Commodore Nation - May 2009

May 2009

Vanderbilt Junior Mike Minor

SMALL-TOWN TO

BIG-TIME

table of contents

18

10

2 Connecting With The Web 4 National Commodore Club 6 In My Words

Jonathan White

7 Commodores Cubed Know your Commodores

8 WBB Advances To Sweet 16 VU won five straight postseason games 10 Alex McClure Returns To VU

Where he was first treated for diabetes

13 It’s My Turn—Rod Williamson

Winning both ways

15 Summer Camps

See what camps are being held

16 FB Players Broaden Horizons

16

Two players are studying abroad in May

17 The Month Ahead

What to watch for

18 From Small-Town To Big-Time

23

vucommodores.com

Mike Minor has made his hometown proud

20 Quick Hits A look at Vanderbilt’s sports teams 23 Del Greco Blazing His Own Trail Golfer making his own name in Music City 24 The Last Look

C O M M O D O R E N AT I O N

1

Connect with

VUCOMMODORES.COM Editorial Publisher: Vanderbilt University

Editor-in-Chief: Ryan Schulz

Director of External Relations: Rod Williamson

Designers: Jeremy Teaford

Ryan Schulz

Digital Image Specialist: Julie Luckett Turner Photographers: Neil Brake

Vanderbilt’s Blog

Online Store

Daniel Dubois

The Barca Blog has transformed into an all-inclusive official Vanderbilt blog.

The blog is updated throughout the day, providing fans with informative and fun content that they otherwise wouldn’t see on vucommodores.com.

If you want the first crack at new Vanderbilt merchandise, the place to look is Vanderbilt’s online store.

The store features more than 100 items, ranging from T-shirts to autographed basketballs to ties.

Steve Green Stan Jones Mark McIntyre John Russell Gary Stepic

Contributors: Andy Boggs

John Erck Larry Leathers Thomas Samuel Chris Weinman

Administrative

Online Auctions

Photo Store

Place a bid on exclusive Commodore merchandise through Vanderbilt’s official online auctioning. A few recent items have been an autographed helmet by Jay Cutler and game-worn Music City Bowl jerseys autographed by Bobby Johnson.

Decorate your home or workplace with the purchase of exclusive Vanderbilt photos. The photos range from images of Vanderbilt’s campus and athletic venues to action shots from Vanderbilt sporting events.

Chancellor: Nicholas S. Zeppos Vice Chancellor for University Affairs: David Williams II Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs: Beth Fortune

Vanderbilt University’s Mission, Goals and Values Vanderbilt University is a center for scholarly research, informed and creative teaching, and service to the community and society at large. Vanderbilt will uphold the highest standards and be a leader in the quest for new knowledge through scholarship, dissemination of knowledge through teaching and outreach, and creative experimentation of ideas and concepts. In pursuit of these goals, Vanderbilt values most highly intellectual freedom that supports open inquiry; and equality, compassion and excellence in all endeavors.

Vanderbilt University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action university.

ON THE COVER: Vanderbilt junior pitcher Mike Minor PHOTO: Steve Green ILLUSTRATION: Jeremy Teaford

Letters SEC Champions What a great cover shot for the April issue of Commodore Nation. There are few photographs that are as captivating as ones that show the exuberance of celebrating a championship.

Kate, Charlotte, N.C. Welcome Zac Stacy It sounds like Vanderbilt’s football staff signed another outstanding young man with great character in Zac Stacy. He is responsible beyond his years and is another kid who is hard not to pull for. Great job, Bobby!

Cheryl, Nashville

2

M AY 2 0 0 9

Recognizing Reynolds What Bobby Reynolds has done on the ATP Tour is nothing short of remarkable. With the names of Jay Cutler, Brandt Snedeker and David Price stealing most of the headlines, Reynolds’ name usually gets lost in the shuffle, but it shouldn’t. It was good to read the article and know that he still has a special place for Vanderbilt.

Todd, Memphis To submit a letter, e-mail CN at: commodorenation@vanderbilt.edu.

