March/April 2017 Commodore Nation

March/April 2017

CELEBRATING, EDUCATING Vanderbilt Athletics hosts historic Equality Weekend

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CONTENTS P.8

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Athletics hosts historic Equality Weekend

Young alum helps plan for future of Vanderbilt Athletics

Special jerseys are just one aspect of emotionally charged event

Through her planned gift, Ann Hollis is helping ensure that the student-atheletes who come after her will continue to excel

P.15 White finds new challenges, new approach at college level Former WNBA coach reflects on first season at Vanderbilt

P.12

P.2

P.24

More than just a fan

Compliance Corner

My Game

Audrey Williams “joins” team

P.3

Kayla Peterson

National Commodore Club

P.7 Inside McGugin

P.23 My Take Zac Ellis’s monthly column

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Inside McGugin

2017 Baseball Schedule March

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JOE HOWELL

enior Luke Kornet was named a secondteam Academic All-American by the College Sports Information Directors of America for his outstanding work on the court and in the classroom.

Kornet—who entered the final week of the season averaging 13.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game—has a 3.71 cumulative grade point average and is majoring in engineering, computer science, and mathematics.

The senior from Lantana, Texas, is the first Commodore men’s basketball player since 1996 to make CoSIDA’s first or second team Academic All-American list.

Only four previous Vanderbilt MBB members had earned the honor. They were: Jeff Fosnes (1st team, 1975, 1976), Bruce Elder (2nd team, 1992; 1st team, 1993), Steve Grant (2nd team, 1991), and Frank Seckar (2nd team, 1996).

(above) Luke Kornet is a second-generation basketball star for the Commodores. His dad, Frank, played at Vanderbilt in the 1980s.

Football Team Springs into Action: With excitement and optimism, the Vanderbilt football team opened Spring practice in late February.

The Commodores—who earned a trip to the Camping World Independence Bowl in December after posting a 6-6 regular-season record in 2016—have 42 letterwinners returning for the 2017 season. The list includes 18 starters (nine offense, seven defense, two specialists) and a total of 24 players who started multiple games in 2016.

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1 ...................................... SE Louisiana 3-5............................Cal St. Northridge 7-8............................. Central Arkansas 8-11........................................ St. Mary’s 14............................Western Kentucky 17-19...................................................@ Ole Miss 21 .......................................................@ Belmont 24-26...................................Texas A&M 28 .................................................... @ Lipscomb 31 ..................................................... @ Kentucky

April The featured event of the Commodores’ Spring Camp will be a “Spring Showcase” scrimmage on Saturday, March 25, at 10 a.m. in Vanderbilt Stadium. The Showcase, free to Commodore fans, will feature a post-scrimmage autograph session with Vanderbilt players.

Head coach Derek Mason and the Commodores closed the 2016 regular season with backto-back SEC wins over Ole Miss and Tennessee to earn their bowl invite.

Webb part of NCAA Voting Process: Marqu’es Webb, a senior on the women’s basketball team, was selected to be one of three student-athletes to represent the SEC at the recent NCAA Convention in Nashville. She was picked for the role after being elected by her peers as the chair of the SEC’s first-ever Leadership Council.

At the NCAA conference, Webb was able to be involved in the legislative process and voted on numerous topics surrounding the NCAA. “It was definitely a major honor,” said Webb.

“I thought it was a great idea that the NCAA allowed the student-athletes to have input on things (were being voted on) that will affect student-athletes. … Being a voice for studentathletes was the most important thing about this role for me, just being a positive voice.”

Webb, a four-year starter for the Commodores, represented the SEC as part of the Autonomy Conferences’ (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac 12, SEC) efforts to engage and empower student-athletes by giving them a vote within a transparent decision-making process.

