: 615/322-4114 vucommodores.com

Athleticism, Scholarship and Service

RICE GAME

By Jeff Ulmer NCC Executive Director Participating in intercollegiate sports requires setting priorities, managing time, staying on top of schoolwork and training rigorously. I’ve heard it said that student-athletes have two full-time jobs - school and sports - and they are expected to do them both extremely well. But what is truly amazing is the number of Commodore student-athletes who also manage to squeeze community service into their busy schedules.

Vanderbilt student-athletes have contributed their time and talents in a variety of ways, from building a church for Nicaraguan refugees in Costa Rica, to creating a private foundation to help support the families of soldiers killed in Iraq. Their benevolence illustrates the far-reaching impact of their presence on this campus and how important your benevolence is to them.

We are making progress toward our goal of endowing $25 million for scholarships, but we continue to rely on generous individuals for their time, talents and treasure to help us reach that goal. Building the endowment is crucial to the longterm financial health of Vanderbilt athletics. And yearly support of the National Commodore Club is equally important in order to provide annual, spendable dollars for student financial aid.

Interim Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos, Kix Brooks, Vice Chancellor David Williams and Vice Chancellor Michael Schoenfeld stop for a picture on Jan. 3. Brooks was recognized for his work with Vanderbilt Athletics and the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital.

SOUTH CAROLINA GAME

Chris Kincade, Laura Lake Smith and Fred Jones

Mark Rawls, Chris Booker and Andrew Dunn

NCC members Carroll and Gary Kimball

NCC members Scott Siman, Jennifer and Billy Frist

By supporting scholarships and increasing your giving to the NCC, you are investing in so much more than education and athletics – you are providing the key to a lifetime of opportunity, leadership and service for our student-athletes.

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IMPORTANT TICKET INFORMATION

OPEN HOUSE AT THE BRISTOL ON WEST END

FOOTBALL – The NCC and VU athletic ticket office again will be sending out ticket renewals in mid-February with a mid-March deadline for the 2008 football season. The six-game home schedule includes a Thursday-night opener against South Carolina and conference games against Auburn, Florida and Tennessee. Rice and Duke are the non-conference opponents.

The NCC’s 2020 Society held an event at The Bristol on West End on Dec. 5 before the men’s basketball game against Wake Forest. Stoney River catered the event, and one hundred, 2020 members attended.

BASKETBALL – Expect basketball renewals in April with a May deadline.

JOIN THE BLACK AND GOLD ENDOWMENT SOCIETY Vanderbilt Athletics and the National Commodore Club endeavor to endow all athletics scholarships. To help in that task, the NCC has created a new endowment level called the Black and Gold Society. Black and Gold Society members create an opportunity for a student-athlete while receiving full benefits of the Dudley Society with a five-year, $100,000 commitment.

John Steele, John Markham III, John Markham and Wally Conyers

For more information on the Black and Gold Society and Athletic Scholarship Endowments, please contact John Erck at john.erck@vanderbilt.edu or 615/322-7922.

JOIN THE NCC OR RENEW TODAY! You should have recently received your membership renewal for the National Commodore Club.

Please mail it in, call 615/322-4114, click vucommodores.com or stop by the office in the McGugin Center to make your gift. Every gift is allocated toward the goal of funding student-athlete scholarships. This year’s membership deadline is May 31. Thank you for your continued support of Vanderbilt Athletics. Your Membership Matters!

Maigan Shanks, Catherine Ginzer, Laura May and Claire Evans

Kristin Heath, Chris Heath, Allison Wells and Lydia Park

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Jen Howe, Burch Wood, Will Welborn and Andrew Howe

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In My Words

Jacqui Concolino ow well do best friends and teammates Christina Wirth and Jennifer Risper know each other?

We put the two to the test. First, each player was asked to answer nine questions about themselves.

After giving their own answers, each player was asked to guess how the other would answer each question to see who knows the other better.

STEVE GREEN

H

n just two seasons, junior Jacqui Concolino has left an enduring mark on Vanderbilt’s golf program after earning All-America honors as a freshman and sophomore. A native of Orlando, Fla., Concolino finished the 2006-07 season as the highest-rated player in the SEC and the third-highest rated player in the country. She also owns the school record for the lowest individual 54hole total (204) and is tied for the lowest 18-hole total (66) in school history.

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On receiving All-America honors each of the last two years It was a privilege, it really was. It is something that I always wanted to do. My goal at the beginning of the year was first team AllAmerica and first team All-SEC. It is nice to get the accolades and be recognized for consistency and great play.

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On earning medalist honors at the NCAA Central Regional in 2007 and helping the team to the NCAA Championships That was huge. It was more of a thrill for me to see the team make it — because we didn’t make it my freshman year — than it was for me to win the tournament. It was a great accomplishment to win that tournament. It was a great win, and it was my first win of the season.

On the tournament being the most memorable of her career Just to have the NCAA name on it is almost like making it to the Sweet 16 (in basketball) because that is how exciting it is and what the atmosphere is like at the regional.

On the area of her game she focused on improving over winter break I struggled with my ball striking this past season. When I hit the ball well, I’m going to compete for the victory, individually, every week.

I’ve really struggled with my ball striking, so I (worked) on that with my swing coach (Kenny Nairn) back in Orlando.

On how she got into golf My grandfather (Joseph Concolino) took me out to the driving range when I was 10 or 11, and he saw a little bit of potential. He bribed

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me with ice cream or some sort of food to get me to go out and practice because I was young and stubborn, and golf wasn’t considered fun at the time. Golf has definitely changed the stakes. It is an athletic sport now. There are some great athletes that play golf, and it is a privilege to be around the people that I am.

On going to the course with her grandfather Tom O’Reilly He was a cart attendant at a golf course, and he would have to go there at 5:30 a.m. to take out all the carts. I would go with him at 5:30 in the morning at 13 years old, and I would just practice until my dad picked me up at night. I would just stay there all day.

On playing soccer growing up I was an avid soccer player, and I played on traveling teams. My first goal in life was to play on the women’s soccer Olympic team for USA. On choosing golf over soccer My grandfather (Joseph Concolino) passed away the summer before high school, and soccer and golf are the same season in Florida, so I had to give up one of them. I couldn’t play both. I chose golf, and I basically play golf in honor of my grandfather.

On playing for Coach Greg Allen It has been great. We are still going through a transition period. He is so laid-back. He is a family man. He is very funny, and we have a great time when we are around him.

He keeps us very relaxed on the golf course.

He doesn’t stress out too much. It is great to have him as a college coach.

On the golf course she would most like to play We’ve actually had the privilege of playing Cypress Point (Pebble Beach, Calif.) and it is an absolutely stunning golf course. It is the prettiest 18 holes you will ever play. It is quite a privilege to play there, and I would play there over anywhere.

On her favorite club in her bag Driver because driving the ball, for the most part, is my bread and butter.