Letters should include the writer’s name and address and may be edited for clarity and space.

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.

Jeff Miller, General Manager 615/322-4468 jmiller@ispsports.com

vucommodores.com

C O M M O D O R E N AT I O N

3

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

COR N E R

PHONE: 615/322-4114 vucommodores.com MEN’S SEC TOURNAMENT • TAMPA, FLA.

Gene and Paula Southwood, Jerry and Jeanne Southwood

Al and Jere Phillips

Bob Moore, Sondra Morris, Sue McCall

Doris Stephens and Jan Hargett

DONOR-ADVISED FUNDS/ DECLINING BENEFITS

2010 SEC MEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT IN NASHVILLE

Gifts to the NCC from foundation donor-advised funds REQUIRE the donor to decline benefits due to tax laws that govern use of those funds. Under no circumstances will benefits be given to donors who have made their NCC gift via funds subject to the laws governing those funds.

The NCC’s renewal deadline is May 31, and this year that date is even more important. Not only is renewing important for football and basketball tickets, but for SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament priority. Next year’s tournament is at the Sommet Center in Nashville. Make your gift today to ensure you get your NCC priority!

Any donor can give to NCC and decline benefits. Vanderbilt will issue a receipt that allows 100% deductibility of the gift. However, if you attempt to secure tickets and parking, the NCC will be unable to fulfill that request. If the need for tickets/parking persists, you will be required to write a letter indicating the desire to change your intention from “decline” to “accept” benefits.

4

M AY 2 0 0 9

NCAA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT • RALEIGH, N.C.

Jerry Reves and Vice Chancellor David Williams II

Dee Davis, Ashley Early, Cherish Stringfield

Skye Ackenbom and Hadley Zeavin

Cynthia Housten and Steve Dougan

SCHOLARSHIP ENDOWMENT Stuart Speyer (middle) and his family gather at a reception honoring him for endowing the Lester D. Speyer Men’s Tennis Scholarship. The gift was made in honor of his father.

Front row (L-R): Clay Butler, Susan Gray Back row (L-R): Austin Brown, Gary Brown

Front row (L-R): Veronica Speyer and Les Speyer. Middle row (L-R): Daniel Gragert, Sarah Gragert, Stuart Speyer, April Speyer & Pat Smith. Back row: Robert Speyer.

vucommodores.com

C O M M O D O R E N AT I O N

5

In My Words

Jonathan

White

O

ne of two seniors and the only fifth-year senior on the roster, outfielder Jonathan White has taken a leadership role on Vanderbilt’s young squad this season. A workout

warrior who has won the team’s annual Omaha Challenge the past three years, White is regarded as one of the fastest and most athletic players on the team. Last season the Shelbyville, Tenn., native finished second on the team with 11 stolen bases. While a lot of players spring at the opportunity the first time they are drafted, White did not.

Instead of signing with the Milwaukee Brewers after being selected in the 24th round in 2007, White stayed in school and will graduate in May with a degree in social dynamics of psychology and sociology.

One of White’s many hobbies off the field is poetry. He has written more than 50 poems and doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon.

On the growth of the team over the season We have come together pretty well. We are finally getting some confidence. We had our struggles in the beginning, but guys are really stepping up, and the guys who were freshmen are sophomores now.

On his increased responsibility as a senior leader I, along with Nick Christiani, Andrew Giobbi and Brian Harris, take it as our responsibility to take the younger kids and make them feel comfortable. We want them to focus on the game one pitch at a time and not worry about the surroundings, regardless of where we are playing at.

On being the oldest player on the team It is kind of surreal. I come to the locker room and the freshmen call me “Grandpa.” They always joke around with me about how long I’ve been here. It is a good situation being a veteran player. I feel like I was only a freshman a few years ago because it really flies by. I’ve embraced the role. I love teaching and seeing the guys look up to me. It motivates me to be a better leader.