Webb, a senior from Montgomery, Ala., is majoring in sociology with a minor in corporate strategy. She has been on the Dean’s List at Vanderbilt and is a two-time recipient of the Women’s Basketball Most Improved Academic Award. n

1-2.................................................... @ Kentucky 4 ...........................................UT Martin 6-8........................................@ South Carolina 11 .................................Tennessee Tech 13-15...........................................Florida 18 .............................................................@ MTSU 21-23.................................................. @ Georgia 28-30....................................Tennessee

May 2 ........................................Austin Peay 5-7............................................ Missouri 9 ..................................................... @ Louisville 12-14................................................@ Arkansas 16.................................................. MTSU 18-20.......................................Alabama

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EMBRACING

EQUALITY Vanderbilt Athletics honors 21 civil rights trailblazers during historic weekend

By Zac Ellis

T

Vanderbilt’s Perry Wallace and Godfrey Dillard breaking the color barrier in SEC basketball.

The university recognized each honoree and/ or his or her family with events surrounding both basketball games at Memorial Gym. The weekend culminated with a surprise: The Commodores unveiled special Nike uniforms created exclusively for Equality Weekend.

“Black History Month comes every year, and like so many other holidays, we get lost in the concept of just celebrating,” said Vice Chancellor for Athlet-

ics and University Affairs and Athletics Director David Williams II. “We took the position of saying we were going to celebrate, but we were also going to honor and we were going to educate.”

Each uniform featured the name of a different civil rights figure on the back, and student-athletes were tasked with learning the history of their respective honoree. Many Vanderbilt student-athletes viewed Equality Weekend as an opportunity unique to the Commodore experience.

JOE HOWELL

he name on the front of the jersey is usually most important when it comes to sports. But on the weekend of Feb. 18 at Vanderbilt University, the name on the back of the jersey took center stage.

Vanderbilt hosted a historic event by honoring 21 of Nashville’s leading civil rights figures during Equality Weekend, part of men’s and women’s basketball games on Feb. 18 and 19. The festivities recognized those who fought for social equality in the South, as well as the 50th anniversary of

STEVE GREEN

Members of the Vanderbilt men’s basketball team and coaching staff gather with many of the honorees who were recognized during the special Equality Weekend hosted by Vanderbilt Athletics. (Left) Godfrey Dillard shakes hands with Vice Chancellor for Athletics and University Affairs and Athletics Director David Williams II.

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STEVE GREEN

The Vanderbilt women’s basketball team, wearing special jerseys, celebrate with fans after defeating Ole Miss during Equality Weekend at Memorial Gym.

“I think anytime you can give thanks and acknowledge those who paved the way for you, it’s just a good opportunity to say thank you,” junior forward Jeff Roberson said. “It kind of reminds you that you’re still building on what they started.”

The list of 21 individuals recognized included a civil rights attorney, a newspaper reporter, a former state senator, a former Chief Justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court and many more historic figures. Though Wallace was unable to attend, Dillard took special pride in returning

to Vanderbilt, where he was a pioneer in the evolving landscape of SEC basketball. Dillard was presented the Perry Wallace Courage Award during the weekend’s festivities “The fact that you see sports in America today, and at Vanderbilt today, cosigning and vindicating those values that I had, it makes me feel very good and proud,” Dillard said. “I’m very happy to see what I’ve seen across this country when it comes to sports, because the environment Perry and I experienced was a much, much darker environment than what it is now.”

Certain honorees were represented by family members. Dr. Andre. L. Churchwell, senior associate dean for diversity affairs at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, represented his late father, Robert Churchwell, during the festivities.

The elder Churchwell was a pioneer of AfricanAmerican journalism as one of the first black reporters to work full-time at a white, Southern newspaper, The Nashville Banner. Churchwell, a Fisk University graduate who died in 2009, was named a charter member of the National Association of Black Journalists in 1994. He was later inducted into the association’s regional Hall of Fame.

The younger Churchwell, a 1975 graduate of the Vanderbilt School of Engineering, described the opportunity to represent his father as “powerful” amid an emotional environment at Memorial Gym. “It’s a great day when Nashville, and more importantly Vanderbilt—such a magnificent international university sitting in the middle of this cauldron—reaches out and acknowledges African Americans who pushed civil rights forward for the whole city,” Churchwell said.