On her favorite part about going to school at Vanderbilt The diversity. There are so many different people here from so many different backgrounds. I can say that I’ve learned more by the people I’m surrounded with than what I’ve actually learned in school. It is just a great social environment. The people here are brilliant and it is a privilege to go to Vanderbilt and not only represent them through academia but also through athletics. ■

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Commodores Cubed

darshawn McCLELLAN

vijay PAUL

courtney ULERY

karen GRYGIEL

Basketball

Tennis

Tennis

Bowling

Valentine’s Day ls ...

A day that you express your love for someone you care about

Good for Hallmark

Over-hyped

Should actually be called Single’s Awareness Day

Favorite Dessert

Cheesecake

Pumpkin pie

Anything chocolate

Cookie dough egg rolls from Jackson’s

One Word Your Mom Would Use To Describe You

Dry — she says I don’t talk enough

Funny

Spontaneous

Entertaining

TV Marathon You Could Watch All Day

Family Guy

Jeopardy

I Love New York

Heroes or Family Guy — I have watched a marathon of both

Country You Are Least Likely To Find On A Map

Luxembourg

Burkina Faso

Iceland

Zimbabwe

Most Annoying TV Commercial

GEICO

All of them

GEICO

Sonic

One Thing You Refuse To Eat

Oysters and crab legs

Cooked carrots

Sushi

Liver

Favorite Cartoon Character

Bugs Bunny

Rocko from Rocko’s Modern Life

I never watched cartoons

Stewie from Family Guy

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Point of View

By Amani Floyd Editor’s Note: Each month “Commodore Nation” will ask a varsity athlete to sound off on a point of personal interest. Floyd is a senior on Vanderbilt’s track and field team. Last summer, she studied abroad in Morocco.

get several typical responses when I tell people that I spent this past summer studying Arabic in Morocco.

People typically say: “Wow, that must have been amazing” or “How was it being an American in a Muslim country?” and even…“Where is Morocco?”

Before traveling to Morocco, I was extremely nervous. I had never been outside of the country before, and I was traveling alone to a country where I barely spoke the language. But I knew that it was something that I wanted to do and that it would change my view of the world forever.

When I first arrived in Morocco after a 7 1/2 hour flight, I was scared to death. I did not know anyone, and everyone kept speaking to me in French. Now mind you, I speak no French whatsoever. This continued to happen throughout my twomonth stay in Morocco. People always spoke to me in French instead of English or Arabic because they assumed that I was West African instead of American or Moroccan. As time went on, I became more and more comfortable in my surroundings.

I studied at Al Akhwayan University in Ifrane, which is a small, prestigious university in a small town outside of Fez in the Atlas Mountains. It was a beautiful campus, although it was not reflective of the typical Morocco by any means—it looked and felt more like a small European town rather than a small town in a Muslim country.

My real exposure to Morocco came through my roommate and my travels throughout the country. My roommate and I bonded immediately. Luckily, she spoke great English and was willing to help me out. She also introduced me to her friends/family and even posted notes around the room to help me learn my new vocabulary words.

I also built some lifelong friendships with my fellow American classmates. We had some incredible experiences. We visited the cities of Fez, Meknes, Tangier, Casablanca, Rabat and spent two nights in the Sahara Desert in Bedouin tents, walking the streets of medieval cities, bargaining in the suqs (markets), attending the international music festival and hiking/swimming through the cascades of Chefchaouen.

Morocco was an experience of a lifetime. It humbled me as a person and exposed me to the world outside of the U.S. and the West. It gave me insight to a culture and people that are so different and yet so similar in so many different ways. Morocco definitely changed the way I perceive the world and the way I see myself in it.

So in response to the typical responses that I get when I tell people that I spent this past summer in Morocco: Yes, it was absolutely amazing!; I was perfectly safe; and Morocco is a small country in Northwest Africa that you should certainly visit one day. ■

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Satisfaction Grows For Hawkins Family “You just can’t compete anymore if you hen Charles Hawkins and his family contributed $2 million to build don’t have the right facilities,” Lee Ann Vanderbilt a new baseball stadium, said. “You aren’t going to get the players.

“I don’t know what prompted him to do the family never dreamed their generosity what he did to give the property to Vanderwould mean so much to so many people.

Even after Hawkins passed away in bilt, but one of the reasons I know is that he just loved the game and he realized 2004 after a battle with cancer, the famthat we were deficient in our faily couldn’t be happier with what cilities.” the stadium has become.

As attendance contin“It is wonderful,” said ues to rise and victories Lee Ann Hawkins, the continue to pile up, the wife of Charles. “I love Hawkins family conit. I never thought I tinues to be amazed would. It has been by how far their gift so successful behas gone. The rise in yond anything I ever attendance even has dreamed of.”

Vanderbilt officials The recent success discussing stadium of the baseball proHawkins Field expansion. gram has made Hawkins “As astute as Charlie Field a place to be during was, I don’t think he had the spring and early sumany idea that it would be as mer months in Nashville. wonderful as it turned out to be,” “It is just about the most exciting thing to be a part of with Vanderbilt base- Lee Ann said.

The gift that the Hawkins family providball,” said Bill Hawkins, the son of Charles ed to create Hawkins Field may have had and Lee Ann. Before the construction of Hawkins its biggest impact on Lee Ann last season Field, the Commodores played at outdat- at the NCAA Regionals.

“There was a line around the corner of ed McGugin Field, which was more than 75 years old. With the arms race in col- the field and up on the street to get into lege athletics in full effect, Vanderbilt was the bleachers,” Lee Ann said. “It makes clearly behind the eight ball during the re- me have goose bumps now just thinking about it. I burst into tears, and I thought, cruiting process.

As a former football and baseball player ‘I did not think that I’d ever live to see for the Commodores from 1952-54, it was this.’ People were standing in the boiling easy for Charles Hawkins to recognize how hot sun to get into the bleachers to watch Vanderbilt play baseball.” ■ much Vanderbilt needed a new facility.

PAUL J. LEVY (HAWKINS FIELD)

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COR NER A:

Curve Ball is a prospective student-athlete who will be initially enrolling full-time at Vandy in January 2008. Curve will be playing baseball for Vandy and the coach would like to provide him with an athletic scholarship. Is it permissible to provide Curve an athletic scholarship for one semester?

By Candice Storey

Yes. NCAA Bylaw 15.3.3.1.1(a) states that a student-athlete whose first full-time attendance at the certifying institution during a particular academic year occurs at midyear (e.g., beginning of the second semester or second or third quarter of an academic year) may receive a financial aid award for the remainder of that academic year.

Compliance Questions? Please contact: Candice Storey Director of Compliance 615/322-7992 candice.storey@vanderbilt.edu

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CO RN E R Ian Duvenhage Head Men’s Tennis Coach Duvenhage is in his third season as head coach of Vanderbilt’s men’s tennis program.

Last season, Duvenhage led Vanderbilt to the second round of the NCAA Tournament with an upset over No. 18 Tulsa in the first round.

How did you first get into coaching?