On returning to Vanderbilt after being drafted in 2007 It was a pretty tough decision, but first of all, I wanted to get my degree. I knew if baseball was in the cards, I could do it later on. My motivation coming back this year as a fifth-year player is to take this program where it has never been. We haven’t been to a super regional or Omaha and those were my No. 1 goals coming back. I just wanted one more shot at that.

On growing up in Shelbyville, Tenn.

It is a decent sized community, but it has a small-town feel where everyone knows everyone. When I go back home, it is like I never left. It was a great place to grow up.

I love the small-town atmosphere.

It has been unbelievable. I love playing games and having my family up in the stands. When we play games on T.V., my family can watch me. It is a good feeling because you have all the support in the world and you have people always watching you and wanting you to succeed.

6

M AY 2 0 0 9

JOHN RUSSELL

On being able to play baseball in his home state

On getting into poetry

Commodores Cubed

When I was younger, I always liked to read and was real introspective. I was the kid who sat on the side and just watched things. When I was younger, I was just naturally good at writing, and over the years it evolved into me being interested in poetry.

On writing poetry

mark LAMM

I’ve probably written 50 or so poems. I usually write during the offseason. When I have spare time, I like to collect my thoughts and there is no better way to do that than sitting down and writing a poem. It puts everything in perspective.

On the poet he enjoys reading most I gravitate toward William Shakespeare a lot. To me, poetry is timeless and although I never knew Shakespeare, I could read his poems and get put in a situation where I can read what he is talking about. To me, that is just the beauty of it.

Baseball

casey HOWARDS

Cross Country

meghan ROSE

meghan MURPHY

Lacrosse

Track & Field

Favorite sports movie

The Sandlot

Remember the Titans

A League of Their Own

Rudy

Concert I’d like to attend

George Strait

Dispatch

Radiohead

Cold Play or Kenny Chesney

Favorite athlete to watch in another sport

LeBron James

Paul Pierce

Chris Cooley

Shawn Johnson

____________ should make a comeback

Mid-calf socks

Barry Sanders

Fanny packs

Michael Jordan

On his interest in reading When I’m not playing, I’ll try to read as much as I can. I don’t really like fiction because I want to learn something. If I want to know something, I’ll just go the library and read books about the subject so I can learn it and further my knowledge of something.

On winning the Omaha Challenge the last three years I’ll have to pass the torch next year. The guys call me “Grandpa,” but they can’t beat me in Omaha Challenge, so I must be doing something right. It is just bragging rights.

On a team, everything is competitive and you just want to have the bragging rights and no one can take that away from me. n

STEVE GREEN

A

vucommodores.com

little more than three months after winning the Music City Bowl, Vanderbilt had already finished early preparations for the 2009 season with the conclusion of spring practice on April 2.

Highlighting spring practice was the annual Black and Gold Scrimmage, which was March 28. The scrimmage was the only practice open to the public during the spring, and it shed some light on what Vanderbilt fans can expect in 2009.

Rotating quarterbacks Mackenzi Adams, Jared Funk and Larry Smith between series, the Commodores showcased a high-octane passing game in which 8 of 19 completions went for 11 yards or more, including four that topped 20 yards.

Vanderbilt unveiled a no-huddle attack to accrue 267 yards through the air and 133 on the ground. Smith and Funk each threw for more than 100 yards against Vanderbilt’s young secondary.

With the loss of starters George Smith and Sean Walker to graduation, in addition

to the move of Jamie Graham back to defensive back, the wide receiver slot is one of the team’s most inexperienced positions. Even with the loss of those players, combined with the loss of John Cole and Justin Wheeler who missed the scrimmage due to injury, the wide receivers shone brightest.

Alex Washington scored the game’s first touchdown when he hauled in a 75-yard pass from Funk. On the team’s next offensive play Washington took a reverse 29 yards.