“Despite whatever challenges we still face in the country around race, we’ve come a mighty long way.”

Basketball coaches Bryce Drew and Stephanie White saw Equality Weekend as a chance to teach student-athletes the importance of their own history, particularly in the South.

“For our student-athletes to learn about the civil rights movement in Nashville is truly an honor, and we are so grateful to be a part of it,”

(Left): Honoree George Barrett was represented by his granddaughter, Elizabeth Brewer, left, and his daughter, Lucy Barrett Thomason, right. They are joined here by Associate Vice Chancellor for University Affairs and Deputy AD Candice Lee. (Right): Luke Kornet (from left), Jeff Roberson and Riley LaChance celebrate during Vanderbilt’s win over South Carolina during Equality Weekend.

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JOE HOWELL

STEVE GREEN

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Civil Rights Trailblazers George Barrett Mary Frances Berry Adolpho Birch Jr. Robert Churchwell Godfrey Dillard STEVE GREEN

Vanderbilt junior Christa Reed greets Alice Smith Risby, wife of honoree Rev. Kelly Miller Smith, during pregame introductions.

White said. “Everything that we do, day in and day out as coaches and teachers and leaders, is to prepare future leaders.”

Senior forward Marqu’es Webb said she felt a sense of responsibility in her role as a student-athlete on Equality Weekend. Webb routinely notices younger fans who venture to Memorial Gym, a group that often views the Commodores as largerthan-life figures. Webb said she considers that burden each time she suits up in black and gold.

Coyness Ennix Francis Guess Thelma Harper

With Equality Weekend, Webb and her teammates embraced the chance to represent something bigger than themselves.

“I think that’s a really, really, really big part of it,” Webb said. “Just the example we can set for future generations and how we want this country to be and how we want society to be based on how we treat each other. Sports can be the perfect platform for so much diversity and so much equality.” n

Joseph Johnson James Lawson Ed Martin Leatrice McKissack Walter Murray

(Below) Jessie Wallace Jackson, sister of Perry Wallace, and Willie Sweet, Perry Wallace’s nephew, wave to the crowd during the emotionally charged weekend.

JOE HOWELL

Betty Nixon Rosetta Miller-Perry Dorothy Phillips Richard and Gertrude Rempfer John Seigenthaler Kelly Miller Smith Ed Temple Perry Wallace

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BACK TO THE BASICS FOR WHITE First-year Vanderbilt coach adjusts to college game after WNBA stint

By Zac Ellis

W

STEVE GEEEN

hen Stephanie White officially accepted the head-coaching job at Vanderbilt last May, it didn’t take long for her to recalibrate her priorities. White, a former WNBA coach, suddenly found herself in charge of a college program. That meant one thing: more teaching.

“It became more about having patience,” White said. “It became about the basics and teaching the fundamentals of how we want to do things.”

On March 1, White ended her first season at Vanderbilt with a 77-57 loss to Alabama in the SEC Tournament in Greenville. Five true freshmen played significant minutes during White’s first campaign, a stark contrast to the experience that defined the coach’s stint in the WNBA. White had been no stranger to managing All-Stars in the midst of 10-year professional careers.

Now she was teaching players how to incorporate fundamentals alongside an academic schedule.

But a chance to teach is one reason why White returned to the college game at Vanderbilt. It’s also why she loves coming to work each day on West End. “The day that everything clicks, and being able to see the progression, it’s special, no question,” White said. “There is something special about getting back to the basics and seeing daily progression. It’s rewarding.”

Prior to Vanderbilt, White had coached in the WNBA since 2007, when she joined the Chicago Sky as an assistant. In 2011 she became an assistant with the Indiana Fever and eventually moved up to head coach in 2015. That year, White became the first rookie head coach to take a team to the WNBA Finals, and last season she led the Fever back to the playoffs.

During that span, White notably coached Tamika Catchings, a 10-time WNBA All-Star, a WNBA champion and a WNBA Finals MVP. Coaching one of the greatest women’s basketball players in history is one thing. But White said helping a freshman adjust to the rigors of college basketball is a different skillset entirely.