I had just finished my first semester of graduate school, and the women’s tennis coach at the University of Miami quit right before Christmas. They were in a bind, so they came to me and said, “Can you get us through the year and we’ll pay tuition,” which was a huge help because tuition was steep at Miami. I finished out the semester and we got to the quarters of NCAAs. To my surprise, I discovered that I really enjoyed it and decided to throw my hat into the search that summer of 1983. They decided to hire me, and a lot of it was because of the help of (John Hammill), whom I played for at Miami. I don’t think that without his help at the age of 23 that I would have gotten the job, but he supported it and they gave me the job and the rest is history.

You coached in the professional ranks for a few seasons, what is it about college tennis that brought you back?

Teaching. I had primarily three guys that I worked with on the pro tour. The rules change when (the players) pay your salary. Without a doubt what got me back into college tennis was the opportunity to teach.

How much has your former college coach at Miami, John Hammill, influenced your coaching style?

COMPLIANCE

Q:

COACHES’

George Midgett Compliance Coordinator 615/322-2083 george.d.midgett@vanderbilt.edu

He is a great coach, and I sometimes think to myself that I can’t discern anymore what was him and what is me. In other words, if I think of an idea, I ask myself, what is the origin? Is this something that I came up with myself or is this from him? I can’t tell. What really set him apart as a tennis coach is that he was clearly primarily about life and secondarily about tennis. And that remains a foundational principle of what I try to do.

College tennis has clearly changed since you played, what do you think has been the biggest change?

Two things. No. 1 is technology, and No. 2 is the parity. When I played, we were at the tail end of wooden rackets and the standard-sized racket head. As far as parity goes, nowadays, anybody can beat you on any given day. ■

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COM MODOR E

TIDBITS • During the fall semester, 178 student-athletes achieved a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Sixty-seven of those student-athletes achieved Dean’s List status (3.5 or above). Seven student-athletes posted a 4.0.

• Vanderbilt was one of four institutions (Duke, Northwestern and Notre Dame) to graduate at least 90 percent of its football players who began their education in the 2001-02 academic year.

• Junior Pedro Alvarez (3B) was named Collegiate Baseball’s preseason Player of the Year. Also earning honors from the publication were senior Dominic de la Osa (RF) and junior Ryan Flaherty (SS). De la Osa and Alvarez were first team All-America selections, while Flaherty earned second team honors.

• Senior guard Shan Foster became the first Vanderbilt player to earn three SEC Player of the Week honors in the same season with his selection on Jan. 7. Foster earned the honor after averaging 25.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in games against Iona, Rice and UMass. Against the Minutemen, Foster scored 32, including a career-best eight three-pointers.

• Freshman center A.J. Ogilvy earned his third SEC Freshman of the Week honor and second in as many weeks on Jan. 7 after averaging 20.0 points and 9.7 rebounds against Iona, Rice and UMass. With Ogilvy and Foster sweeping the SEC awards on Jan. 7, they became just the third set of teammates to do so.

• For the first time since the 1992-93 season, the season ticket allotment for men’s basketball games at Memorial Gym sold out. There also are no singlegame tickets remaining for the rest of the season.

By The

NUMBERS 26

Victories recorded by Vanderbilt’s men’s basketball team in the year 2007 — tying the school record set in 1965.

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Men’s basketball teams (Vanderbilt, Princeton and UNLV) have made a threepointer in every game since the three-point line was implemented for the 1986-87 season.

19

The average class size at Vanderbilt.

39

Football players achieved a 3.0 GPA or higher during the fall 2007 semester.

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The ranking among all seniors that offensive tackle Chris Williams received on Mel Kiper’s Big Board as of Jan. 16.

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The amount that Vanderbilt’s women’s basketball team outrebounded South Florida by on Jan. 2 — the highest margin during Melanie Balcomb’s tenure.

10

Out of Vanderbilt’s 15 teams earned GPAs higher than 3.0 during the fall semester.

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My First Job

The Final

With Tom Richardson

LEIGH-ANN AXT

A

“There was a lot of money because I was making $12 per hour,” Richardson said. “And on Saturdays I would get $18 for time and a half. At that age, I felt like I was rich.”

The hourly pay rate was a defi nite benefi t for a job that required many long days.

“I worked six days per week,” said Richardson, whose route was on the Southside of Chicago. “My only off day was Sunday.

We did everything. We went through the alleys and did both pickups. The hours were probably 6 a.m. to 4 p.m.”

While the hours made for long days, the amount of work was the least of Richardson’s concerns as a garbage man.

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• Swimming • Freshman Leigh-Ann Axt is a freshman from Kingwood, Texas, who posted Vanderbilt’s top time in eight of 13 individual events in the fall.

Why do you think you’ve been able to experience so much success so far in your college career?

I think my club and high school team prepared me really well and gave me a good background to be able to come in and swim fast at the college level.

A native of Chicago, Richardson is in his fifth season as an assistant at Vanderbilt.

“My least favorite part was the stink,” Richardson said. “It was god-awful sometimes. I remember one time when it had to be 100 degrees and a plastic oil jug exploded on me with wet grass. That was one of the worst days on the job.”

Like anything someone is constantly around, Richardson eventually got used to the smell as just another way of life. Although Richardson learned to tolerate the smell, he was constantly reminded of the stench when he would go to lunch.

“You get used to the smell, but the people around you don’t,” Richardson said. “You go into McDonald’s for lunch and people are kind of looking at you crooked.”

While it wasn’t the most glamorous job, Richardson believes that the job was very benefi cial to him and well worth the experience.

“You saw everything,” Richardson said.

“It was a lifetime experience. I knew I never wanted to do it again. At the time it was a good job. It really was.”

Working behind the truck also made Richardson realize just how important it was to get an education.

“It was an experience to be around older people and know that I certainly needed to get an education, and that I had better not be behind a truck my whole life.” ■

What has been your biggest adjustment coming from high school to college?

The biggest adjustment for me is lifting weights. I never did weights in high school so learning how to coordinate my body has been quite hard for me. We lift three mornings a week at 5:45 a.m.

What is your favorite event to swim and why?

I have a love-hate relationship with the 200 fly. I’m good at it, so I kind of like it for that reason and it is fun to be good at something a lot of people think is very hard. But sometimes (the 200 fly) can be a little frustrating though.

What do you like most about attending Vanderbilt?

My favorite part has been all the opportunities to do things besides school and swimming. It has really good academics, we swim in the SEC and I get to be involved in extracurricular activities.

NEIL BRAKE (RICHARDSON); STEVE GREEN (AXT)

garbage man. It may be one of the least appealing jobs to most people.

It is also a job that often is taken for granted and underappreciated.

If there is one person who fully appreciates the work of the people in the waste management business it is Assistant Basketball Coach Tom Richardson.

Now in his fi fth year as an assistant at Vanderbilt, Richardson’s fi rst job was a far cry from the sport of basketball.

A native of Chicago, Richardson’s fi rst job came in the waste management industry as a garbage man for the city of Chicago.

Richardson became a garbage man or “G-man” as he calls it, the summer between high school graduation and his freshman year of college.

“It is a hard job,” Richardson said. “You certainly have respect for guys that do that.”