Also making big plays on offense were junior transfer Terence Jeffers (above), who caught two passes for 45 yards and a touchdown in his debut. Redshirt freshman Akeem Dunham caught two passes for 51 yards and a touchdown, while sophomore Udom Umoh hauled in four balls for 39 yards and a touchdown. n

C O M M O D O R E N AT I O N

7

STAN JONES

Wide Receivers Stand Out at Scrimmage

F

ive straight postseason wins, an SEC Tournament title, a trip to the Sweet 16 and then just as it seemed the magical run would never end, it did. Such is what makes March Madness just so maddening.

Playing without starting forward Hannah Tuomi for all of the postseason, an undersized and under-manned Commodore squad carried the flag for the Southeastern Conference as the only team—men or women—to advance to the Sweet 16.

Vanderbilt’s remarkable postseason performance captured the attention of the Commodore faithful and wiped away memories of how the team ended the regular season with consecutive losses, which cost Vanderbilt the SEC regular season crown.

“Coach (Melanie Balcomb) has always talked about how we peak at the right time and I think that is what we did this year,” junior Merideth Marsh said. “I think we had some rough losses but I think we really learned from them and that’s what made us stronger.”

Stronger it did. The Commodores plowed through the SEC Tournament and first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament like a powerful locomotive. Nothing seemed like it could slow the Commodores down … nothing beside themselves at least. Leading top-seeded Maryland 66-57 with 7:19 to play, everything that could have gone wrong

seemed to go wrong. The basket got smaller, layups caromed off the rim as the Commodores made one of their final 10 field-goal attempts, while Maryland connected on 8 of 12 field goals to end the game. Slowly the lead dwindled, as did their chances of advancing another round.

“At the end (of the season), we were playing our best basketball and it (hurts) to end like this,” Marsh said. “Like coach said, we won that game, just the end score did not show it. We just have to look at the season as a positive as a whole.”

Despite the difficulty in which the season ended, the 2008-09 season was just another example of how successful the program is.

By defeating Western Carolina and Kansas State to reach the Sweet 16, the Commodores reached the Sweet 16 for the second year in a row and 14th time in the last 20 years. The Commodores are now tied with North Carolina for the sixth-most Sweet 16 appearances of any program.

Senior Christina Wirth rightfully earned SEC Tournament MVP honors, but maybe the most valuable Commodore in the postseason was senior Jennifer Risper (right). With the absence of Tuomi in the post, Balcomb turned to a four-guard lineup in which the Commodores relied heavily on the 5’9” Risper to guard much taller players.

BRENTWOOD SUITES “An Affordable, Luxury, All-Suite Hotel” ★ 57 Luxurious Suites with sitting area, fold-out sofa, microwave, refrigerator, coffee maker, hair dryer, iron/ironing board, two phones with data ports, and clock radio ★ 74 cable channels including HBO ★ Free High Speed Wireless Internet ★W e offer a fitness center with cardiovascular equipment ★ A business center with Internet, Copy, and Fax ★D eluxe Complimentary breakfast with Omelets, waffles, sausage, and other items ★ Frequent Stay Program

622 Church Street East Brentwood, TN 37027 phone: 615-277-4000 fax: 615-277-4653 Toll Free: 1-866-277-4009 brentwoodsuites@yahoo.com www.brentwoodsuite.com 8

M AY 2 0 0 9

MARK MCINTYRE

’Dores Add Another Sweet 16 Appearance

Risper stood up to the challenge and more than validated why she was the national defensive player of the year. In her six postseason games, Risper averaged more points and rebounds than she did for the season. She averaged 14.2 points per game, which included a career-best 27 against Kansas State. She also netted 6.8 rebounds per game.

“I just have to tell you she has a bigger heart than anybody, so she plays big,” Balcomb said. She will do whatever you ask her to do at the highest level.” n

By The

NUMBERS 14

The number of times Vanderbilt’s women’s basketball team has advanced to the sweet 16 — the sixth most of any program.

4

Former Commodores are on the Chicago Bears roster — Earl Bennett, Jay Cutler, Hunter Hillenmeyer and Chris Williams.