Stephanie White recently completed her first season at Vanderbilt after spending the previous two seasons as head coach of the WNBA’s Indiana Fever.

JOHN RUSSELL

Stephanie White chats with Erin Whalen during a game. Whalen was one of five freshmen on the roster who played a prominent role this season.

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“These days I have to pull back on the reins a little bit and say, hey, we have to establish our foundation first,” White said. “We can’t skip steps in this process.”

This season White often harkened back to her previous experience as a college coach. Prior to her WNBA stint, White served as an assistant at Toledo (2005-07), Kansas State (2004-05) and Ball State (2003-04). Plus, White was once a stellar college player herself; she earned national Player of the Year honors at Purdue after leading the Boilermakers to the NCAA championship as a senior in 1999.

White said she recalls how transformational college can be for a student-athlete, on and off the court. That’s now one of her favorite parts of her job at Vanderbilt.

“One of the things that really brought me back to college coaching is being able to make an impact on a bigger level,” White said. “You can do that in the pros, but those players are often grown. In the college game, you get kids who are turning into young women. You can make an impact on several different levels.”

White’s players have felt the impact of a coach who has experienced different levels of basketball. Minta Spears, a departing senior who transferred from Texas Tech in 2015, played for four different college coaches during her winding college career. Following Vanderbilt’s loss in the SEC Tournament, Spears said the ‘Dores have a bright future under White.

“We were talking in the locker room about how I’ve obviously had a lot of experience with different coaches,” Spears said. “But this coaching staff is so great. I believe in what they’re doing wholeheartedly.”

With one season under her belt at Vanderbilt, White likes what the future holds for the Commodores. Her staff will spend the offseason making up for the loss of seniors Spears and Marqu’es Webb. But the return of five impactful freshmen could help the ‘Dores take a step forward next year.

And just like her freshmen, White used her first season on campus as a learning experience.

“This season, I learned how much I have to get back to basics,” she said.

“I learned how different practice-planning must be. Have I learned it well enough? I don’t know. But I’ve learned the way I want to approach the summer and the offseason.

“I’m excited that we’ll have a year of understanding what we want out of our system. We might not be there yet, but hopefully we’re getting closer to where we want to be.” n

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More than just a fan, Williams “joins” team

The members of the Vanderbilt swim team gather with Audrey Williams (front row, second from left) during a recent meet. Partnering with Team IMPACT, the swim team has made Williams an honorary member of the team, and she attends practices and meets.

By Zac Ellis

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the team such as Audrey,” said Organ. “It gives the team an opportunity to go out and do special things with Audrey. We have only been a part of this for over a month now, but the feedback has been terrific.”

To recognize Williams, Vanderbilt partnered with Team IMPACT, a Boston-based nonprofit organization that works to improve the quality of life for children facing life-threatening and chronic illness. Team IMPACT matches kids with college

JOE HOWELL

he spotlight was bright, but Audrey Williams handled it like a champ.

On Feb. 4, Williams sat at a table in the Hendrix Room of Vanderbilt’s McGugin Center.

Members of the Commodores’ women’s swim team filled rows of seats in front of Williams, who was joined at the table by her mother, Mary Anne, Vanderbilt head swim coach Jeremy Organ and assistant coach Caitlin Geary.

In a press conference format, Commodore swimmers peppered Williams with playful inquiries. What is your favorite color? Who is your role model? What is your favorite animal? And Williams, a uniquely brave 12-year-old, answered each with poise.

Vanderbilt hosted the press conference to honor Williams, who in 2014 was diagnosed with a brain tumor called oliodendroglioma. Since then, Williams has undergone three surgeries, radiation and chemotherapy as she battles the disease.

But on Feb. 4, she officially became a big part of the Commodore family by signing her “Letter of Intent” to join the Vanderbilt swim program.

“This is such a great opportunity for our girls to give back and have somebody involved with

Head coach Jeremy Organ signs the paperwork during a press conference for team’s newest member, Audrey Williams.

athletic programs, and since 2011 they have matched more than 1,100 children with more than 450 universities.