The smell and the filth associated with the job are a few of the negatives that come with the territory of being a garbage man, but unlike most fi rst jobs, low pay was not one of the negatives for Richardson.

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It’s My Turn

By Rod Williamson t might not feel like it, but our baseball season begins in about a month.

It seems just yesterday that 3,532 crammed into Hawkins Field for the NCAA Regional Finals.

That’s right, 3,532 mostly Black and Gold fans. Temporary bleachers nearly doubled our capacity. Fans were lining the 25th Avenue parking garage and straining for peeks outside the fences. Scalpers patrolled Jess Neely Drive.

“Can I get season tickets?” is our most frequently asked question since the season ended. We have hundreds on our wait list, which has led to many discussions inside McGugin Center. With demand exceeding supply, deciding who gets the tickets is not clear-cut. For every point there is a counterpoint.

It would seem our National Commodore Club donors would have first shot at them. “Your Membership Matters” is what we say, and it’s what we mean. Membership does matter. Point.

However, we have cultivated a vibrant baseball following the past five or six years. Nearly 1,500 fans watched our fall intrasquad series, played in crummy weather. They are the hardy souls who are present when game day roll is called. Counterpoint.

Sorting this out is akin to choosing between your right hand and your left. You need them both; you like them both.

One of our primary objectives is consistently drawing a capacity crowd. We want to have fannies in the seats; that is important to our coaches and program. The sold but unoccupied chair generates no momentum.

When someone buys a football season ticket, they are basically committing to attend all home games. That holds true for basketball.

Baseball is another creature with 32 home games played in all kinds of weather. Sweatshirts and gloves one day, sunscreen needed the next week.

The SEC plays three-game series on Friday evenings, Saturday and Sunday afternoons. They follow mid-week non-conference games. If you are seriously following a baseball team it consumes much of your calendar.

So, you can understand our reluctance to push away anyone that has already demonstrated the interest and ability to regularly be at The Hawk. This foundation is a blend of NCC members and baseball aficionados, many of whom were following Commodore hardball before it was the “in” thing.

Therefore, fans that held season tickets last year have priority in renewing their same seats this spring. Very few new seats will open up, although we are going to put the bleachers back up behind right field once the basketball season ends and demands upon that parking lot ease.

However, remembering that “Membership Matters” we have a plan in place to accommodate many of the interested NCC members should we host another NCAA Regional and/or Super Regional.

Keep in mind this discussion is about season tickets. We sell general admission tickets before most games to keep the stands packed. This accommodates many who are happy to see an occasional game.

All this takes getting used to. The old joke “What time does the game start? What time can you get here?” No longer applies.

We need not apologize for this tremendous interest. Do the Green Bay Packers feel bad about their wait list of thousands?

Does the Masters say it’s sorry for having an impossible ticket?

Of course not.

We are proud of our baseball program and are rallying around it.

The Hawk is edging toward the home-field advantage Tim Corbin envisions and our thoroughbreds need as they pursue their goal of a national championship. ■

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Commodores Looking For More

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Ryan Flaherty

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the 11 players who played in at least 40 games. That type of experience will help the Commodores build camaraderie on a roster that includes 11 true freshmen.

“If there’s one thing I have passion for, it is team building,” Corbin said. “That’s something we spend a lot of time on everyday, but I have a large number of older kids back. They’ve kind of taken the reins from me in some ways. The things we established back in 2004-2005, I no longer have to establish, and I think what they’re doing is establishing their own ideals.

They’re putting their own signature on the program.”

That experience will be felt at the plate more so than on the mound this season, as Vanderbilt returns 85.5 percent of its hits from last season and 84.8 percent of its RBI. “Offensively, I think we’ll be strong,” Corbin said. “I think we have a chance to get many more extra base hits because we’re a more mature group. We’re stronger and a little bit faster. We’ll have the capability to score a lot of runs.

“When you bring back guys who have already had 600-plus at bats in a college season, then you’re bringing back kids who have been there before and know how to do it. I’d like to think that’s going to have something to do with success for the upcoming season. Their drive to continue to get better has been just as good if not better than years past. They’re a very hungry group.”

Infield The area where Vanderbilt was hit least by graduation and the draft was in the infield, where the Commodores return every starter from a year ago. The infield will be comprised of Shea Robin (C), Brad French (1B), Alex Feinberg (2B), Alvarez (3B) and Flaherty (SS). Feinberg, French and Robin are seniors, while Alvarez and Flaherty are juniors.

Regarded as the top third baseman, and arguably the top player in the country, Alvarez led Vanderbilt in seven offensive categories, including batting average (.386), runs (76), hits (105), RBI (68) and on-base percentage (.463) last year.

Flaherty enters the 2008 season with a 35-game hitting streak, the second longest in SEC history. Last year he finished second on the team with a .381 batting average. He also tied de la Osa for the team lead with 23 doubles and also was just one of two players (David Macias) on the team to start and play all 67 games last season.

“I think the infield is going to be very steady,” Corbin said. “We’ve got a good athlete at first base (French), we’ve got a guy who doesn’t make mistakes at second base (Feinberg), we’ve got a very consis-

Pedro Alvarez

tent guy at shortstop (Flaherty), and we’ve got a good athlete at third base (Alvarez).

Behind the pitching is a senior (Robin) and a third-year sophomore catching (Andrew Giobbi). That will allow the pitchers to feel comfortable and improve even more knowing they’re coached by a guy with a lot of experience and confidence.

“The key is going to be for our pitchers to get the ball in play so that we can pick it up and throw it over to first and keep people from scoring. If we keep the ball in the infield, we’re not going to make mistakes.”

Outfield The Commodores return two out of three starting outfielders from last year with senior center fielder David Macias and senior right fielder de la Osa each returning. The only question mark will be who takes over the left field position vacated by Matt Meingasner, who finished fourth on the team with a .321 batting average and third on the squad with seven home runs.

A native of Coral Gables, Fla., de la Osa returned for his senior season after being drafted in the 10th round by the Detroit Tigers. Last year he led Vanderbilt with 20 home runs, 20 stolen bases and a .727 slugging percentage, while tying for the team lead with 23 doubles. He was one of just three players in the country with 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases on the year.

“The outfield is steady,” Corbin said. “In my mind, we have one of the best center

PHOTOS BY NEIL BRAKE

ports can be cruel at times. Weeks, months and even years of work can come crashing down over the course of one game. You can be sky high one minute and lying flat on your face the next.

Examples of teams rolling through the regular season only to have their seasons come to a screeching halt in the postseason are as common as a winter cold. But, no matter how common it is in the sports world, you never realize how painful it is until it happens to your team. Unfortunately for Vanderbilt, that reality hit home last June when the No. 1 Commodores’ dream season was ended by Michigan in the NCAA Regional.

While the Commodores’ postseason run came up shorter than they had liked, the 2007 season was unlike any other season in school history. Highlighting the season was an SEC regular season title, SEC tournament title, the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and a 54-13 overall record – the best in school history and third best in SEC history.