1

Junior Josie Earnest became the first two-time NCAA Bowler of the Year on April 8 when she earned the honor for the second year in a row.

5

Vanderbilt’s football team was one of just five schools to participate in a bowl game and have a graduation rate of 90 percent or higher.

COMPLIANCE

COR NER Q: A:

Star Struck is a current student-athlete at Vanderbilt who is currently pursuing a summer job. Star applies for a job at a company that is headed by a representative of athletic interest (booster). Is it permissible for the booster to hire Star?

Yes, provided the opportunity for employment is available on an equal basis to all applicants who qualify for the position, is not paid based on publicity, reputation, fame, or personal following they have gained because of their athletic ability and the student is paid only for work performed and at a rate commensurate with the going rate in that locale for similar services. *If you have an interest in hiring a student-athlete, you must first contact the Athletic Compliance Office prior to employing the student-athlete. Failure to contact the Athletic Compliance Office prior to employing a student-athlete could jeopardize the student-athlete’s eligibility to participate in intercollegiate athletics at Vanderbilt and could result in an NCAA violation for the student-athlete’s sport.*

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

vucommodores.com

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

John Peach Compliance Coordinator 615/343-1060 john.w.peach@vanderbilt.edu

3

Consecutive years, a Vanderbilt student-athlete has received one of 174 annual NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships worth $7,500.

Cross country runner Rob Whiting received the scholarship this year.

4

Vanderbilt’s women’s basketball team was one of just four teams in the Sweet 16 with a 100 percent graduation rate.

2

Vanderbilt’s rank in home attendance in 2009 among SEC women’s basketball teams. The Commodores averaged 4,759 fans per game.

C O M M O D O R E N AT I O N

9

McClure’s Path Brings Him Back to Vanderbilt

10

M AY 2 0 0 9

JOHN RUSSELL

A

lex McClure may be in his first year at Vanderbilt, but he is far from new to the Vanderbilt campus. A sophomore transfer from Walters State Community College, McClure spent many days of his youth making the trek between his hometown of Clarksville, Tenn., and Vanderbilt’s campus to watch from the visiting dugout as his father, Gary McClure, coached Austin Peay State University's baseball team against the Commodores.

However, the frequency of McClure’s trips to Nashville increased unexpectedly at the age of 15.

Just days before he would begin his sophomore year at Rossview High School, Alex and his father were in Atlanta at the Perfect Game 15-under Championship when something felt different.

“I just had felt bad the whole week before, and I didn’t know what was going on,” Alex recalled.

He felt so bad that he missed the first game of the tournament. The next day he felt a little better and even played. But just when things looked like they might be heading in the right direction, they began to deteriorate, so Gary took him to a night clinic where it was learned that Alex had type 1 diabetes. Alex had a blood sugar level of more than 600 and could have slipped into a diabetic coma. The normal level is between 70 and 100.

Before he knew it, Alex and his father were on the road going “what seemed like 100 mph” toward Vanderbilt Medical Center.

“We wanted to get him to Vanderbilt where we could be there, and we knew what Vanderbilt had to offer,” Gary said. “I had to sign a waiver to sign him out because they wanted him to go to the hospital.”

For the next few months, Vanderbilt became a home away from home for Alex, who developed a fondness for the university during his time spent at the hospital.

“For a couple of months I had to come up here every other day it seemed like,” Alex said. “During those times my mom (Amy) and I would walk around the campus, and that is when I also kind of developed my love for the campus, too.”

After his diagnosis, Alex lost 25 pounds because of diabetes. For someone who lived a very active lifestyle and already was small in stature, the changes Alex was required to make because of diabetes did not come easily.

“It was definitely a process,” Alex said.

“It took a long time to get back. I was able

Sophomore shortstop Alex McClure (left) with his father, Gary McClure, the head baseball coach at Austin Peay State University. to play in the spring, but throughout that whole winter I was learning a lot. It was all really new and it was a pretty hard time, but I had to do it to stay healthy.”