Since partnering with Team IMPACT, Williams has attended Vanderbilt swim meets, practices and “Starbucks dates” as an honorary member of the team. But her presence became more official at her Signing Day ceremony. Williams, sporting a T-shirt embossed with a Star V, put pen to paper as member of the Vanderbilt swim team. Organ announced Williams as the newest member of the program as the crowd erupted in applause.

Williams then enjoyed some cake with her new teammates before heading over to Memorial Gym, where Vanderbilt faced Ole Miss in men’s basketball.

Junior Kara Lucenti said Williams has been— and always will be—a special part of the Vanderbilt family.

“Audrey’s positivity and her work ethic have really rubbed off on the team,” Lucenti said.

“Everybody here can’t help but smile whenever we’re around her. She’s a huge influence on all of us, and we can’t wait to see what else she does on the team.” n

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Young alumna helps plan for the future of Vanderbilt Athletics

By Sara Wolf

A

nn Hollis, BA’07, is a member of that diehard breed of Vanderbilt fans: the ones who bleed black and gold, the ones who never miss a game, the ones who know the generations of Commodore athletes who came before them. Through her planned gift to Vanderbilt Athletics, Hollis is helping to ensure that the student-athletes who come after her will continue to excel.

The motivation for her gift reaches back to her early childhood, when her family would drive an hour from Murfreesboro to attend Vanderbilt basketball games. “I was coming to games and sitting in 3F by the time I could walk,” said Hollis.

“Being in Memorial Gym and watching players like Ronnie McMahan sink three pointers was what we did as a family. It was and is something we all enjoy together.”

When it came time to apply to college, Hollis was focused. “My dad [William A. Hollis, DDS, BA’75] asked me where I was interested in looking. I looked at him in confusion, confidently stat-

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ing ‘Vanderbilt.’” The years of attending football, baseball and basketball games had left a strong impression on Hollis, and she knew she wanted to be a Commodore herself.

Athletics was an integral part of Hollis’ student experience, even though she was not a studentathlete. While she pursued a degree in economics in the College of Arts and Science, Hollis would attend all the games she could—watching the likes of superstars Jay Cutler, Earl Bennett and David Price. As a student, she gained a whole new appreciation for the demands of SEC athletes in a rigorous academic environment.

Not surprisingly, Hollis has remained an avid fan. She traveled to Omaha for the College World Series twice, and called the 2014 Championship win “one of my very top moments as a Vanderbilt fan.”

As a financial adviser, Hollis knew that Vanderbilt Athletics would always factor into her estate plans. Using proceeds from a life insurance policy, Hollis will establish the Ann W.

Hollis Athletic Scholarship to provide support for student-athletes in the future. “As much satisfaction as this university has given to me, paying it forward through this gift is the least I can do,” said Hollis. “Athletics is so important to bringing attention to Vanderbilt and to shining the light on all the incredible things that happen here. I’m incredibly proud that Vanderbilt does athletics the right way.”

“Ann is a huge part of the Vanderbilt Athletics community,” said Mark Carter, executive director of the National Commodore Club. “We’re so thankful for her generosity and her dedication to Vanderbilt.”

Hollis is still a regular at Memorial Gym and Dudley Field, and she’s developed some new sports interests as of late: she’s engaged to Donnie Young, assistant coach of the women’s track team. After Young first noticed Hollis’ frequent posts about Vanderbilt Athletics on social media, the pair finally met and are now planning an August wedding. ■

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JIM MCKEE, BA’60 Yearbook entry: Quarterback, pitcher, Cadet Commander, Sigma Chi LinkedIn profile: 1st Lt., 101st Airborne, First Tennessee Bank, cofounder of Data Communications and of Online Computing Inc. Item checked off bucket list: World travel and winning seven national handball championships Jim’s plan for Vanderbilt: Repay the university for his education by establishing as many scholarships benefiting student-athletes as possible through planned gifts.