Despite losing two top-10 draft picks, including No. 1 overall pick David Price, off that team, Vanderbilt Head Coach Tim Corbin, the 2007 SEC Coach of the Year, returns a strong nucleus of talent that will have Vanderbilt gunning for its fourth NCAA Tournament in the past five years.

The Commodores will be led on the field by returning All-Americans Pedro Alvarez (3B), Ryan Flaherty (SS), Dominic de la Osa (RF) and Mike Minor (RHP), who was named a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball. On top of All-America honors, Alvarez and de la Osa were first team All-SEC selections, while Flaherty was a second team selection. Minor was a member of the SEC All-Freshman team.

In addition to returning the aforementioned four All-Americans, Vanderbilt’s experience can be seen with the return of each of the seven players who played in at least 60 games last season and nine of

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fielders (Macias) playing out there in terms of going after balls and throwing people out.

We’ve got a right fielder (de la Osa) that’s very capable of doing the same thing.”

Battling for the job in left field will be senior Parker Hanks, junior Jonathan White and redshirt freshman Steven Liddle.

Hanks batted .265 in 26 games last year and was listed No. 1 on the depth chart after fall practice. White, a 24th-round selection by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2007, hit .289 and slugged .489 in 44 games. Liddle is a local product who prepped at Franklin High School.

Dominic de la Osa

“I feel good about each left fielder, but they’re different,” Corbin said. “We’ve got a guy who can run the ball down (Hanks), a guy who excels at catching then throwing the ball (White), and then a guy in Steven Liddle who can do a mix of everything. Defensively, I think we’ll secure the ball well.

As of right now, in left field, there are three guys who could play out of the gates.”

Designated Hitter Serving as the team’s primary DH will be backup catcher Andrew Giobbi. A sophomore, Giobbi hit .312 with 25 RBI in 40 games last season. “Nobody is going to move Shea (Robin) from behind the plate, but we have guys like Giobbi who are going to have to play because of their bat,” Corbin said. “Giobbi also has developed as a very good No. 2 catcher and could be a No. 1 catcher on most teams.”

When Giobbi is not in the lineup, the team’s DH likely will be Liddle, White or Hanks, depending on who wins the starting job in left field.

Pitching Losing two top 10 selections to the MLB Draft would be difficult for any pitching staff to replace. That challenge will be a reality for the Commodores in 2008 as they try to fill the void of starter David Price (No. 1 to Tampa Bay) and closer Casey Weathers (No. 8 to Colorado), who combined for a 23-3 record and posted earned run averages of 2.63 and 2.37, respectively. Their losses make the pitching staff the biggest question mark

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heading into the season.

“Pitching is tough to figure right now just because I don’t believe most people have defined roles,” Corbin said. “The roles in the middle and at the end are kind of undetermined at this point, but if you look at the pitching for what it is, I feel comfortable with it. We’ve got some good ability out there.”

Vanderbilt’s top returning starter is lefthanded sophomore All-American Mike Minor, who notched a 9-1 record last season to go along with a 3.09 earned run average. Also slated for the rotation are junior right-handers Nick Christiani and Brett Jacobson and redshirt freshman right-hander Caleb Cotham.

Jacobson posted a 6-3 record to go along with a 3.15 ERA last season, while Christiani finished 5-3 with a 4.11 ERA. “We’ve got three kids with a lot of experience that can start for anyone,” Corbin said. “We’ve got one kid (Cotham) who doesn’t have experience that’s been redshirted, but is very capable and pitched well last summer.”

The middle of the bullpen is as much of a mystery as any for the Commodores. Of the players listed on the depth chart, only sophomore left-hander Jason Cunningham threw a pitch for the Commodores last season and that was just 7.1 innings.

Also included on the depth chart are the likes of right-handers Steven Schwartz (redshirt junior), Taylor Hill (freshman), Chase Reid (freshman), Russell Brewer (redshirt freshman) and Jared Cohen (freshman) and left-handers Richie Goodenow (redshirt freshman), Sean Bierman (freshman), Ben Blanton (freshman) and Kellen St. Luce (freshman).

Competing to fill the closer’s role vacated by Weathers will be right-handers Mark Lamm (redshirt freshman) and Drew Hayes

Mike Minor

(sophomore). Both players will have a tall task to follow Weathers, who recorded seven saves on the season, while striking out 75 batters, and allowing just 25 hits.

With just one upperclassman listed on the depth chart in the bullpen, Corbin realizes how much uncertainty there is right now as to who will get the call early in the season.

“The unknowns are guys like (Steven) Schwartz who have played college baseball for three years but you’ve never seen him on our field,” Corbin said. “We’ve got a guy like (Mark) Lamm who pitched under a 2.00 ERA all summer and we’ve never seen on our field. We have SEC-type pitchers that haven’t pitched yet in the conference. I’d like to think that pitching in March would be a whole lot different than the pitching in April. These kids will get better day by day.” ■

2008 Preseason Depth Chart Left Field Parker Hanks -orJonathan White -orSteven Liddle

Third Base Pedro Alvarez Brian Harris Dominic de la Osa

Center Field David Macias Alex Hilliard

Shortstop Ryan Flaherty Brian Harris Gabe Ortiz

Middle Relief Steven Schwartz (RHP) Taylor Hill (RHP) Richie Goodenow (LHP) Jason Cunningham (LHP) Sean Bierman (LHP) Ben Blanton (LHP) Chase Reid (RHP) Russell Brewer (RHP) Kellen St. Luce (LHP) Jared Cohen (RHP)

Right Field Dominic de la Osa Joey Manning Jordan Wormsley

Second Base Alex Feinberg Brian Harris Starting Pitching Mike Minor (LHP) Brett Jacobson (RHP) Nick Christiani (RHP) Caleb Cotham (RHP)

Catcher Shea Robin Andrew Giobbi Curt Casali Drew Fann

Designated Hitter Andrew Giobbi Steven Liddle Jonathan White Parker Hanks

First Base Brad French Andrew Giobbi Steven Liddle Aaron Westlake Adam Cronk

Closer Mark Lamm (RHP) -orDrew Hayes (RHP)

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Quick Hits

Best Newcomer award.

WOMEN’S SPORTS

• Ten student-athletes had a GPA of 3.0 or

Basketball

over in the fall semester. Seven members of the team were named to the Dean’s List in the fall.

MEN’S SPORTS Baseball • Junior Pedro Alvarez (3B)

was named preseason Player of the Year by Collegiate Baseball.

• Senior outfielder Dominic de Tim Corbin la Osa and junior shortstop also earned honors from Collegiate Baseball. De la Osa and Alvarez were first team All-America selections, while Flaherty earned second team honors.

• For the first time, the baseball team posted a semester GPA of over 3.0 during the fall.

• The team had 20 student-athletes achieve a 3.0 during the fall with three earning Dean’s List status.

• In a 75-48 win over South Florida on Jan. 2, the Commodores outrebounded the Bulls by 35 — the largest margin during Melanie Balcomb’s Melanie Balcomb tenure.