One of the biggest changes diabetes has brought to McClure’s life has been the five or six shots he takes a day in order to maintain his blood-sugar level. Type 1 diabetes is insulin dependent.

Alex gives himself shots around meals and before he goes to bed, but the physical activity of playing a sport can be draining, and there have been times when he has needed to inject himself during games.

While it has yet to happen to him in a game at Vanderbilt, it has happened in practice.

“I had one day in the fall during practice where I had to leave for a little bit and check my blood sugar,” Alex said. “I’ve had times such as two summers ago when I had to call timeout and stop the game just to get

some sugar. It has never gotten to the point that it is too bad.”

If his blood-sugar level does get low, Alex knows it can impact his play.

“It can affect my play when I’m low,” Alex said. “I’ll start feeling dizzy and lightheaded, and I’ll have to get some sugar fast.

It can also take a pretty good toll on your body and it makes you a little more tired.”

Even though diabetes can affect his play if he isn’t careful, Alex hasn’t used it as a crutch and doesn’t plan on doing so.

“The people at Vanderbilt (Medical Center) told me since the second I was diagnosed with diabetes, that I could live a normal life just like everyone else. With that knowledge, I never broke stride. I’m glad they had such a positive outlook on it. I think some people who get it feel like they are limited, but I just try to act like I don’t even have it.”

The head-on approach Alex takes with diabetes is something that hasn’t come as a surprise to his father.

“As far as him overcoming diabetes, that hasn’t surprised me a bit,” Gary said. “I told him it is going to make him better in the long run because you are going to learn how to do things right and someday it is all going to pay off and you are a special person because of that.”

Having that upbeat and positive mindset enabled Alex to continue his baseball career, which eventually brought him back to Vanderbilt by the way of one season at Walters State Community College in Morristown, Tenn.

On March 24, the memories Alex had of making the trip from Clarksville to watch his dad coach Austin Peay against Vanderbilt came rushing back when the Governors made their annual trip to West End. His dad was in the visiting dugout preparing the scorecard just like old times, but Alex was in the home dugout.

For the first time in their careers, they were adversaries.

“At the beginning it was kind of weird just seeing him in the other dugout, but it was kind of cool at the same time,” Alex said. “I knew he was over there, but once we started playing it just felt like a normal game, and I had to play it like that.”

For Gary, the leadup to the game was

vucommodores.com

unlike anything he had experienced in his 21 seasons of coaching at Austin Peay.

“It was definitely a little different than anything I’d really experienced in coaching without a doubt,” Gary said. “For whatever reason, I had a nervous feeling in my stomach all morning that day. It was different. I’ve coached a lot of games and I don’t particularly get very nervous, but I just had a very nervous feeling in my stomach that day.”

Vanderbilt won the game 10-5, and Alex had one of his best games in a Commodore uniform, going 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored.

“I don’t call the pitches for us, and I didn’t want to call them against him,” Gary said.

“I just tried to stay out of the way when he was at bat and let the game take care of itself. It was different, and it was one of those things where the perfect scenario would be for him to play a great game and for us to win.”

Instead of being in a Vanderbilt uniform for the game, Alex very well could have been in an Austin Peay uniform.

“My dad recruited me out of high school which was kind of cool, but I wanted to do it on my own so I kind of set out that way,” Alex said.

“I wanted him to go where he wanted to be and do what he wanted to do,” Gary said. “I would have loved to have coached

him just from the standpoint that I would get to be around him and see him play daily.”

Although he wanted to go a different route in college, there is nothing he’d rather do professionally than follow in his father’s footsteps as a coach.

“What my dad does is exactly what I want to get into when I’m done playing,” Alex said. "I would like to coach in the college ranks or in the minors.”

No matter what Alex does in the future, Gary has a hard time seeing him no longer involved in baseball.

“He’s got the kind of makeup that it takes, and he’s got the kind of love for the game that it takes,” Gary said. “He’s been around it his whole life, and he thinks about it like a coach and knows how to play.”