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RECAP

My Take

By Zac Ellis

Indoor Track: SEC Championships

T

E

he members of the Vanderbilt track and field team didn’t

arlier this year, Vanderbilt offered a unique opportunity for its student-athletes during the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. It was one the group won’t soon forget.

On Jan. 16, the university sponsored a day trip to Washington, D.C., for 28 student-athletes. They spent the day touring the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), one of the Smithsonian’s newest attractions. The group, which also included coaches and administrators, later enjoyed a guided bus tour of the capital’s other monuments and memorials before returning to Nashville.

I was fortunate enough to tag along on the trip, an idea cultivated by Vanderbilt’s vice chancellor for athletics and university affairs David Williams II. Williams and his wife, Gail, are charter members of the NMAAHC and attended its opening in Sept. 2016. In shadowing the Commodores in D.C., I witnessed a group exposed to the depths of history in a firstperson manner.

“This is the best way for them to be educated,” Williams said.

We began our day with a 4 a.m. departure from Vanderbilt’s McGugin Center. A chartered flight shuttled our group from Nashville to Washington’s Dulles International Airport, after which we arrived at the NMAAHC to a private tour of the museum. A guide began the tour in the Slavery and Freedom exhibit, a complex account of one of the darkest periods

travel to the SEC Indoor Championships this season.

JOE HOWELL

Instead, the SEC came to them.

For the first time in school history, Vanderbilt hosted the SEC Indoor Track & Field Championships at the Multipurpose Facility, with the twoday meet being held Feb. 24-25.

The meet brought in some of the world’s top athletes, including 15 Olympians who competed in the 2016 Rio Games, as well as 15 men’s and women’s track programs that were ranked in the USTFCCCA’s top 25 poll.

Arkansas claimed repeat titles in both the men’s and women’s divisions with 98 and 106.5 points, respectively. The Razorback men edged Alabama (93), Texas A&M (76), Florida (76) and Ole Miss (76), while the women topped runner-up LSU (94) and third-place finisher Kentucky (72).

A total of 19 facility records were set over the course of the two-day meet.

Seven performances at the meet ranked first in the NCAA for the 2017 season heading into the National Championships, including Georgia’s triple jumper Keturah Orji, who not only set an all-time NCAA record, but also set the American track and field record with a leap of 46’11.75”.

Vanderbilt athletes also impressed at the SEC Championships. Seniors Sarah Bell (pole vault) and Simone Charley (triple jump) both set school records in their respective events and qualified for the NCAA National Championships. Bell finished sixth overall at the meet with a vault of 13'11.25",and Charley’s leap of 44’5.25” clinched her third consecutive appearance in the National Championship meet, where she earned First Team All-American honors a year ago. Courtney Clayton also qualified for the NCAA Championships with a school-record time of 2:04.24 in the 800-meter run, which ranks 15th in the nation.

The exciting weekend marked the first time in more than a decade that Vanderbilt track has hosted a conference meet. The school hosted the SEC’s Outdoor Championships in 2005. ■

“This is the best way for them to be educated,” Williams said.

JOE HOWELL

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in American history. Student-athletes witnessed first-hand accounts and artifacts surrounding the transatlantic slave trade, slaves’ fight for freedom and much more.

The tour winded through later exhibits on emancipation, the Civil Rights Movement and iconic African American figures like Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X and Harriet Tubman. The museum featured literal pieces of America’s civil rights battle; it houses an entire segregated railroad car and the exhumed casket of Emmett Till, a 13-year-old black Chicago boy who was brutally murdered by two white men in 1955.

The museum tour wrapped with exhibits on African American music, pop culture and sports. The sports section served as particularly inspiring to a Vanderbilt student-athlete like linebacker Oren Burks, a native of Fairfax Station, Va. Burks views athletics as an instrument of change.

“I’m big on sports activism,” Burks said. “To see people like Jesse Owens, Muhammad Ali, guys that have paved the way for African Americans in sports, it really means a lot to see them honored in that way.”

Rayna Stewart, director of player development for Vanderbilt football, attended the trip and described it as a chance to open the eyes of student-athletes.