• Sophomore Merideth Marsh scored a career-high 19 points against South Florida. Against South Florida and Princeton, Marsh made 9 of 11 threes.

• For the first time since the 2003-04 season, the Commodores have started two freshmen in a game. Appearing in the starting lineup have been Jence Rhoads and Hannah Tuomi.

• Vanderbilt finished the 2007 calendar year with a 5-5 record against top 10 opponents.

Football • Thirty-nine members of the

football team had a 3.0 GPA or higher during the fall semester.

• Eight members of the team Bobby achieved Dean’s List status Johnson in the fall.

• The team was one of just four teams to achieve a graduation rate of at least 90 percent or better for student-athletes who began school in the 2001-02 academic year.

• Wide receiver Earl Bennett became the first Commodore to declare early for the NFL Draft since Jovan Haye did so after the 2004 season.

Basketball • With a 97-73 win over Iona

on Dec. 31, the Commodores started the season 13-0 for the first time in school history.

The previoius record was a Kevin 12-0 start during the 2003-04 Stallings season.

• Senior Shan Foster notched a career-best eight three-pointers against UMass on Jan. 5.

• Vanderbilt scored at least 90 points in eight of 11 games from Nov. 24 to Jan. 5.

• Foster and freshman center A.J. Ogilvy swept the SEC Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week awards on Jan. 7.

By doing so, the duo became just the third teammates to do so and the first in school history to do so.

Men’s Golf

STEVE GREEN

• Sophomore Hudson Johnson and junior Jon Curran each finished in the top 10 at the 82nd annual New Year’s Invitational on Jan. 6.

Tom Johnson tied for third after Shaw at least sharing the lead for each of the first three rounds. Curran finished in seventh place.

• Also competing for Vanderbilt in the 117player field were seniors Billy Whalen and John Ebert. Whalen finished 28th and Ebert tied for 65th.

• Four members of the men’s golf team posted a 3.0 GPA or higher in the fall.

Merideth Marsh poured in a career-high 19 points and hit all five of her three-point attempts against South Florida on Jan. 2.

Tennis • The men’s tennis team opened the 2008 season against Michigan State on Jan. 27.

• The Commodores have sevIan en home matches during the Duvenhage month of February.

• Four student-athletes had a 3.0 GPA or higher in the fall. Two of those student-athletes achieved Dean’s List status.

Bowling • Nine student-athletes had a

DANIEL DUBOIS

3.0 GPA or higher during the fall semester.

• Five of the 10 members of the team achieved Dean’s John Williamson List status in the fall.

• Recent prep signee Brittni Hamilton of Webster, N.Y., was selected the Alberta E. Crowe Star of Tomorrow by the United States Bowling Congress. It is regarded as the highest honor that a junior bowler can be awarded.

Women’s Cross Country

A.J. Ogilvy won consecutive SEC Freshman of the Week honors in January.

• Rita Jorgensen received the

Men’s Cross Country the team’s Most Valuable Performer at the team’s postseason awards ceremony.

• Senior Rick Semones earned the Most Improved award and James Kasten won the

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PAUL J. LEVY

• Austin Williamson was named

Steve Keith

Ryan Preston is a two-time All-SEC selection.

team’s Most Valuable Performer award at the team’s postseason awards cerSteve emony.

Keith • Senior Amanda Grosse earned the Most Improved award, while Adrienne DiRaddo won the Best Newcomer award.

• Nineteen student-athletes achieved a GPA of 3.0 or higher during the fall semester.

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Lacrosse

Tennis

• Twenty

• Eight members of the team had a GPA of 3.0 or higher during the fall semester.

Geoff • Five student-ath- Macdonald letes achieved Dean’s List status in the fall.

• The Commodores earned a preseason ITA ranking of No. 16.

• Courtney Ulery, Catherine Newman and Amanda Taylor were each ranked in the preseason ITA singles rankings. Ulery was ranked No. 13, Newman was ranked No. 24 and Taylor was ranked No. 34.

• The team opened its 2008 season on Jan. 16 against Tennessee-Martin.

• Former Commodore Julie Ditty competed in her first grand slam singles event at the Australian Open.

studentathletes had a 3.0 GPA or higher during the fall semester.

Cathy Swezey • Seven members of the team achieved Dean’s List status in the fall.

• The team opens its season on Feb. 17 against Cincinnati.

Women’s Golf • Four student-athletes had a 3.0 GPA or higher during the fall semester.

• Three studentathletes made the Dean’s List in the fall.

Greg Allen

Soccer • Twelve members of the team had at least a 3.0 GPA during the fall semester.

Ronnie • Six members of Coveleskie the team made the Dean’s List in the fall.

COMMUNITY SERVICE SPOTLIGHT

CHRIS ROCKWELL men’s golf A sophomore on the men’s golf team, Rockwell is the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) representative for the men’s golf team. As the team’s SAAC representative, he is responsible for heading up the team’s community service effort and ensuring that everyone participates. Rockwell is a native of Owings Mills, Md., and is majoring in economics.

Why is it important for you to do community service?

I’ve always believed that to whom much is given, much is expected. I honestly believe that being born into a privileged lifestyle, you definitely have a responsibility to help out those who weren’t.

How good of a feeling is it when you are doing community service?

It is cool. Usually the things you are doing seem inconsequential, but you can tell to the people you are helping out that it really means a lot. You’d be surprised by how much of a difference you can make.

Swimming

PAUL J. LEVY

• The Vanderbilt swimming and diving team hosted Miami on Jan. 11 for its first Jeremy home meet since Organ the program was reinstated in 2006.

• The last time Vanderbilt had hosted a swim meet was Jan. 24, 1992, at the Memorial Gym Pool.

• Leigh-Ann Axt won her 12th individual race of the season with a time of 57.94 in the 100-yard butterfly.

• Seventeen student-athletes had at least a 3.0 GPA during the fall semester.

• Eight student-athletes made the Dean’s List in the fall, while one had a 4.0 GPA.

Taka Bertrand was the SEC Player of the Year in 2006.

STEVE GREEN

Track and Field

Leigh-Ann Axt won the 100-yard butterfly against Miami.

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• Seven student-athletes had a 3.0 GPA or higher during the fall semester.

• Five student-athD’Andre letes achieved Hill Dean’s List status in the fall.

• The Commodores opened the season at the Kentucky Invitational.

• The top performances came in the 3000-meter run as Kristabel Doebel-Hickok and Adrienne Diraddo placed 12th and 14th, respectively. In the same event, Val Kazmer finished 21st.

• Freshman Sheri Sullivan placed 13th in the long jump with a leap of 17’5.25.

How much does community service make you realize how fortunate you are?

It definitely does. It goes back to being born into a privileged position. You are at Vanderbilt, you are hanging out there with your teammates and you don’t realize that we are the luckiest ones and are a small percentage.

The golf team has visited the Children’s Hospital a few times during the fall, what does the team do when they are there?

They have a game room setup and the kids are free to come in and play with us and take their mind off their condition. It is really up to (the kids) as to what we do.

They know who we are. It is pretty cool to most of them.