Alex no longer has to make the drive in from Clarksville to Hawkins Field or to the medical center. He can now walk to both places and Vanderbilt no longer feels like a second home, it feels like home.

“Everything has been great coming here,” he said. “Overall, it has been awesome and I couldn’t think of a better place.”

McClure’s path has brought him back to Vanderbilt, only this time it is for a much better reason.

“There is definitely something intriguing about him ending back up at Vanderbilt for sure,” Gary said. “It is interesting how things work out.” n

C O M M O D O R E N AT I O N

11

Bricks Ad:Bricks Campaign Ad

12

M AY 2 0 0 9

3/4/09

1:19 PM

Page 1

It’s My Turn

By Rod Williamson

Winning Both Ways

W

e talk so much about winning on and off the field of play that one could get the impression that it’s easy to do. All you have to do is “win” Monday through Friday and then “win” again over the weekend. Simple.

I was driving some of our student-athletes during a tournament and overheard this brief conversation.

The first Commodore said “Suzie (an opponent) was complaining that she has a research paper due next week and that it had to be four pages long!”

“Can you imagine a four-page research paper,” our second ‘Dore says in amazement. “How can you write a four-page research paper? I’ve got one due that must be at least 30 pages.”

That is a tiny glimpse of what our Black and Gold face in winning on and off the field. Often times, our competition has a fraction of the academic workload that is required of our young people, which gives them a competitive advantage.

Make no mistake; winning in collegiate athletics is difficult. You must be ready every time you put on that uniform or you are setting yourself up for disappointment. How many of us arm-chair quarterbacks are ready for every single day of work? Be honest.

That’s what I thought.

I got caught up in the recent Masters Golf Tournament. Local favorite Kenny Perry had a two-stroke lead with just two holes to play. He had played 20-some holes of bogey-free golf, yet he uncharacteristically bogeyed the last two to fall into a playoff and then bogeyed again to lose his chance at golf history.

Just days earlier, I had witnessed our No. 1 rated bowlers struggle and get bumped from the NCAA Bowling Championship in the third round. Was there anything in common between the two events?

I think so. I believe it takes a combination of incredible self discipline, positive thinking and, yes, luck to overcome the pressures that accompany the rare chances to fulfill one’s sports dreams.

Kenny Perry could probably play those last two holes at Augusta dozens of times and not make two bogeys in a row. Likewise, our bowlers would probably resort to their dominating performances if given another pressure-free chance. But there are no mulligans in athletics and none are requested.

After a few weeks of the current SEC baseball season, Vanderbilt was more or less given up for dead. A rebuilding year. We had lost our first three SEC series and been clobbered during midweek games. Then we managed to win two of three from Florida but would now have to play at Arkansas with its enormous crowds.

The Hogs had just become ranked No. 1 nationally and considered the best team in the league. So what happens? Not only do we win the only two games played (the third washed out by rain) but we do it by dominating 9-0 and 13-6 scores! That’s mental toughness!

For years, Vanderbilt coaches have privately felt that their teams perform best during those times when the academic work load is either gone (say, between semesters or in tournaments after the school year ends) or reduced (no exams or papers due for a week or two).

There are many examples that could be cited as proof but that isn’t the point. Nobody here is looking for the easy way out or they wouldn’t be here in the first place. You don’t come to Vanderbilt seeking shortcuts. You come here to strive for the elusive, yet most rewarding of all goals – to win “both ways.” It’s the measure of true champions. n

vucommodores.com

C O M M O D O R E N AT I O N

13

14

M AY 2 0 0 9

Baseball

Girl’s Basketball

Football

Soccer

Contact: Maggie Corbin Phone: 615/385-3370

Contact: Vicki Spina Phone: 615/343-8482

Contact: Michael Hazel Phone: 615/322-2251

Contact: Cristin Czubik Phone: 615/343-8095

Day Camp I

Team Challenge Day Camp

Senior Elite

6/12-14

6/7 • Grade: 12th only

Day Camp (Boys and Girls) 6/1-5 & 6/8-12 • Ages: 5-15

6/16-19 • Grades: 1-8

Day Camp II 6/23-26 • Grades: 1-8

H.S. Prospect Camp (Commuter) 7/12-16 • Grades: 9-12

H.S. Prospect Camp (Overnight) 7/12-16 • Grades: 9-12

Boy’s Basketball Contact: Meredith Schakel Phone: 615/322-6530

Future Star Camp

Elite Residential (Girls)