“The more you expose people to, the greater their understanding of the world,” Stewart said. “Opportunities like this can be transformational.”

Commodore student-athletes agreed. As I shadowed the group during the chilly afternoon in D.C., it became apparent that many were experiencing history for the very first time. That’s why Burks said he was thankful Vanderbilt provided an opportunity few universities might have considered.

“This definitely shows Vanderbilt is willing to put things in place for us to be more than student-athletes and get the whole experience,” Burks said. ■

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My Game

Kayla Peterson CN: What would you say is your favorite part of being in Nashville?

K

ayla Peterson is an attacker for the Vanderbilt lacrosse team and has started all six games for the Commodores this season. The junior from Hagerstown, Md., recently sat down with Commodore Nation to talk about her time at Vanderbilt, being able to play with her twin sister, and numerous other topics. Here’s a sampling of what she had to say: Commodore Nation: When did you start playing lacrosse and what would you say was your favorite thing about the sport was or still is now?

Peterson: I started playing lacrosse when I was in the second grade. My favorite thing about the sport was always being able to play with my twin sister, Leah. I do not think I would be playing lacrosse at the collegiate level if it wasn’t for having her playing with me all these years. We definitely challenged each other to be the best we can be over the years. Plus always having someone to go out and play catch with was definitely an advantage!

CN: You were a three-sport athlete in high school. If you didn’t play lacrosse in college, which sport of the other two would you have wanted to keep going with and why?

Peterson: If I didn’t play lacrosse in college, I definitely would have wanted to continue playing basketball. Growing up, basketball was my favorite sport and even to this day, every now and then I like going to play a game of pick-up. It’s so fun and a faster-paced game. I love the back and forth aspect of basketball.

CN: Lacrosse in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic is very popular but not as much down here in the South. Were you surprised to see that Vanderbilt offered lacrosse as a sport and do you think the sport is starting to grow down here?

Peterson: I wasn’t surprised Vanderbilt had a team because Vanderbilt has traditionally always been a ranked team for women’s lacrosse in the NCAA, so I’ve always been familiar with the name. I definitely think, however, that lacrosse is beginning to grow much more rapidly in the South and all over the country. It’s funny coming from the Northeast because lacrosse is such a huge game in that area and everyone plays it; sometimes down here I’ll meet new people who have never seen lacrosse being played. (It’s) very different from the area I grew up in.

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Peterson: I love being in Nashville; the city itself is so on the rise. I’ll hear about people coming to Nashville to vacation and it’s a reminder of how blessed I am to be able to go to school in such an incredible city. There is so much to do, and there is always a new restaurant to try or shop to go to. It truly is one of the best cities in the world.

CN: You and your sister, Leah, both play lacrosse here at Vanderbilt. When choosing schools, were you two always planning on going to the same school or was there a possibility you would have ended up at different schools?

Peterson: No! I actually did not want to go to the same school at all in the beginning. We went into the recruiting process completely as individuals.

We both looked and visited separate schools, and Vanderbilt was one of the few overlapping schools.

After we both visited, however, we equally fell in love with the school, the city and the program. That’s how we both ended up here. Now that we’re both here together though, I wouldn’t change it for the world. I couldn’t imagine going to different schools!

CN: Are the two of you very similar in terms of personality and interests or are you both pretty different as twins?

Peterson: We’re about as opposite as it gets in every aspect. We have completely different personalities and interests, but I guess that’s why we get along so well. We’re definitely best friends. Despite being so different, we still love doing everything together.

CN: The NCAA implemented the 90-second shot clock for this season. Has it been difficult to get used to or as an attacker, do you find it helps speed up the games and gives you more opportunities on offense?

Peterson: Personally, I love the addition of the 90-second shot clock. It took a little bit of getting used to in the fall when we first began testing it out, but now I love it. It speeds the game up and allows the offenses to move at a faster pace. Stalling is no longer an option, which I am personally happy about, and it allows our offense to be more creative in a shorter period of time. n

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