We bring posters and sign them. Some kids request all of our signatures on a T-shirt so some of them think it is pretty cool.

Did you have experience with community service in high school?

I did community service, but not in a leadership role. My high school required 50 hours of community service to graduate. I worked at a soup kitchen homeless shelter called Paul’s Place in Baltimore City.

What is your main role as the SAAC representative for the men’s golf team?

We meet every other Monday, and the main focus of the meeting is community service. For any community service projects that are brought up, it is my responsibility to inform the team and to organize from within.

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DANIEL DUBOIS

Seniors Propel Vanderbilt On And Off The Court n an era of college basketball where a player’s stay in the college ranks often is just long enough for a cup of tea, it is becoming more and more difficult to find senior-laden teams that compete in a major conference.

Undoubtedly, that inexperience has made March Madness even more maddening in recent years with more experienced mid-majors knocking off inexperienced teams from traditional power conferences.

And while the college basketball landscape seems to get younger and younger each and every year, Vanderbilt’s 2007-08 team has become more of an anomaly than the norm with four seniors playing significant minutes.

Just having four seniors on a roster alone has become even a bit of a rarity. Take the SEC for example where seven of the 12 teams have two or fewer seniors on their roster. In fact, three schools, Florida, LSU and South Carolina have no more than one senior on its roster.

Comprised of guards Alex Gordon and Shan Foster and post players Alan Metcalfe and Ross Neltner, Vanderbilt’s senior class has played an integral role in Vanderbilt getting off to the best start in school history.

“I think our start speaks a lot to the character of our team and our seniors,” Gordon said. “Last year, we had some seniors step up and have a good final year, and I think our senior class wanted to come out and do the same thing because we saw what the results were.”

Coming off a Sweet 16 appearance in 2007, the senior class took on the task of having to lead a team that includes nine freshmen.

“I think that experience is the best teacher, and we have a great deal of experience here to teach some of our younger guys what that level of expectation is,” Foster said. “We’ve done a good job of relaying it to those guys, and they’ve responded well.”

The senior class also has brought the freshman class along by uniting the team as one as opposed to separating the upperclassmen and underclassmen.

“Right now, I don’t even think we have any freshmen because everyone is playing minutes,” Metcalfe said. “We are trying not to distinguish between upperclassmen and underclassmen because

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if we keep talking to them like they are freshmen, they might get that mindset that they might not have to do this or that.”

While the way the seniors have helped the freshmen grow has been important, it has been their leadership and experience that has helped the Commodores overcome adversity such as at DePaul when the Commodores trailed by 18 with 14:35 to play.

“I think (having senior leadership) is one of the big things with our success because when we were down at DePaul by 18, we all had that belief that this whole team can come together,” Metcalfe said.

Foster concurs that having the experience of playing in all sorts of situations has allowed Vanderbilt to overcome many obstacles.

“Being a senior having played four years, there is a great deal of confidence knowing you can overcome anything,” Foster said.

“There isn’t going to be anything that you haven’t seen before, so that gives you great confidence knowing you can go out there and get it done no matter what the challenge is.”

In addition to the experience of playing together for an extended period of time, part of the chemistry the seniors have on the court can be attributed to their relationship off it.

“We are very tight,” Foster said. “We spend a lot of time together off the court. We all know pretty much everything there is to know about each other.”

While all of the aforementioned factors have contributed to Vanderbilt’s record-setting start, the bottom line is that the Commodores would not have gotten off to such a strong start without the production the class has provided. Vanderbilt along with Arkansas are the only schools in the SEC with four seniors who average more than 15 minutes per game.

Although there still is a lot of basketball to be played this season, Gordon wants this senior class to leave a lasting mark on the program.

“I want our senior class to be remembered as the class that did something that hasn’t been done in the past at Vanderbilt,” Gordon said. ■ Above photo left to right: Shan Foster, Ross Neltner, Alan Metcalfe and Alex Gordon comprise Vanderbilt’s senior class.

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Vanderbilt Winter/Spring Sports Calendar MEN’S SPORTS Baseball Date

Opponent

2.22 2.23 2.24 2.27 2.29 3.1 3.2 3.4 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 3.11 3.12 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.19 3.21 3.22 3.23 3.25 3.26 3.28 3.29 3.30 4.2 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.8 4.9 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.15 4.16 4.18 4.19 4.20 4.22 4.23 4.25 4.26 4.27 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.6 5.7 5.9 5.10 5.11 5.15 5.16 5.17 5.21-25 5.30-6.2 6.6-9 6.14-25

vs. Oregon State (Tempe, Ariz.) at Arizona State vs. Miami (Ohio) (Tempe, Ariz.)

Evansville Kansas (Music City Classic) Iowa (Music City Classic) Xavier (Music City Classic) Louisville Illinois-Chicago Illinois-Chicago Illinois-Chicago Illinois-Chicago Western Carolina Western Carolina South Carolina South Carolina South Carolina Lipscomb at Alabama at Alabama at Alabama Belmont Middle Tennessee State Arkansas Arkansas Arkansas at Middle Tennessee State at Ole Miss at Ole Miss at Ole Miss Western Kentucky Austin Peay at Mississippi State at Mississippi State at Mississippi State at Lipscomb at Western Kentucky Auburn Auburn Auburn at Austin Peay at Belmont Kentucky Kentucky Kentucky at Tennessee at Tennessee at Tennessee vs. Memphis (Jackson, Tenn.)

Tennessee Tech Georgia Georgia Georgia at Florida at Florida at Florida at SEC Tournament (Hoover, Ala.) NCAA Regionals NCAA Super Regionals at College World Series (Omaha, Neb.)

Result TBA TBA TBA 4pm 4pm 4pm 4pm 4pm 4pm 4pm 2pm 1pm 4pm 4pm 6pm 2pm 1pm 6pm 6:30pm 4pm 2pm 6pm 6pm 6pm 3pm 1pm 6pm 6:30pm 4pm 1:30pm 6pm 6pm 6:30pm 2pm 1:30pm 6pm TBA 6pm 2pm 1pm 6pm 6pm 6pm 2pm 1pm 6pm 3pm 1pm 6:30pm 6pm 6pm 2pm 1pm 5:30pm 5:30pm 3pm TBA TBA TBA TBA

Basketball Date

Opponent

11.5 11.10 11.13 11.20 11.23 11.24 11.29 12.1 12.5 12.8 12.12 12.22 12.29 12.31 1.3 1.5 1.9 1.12 1.17 1.19 1.27 1.30 2.2 2.6 2.9

Tusculum (Exhibition) W, 80-79 Austin Peay W, 81-67 at Toledo W, 77-70 Valparaiso W, 87-78 vs. Utah State (South Padre Island) W, 77-56 vs. Bradley (South Padre Island) W, 95-86 South Alabama W, 91-88 (2OT) Georgia Tech W, 92-79 Wake Forest W, 83-80 Lipscomb W, 90-67 at DePaul W, 91-85 (OT) Tennessee State W, 83-74 Tennessee-Martin W, 92-85 Iona W, 97-73 Rice W, 76-58 UMASS W, 97-88 South Carolina W, 80-73 at Kentucky L, 73-79 (20T) at Tennessee L, 60-80 LSU W, 92-76 at Florida 12pm at Ole Miss 7pm Auburn 4pm at Georgia 6:30pm at South Carolina 4pm

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Result

2.12 2.16 2.23 2.26 3.1 3.5 3.8 3.13-16

Kentucky Florida Georgia Tennessee at Arkansas Mississippi State at Alabama at SEC Tournament (Atlanta)

8pm 2pm 3pm 8pm 3pm 7pm 6pm TBA

Women’s Golf Date

Opponent

Result

2.25-27 3.9-11 3.21-23 4.4-6 4.18-20

at Arizona Wildcat Invitational at UCF Challenge at Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic at Ping ASU Invitational at SEC Championships (Loudon, Tenn.)

All Day All Day All Day All Day All Day

Lacrosse

Men’s Golf Date

Opponent

Result

Date

Opponent

2.17-19 3.2-4 3.14-15 3.28-30 4.6-8 4.18-20

at John Hayt Collegiate Inv. at Seminole Intercollegiate Kauai Collegiate Cup at Furman Intercollegiate at The Reunion at SEC Championships (Sea Island, Ga.)

All Day All Day All Day All Day All Day All Day

2.17 2.22 2.24 3.1 3.4 3.8 3.12 3.15 3.17 3.23 3.30 4.6 4.11 4.13 4.16 4.20 5.2 5.3 5.11-25

Cincinnati at UMBC at Lehigh Duquesne Virginia Tech at North Carolina Boston University New Hampshire Cornell Penn State at Northwestern at Johns Hopkins Ohio State at Albany (NY) at Notre Dame Duke ALC Tournament Semifinals ALC Tournament Championship NCAA Tournament

Men’s Tennis Date

Opponent

1.27 2.2 2.3 2.7 2.9 2.10 2.16 2.17 2.24 2.29 3.2 3.4 3.7 3.9 3.21 3.23 3.28 3.30 4.4 4.6 4.12 4.17-20

Michigan State 11am Samford 1pm Memphis 1pm New Mexico 2pm vs. North Carolina State (Ann Arbor, Mich.)

1pm at Michigan 11am Belmont 9am Wisconsin 1pm Middle Tennessee State 11am Florida 2pm South Carolina 1pm at Northwestern 7pm at Arkansas 1pm at LSU TBA at Auburn 1:30pm Alabama 1pm Ole Miss 2pm Mississippi State 1pm at Tennessee 3pm at Georgia 12pm at Kentucky 12pm at SEC Tournament TBA

Result

WOMEN’S SPORTS

Result 1pm 3pm 11am 1pm 1pm 11am 5pm 1pm 3pm 12pm 1pm 12pm 4pm 11am 3:30pm 1pm TBA TBA TBA

Swimming Date

Opponent

10.13 10.19 10.20 11.2 11.10 11.16-18 1.11 1.19 1.26 2.20-23 3.1

at Southern Illinois L, 75-151 at North Florida L, 69-162 at Georgia Southern L, 89-120 at Alabama/LSU L, 49-240/L, 48-245 at Marshall L, 59-179 at Western Kentucky Inv. 3rd (456) Miami (Fla.) L, 74-186 at Arkansas L, 38-195 at Georgia Tech/Emory All Day at SEC Championships (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) All Day at Last Chance Meet All Day

Result

Women’s Tennis

Basketball Date

Opponent

10.31 11.5 11.9 11.11 11.14 11.20 11.23 11.25 11.28 12.1 12.2 12.6 12.9 12.22 12.30 1.2 1.5 1.10 1.13 1.17 1.20 1.27 1.31 2.3 2.7 2.10 2.14 2.17 2.21 2.28 3.2 3.6-9

Cumberland (Exhibition) W, 104-43 Anderson College (Exhibition) W, 76-41 UAB W, 92-51 Furman W, 68-51 at Indiana State L, 72-77 (OT) at Clemson W, 74-56 Belmont (VU Thanksgiving Tourn.)

W, 104-43 Iowa State (VU Thanksgiving Tourn.)

W, 62-53 Duke W, 68-55 vs. St. Mary’s (Berkeley, Calif.)

W, 90-69 at California L, 59-67 Western Kentucky W, 75-54 Colorado L, 51-62 Lipscomb W, 92-37 Old Dominion L, 65-80 South Florida W, 75-48 at Princeton W, 81-48 Mississippi State W, 72-50 at LSU L, 51-62 Georgia W, 67-59 at Tennessee L, 63-79 Ole Miss 2pm at Florida 6pm at Georgia 1:30pm South Carolina 7pm at Alabama 2pm Kentucky 7pm Tennessee 2:30pm at Arkansas 7pm at Auburn 8pm Alabama 2pm at SEC Tournament (Nashville) TBA

Result

Bowling Date

Opponent

Result

1.18 1.19-20 2.1-3 2.16-17 3.1-2 3.15-16

at Central Region Duals at Greater Ozark Invitational at Lady Indian Invitational at Morgan State Invitational at Holiday Classic Columbia 300 Music City Classic

4-1 4th All Day All Day All Day All Day

Date

Opponent

1.16 1.18 1.20 1.25 1.26 2.16 2.20 2.29 3.2 3.5 3.7 3.9 3.11 3.13 3.21 3.23 3.28 3.30 4.4 4.6 4.12 4.17-20

Tennessee-Martin at New Mexico vs. Colorado (Albuquerque, N.M.) Michigan Notre Dame East Tennessee State Middle Tennessee State at Florida at South Carolina at Georgia Tech Arkansas LSU Florida International Furman Auburn at Alabama at Ole Miss at Mississippi State Tennessee Georgia Kentucky at SEC Tournament (Auburn, Ala.)

Result W, 7-0 W, 5-2 W, 7-0 2:30pm 12pm 2:30pm 2:30pm 4pm 12pm 1:30pm 2:30pm 12pm 2:30pm 2:30pm 2:30pm 1pm 4pm 1pm 2:30pm 12pm 2:30pm All Day

Track and Field Date

Opponent

Result

1.11-12 1.18 1.25-26 1.31 2.8-9 2.15-16

at Kentucky Invitational at Big 10/SEC Challenge at Middle Tennessee State Classic at LSU Combined Events at Meyo Invitational at Tiger Invitational at Tyson Invitational at SEC Indoor Championships at Last Chance Meet at Yellow Jacket Invitational at Stanford Invitational at Tiger Track Classic at Sea Ray Relays Vanderbilt Invitational at Drake Relays at Ole Miss Invitational at SEC Outdoor Championships

All Day All Day All Day All Day All Day All Day All Day All Day All Day All Day All Day All Day All Day All Day All Day All Day All Day

2.29-3.1 3.3-7 3.28-29 4.3-5 4.10-12 4.18-19 4.24-26 5.3 5.15-17

F E B R U A RY 2 0 0 8

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