6/15-18 • Grades: 3-12

6/8-11 • Grades: 6-8

6/28-7/1 • Ages: 12-18

“Mini” Ballers

Kicking Camp

Goalkeeper Elite Camp

Offensive Improvement Camp

6/15-17 • Grades: K-2

Elite Camp 6/19-20 • Grades: 8-12

Lacrosse

6/13 • Grades: 11-12

6/28-7/1 • Ages: 12-18

Rising Star Camp 6/14 • Grades: 11-2

Tennis

Senior Elite II

Contact: Meggie Butzow Phone: 615/322-4193

6/20 • Grade: 12th only

Music City Classic (7-on-7 Camp) 7/17-18 • Grades: HS teams only

Junior Day Camp

Web Site: USSportsCamps.com/lacrosse Director: Cathy Swezey

6/8-11 • Grades: K-3

Overnight Camp

7/19 • Grades: 12th only

Day Camp

7/10-12 • Ages: 14-18

6/8-11 • Grades: 3-10

Day Camp

Games Camp

7/13-16 • Ages: All

6/22-25 • Grades: 3-10

vucommodores.com

Senior Elite III

Sessions I-IV Ages: 7-17 6/1-5 • 6/8-12 • 6/15-19 • 6/22-26

For additional information or to register, please visit

VUCOMMODORES.com

C O M M O D O R E N AT I O N

15

STEVE GREEN

Football Players Broaden Horizons

T

he opportunity never crossed Gaston Miller’s mind. Studying abroad sounded well and good, but the notion of a student-athlete, especially a football player, having that opportunity seemed almost taboo.

With the offseason getting increasingly smaller in every sport, the opportunities for student-athletes to set aside a period of time to study abroad may not be a possibility at a lot of colleges, but it is at Vanderbilt.

Like a good number of student-athletes before him at Vanderbilt, Miller will have the same opportunity that is provided to traditional students this summer when he studies abroad in Greece during the month of May. A rising junior running back, Miller will be joined on the trip by teammate Joel Caldwell, a rising senior safety. Caldwell and Miller will be two of a handful of Vanderbilt students who will cross the Atlantic Ocean and take a three-credit hour course called “Uncovering Greek Religion: Cults, Sanctuaries & Festivals in the Ancient World.”

“I had heard of the opportunity to study abroad, but with football I never imagined that I would have the opportunity to actually do it,” Miller said.

The trip outside the U.S. will be a first for the Murfreesboro, Tenn., native, who never thought he would take a class in another

16

M AY 2 0 0 9

country. Once he heard it was a real possibility, he knew it was something he couldn’t pass up.

“I never really imagined that I would be traveling out of the country to take a course, but when I heard about the opportunity, I definitely didn’t want to pass it by,” Miller said. “I’m only going to be here for a few more years, so an opportunity like this may not come again.”

When Miller and Caldwell are in Greece this May they will be blazing a trail for Vanderbilt’s football program as the first players to study abroad under Head Coach Bobby Johnson. Johnson recognizes the opportunity the two are receiving and hopes they are the first of many Commodores who study abroad.

“I was wondering why we hadn’t done more of it and why our guys hadn’t taken advantage of it,” Johnson said. “I’m glad to see guys taking advantage of it. I think Gaston and Joel will have some good stories to tell and interest guys into looking at places all over the world that are available.”

Johnson also believes providing student-athletes with the opportunity to study abroad will be beneficial in recruiting.

“We’ve already started talking to some recruits about it,” Johnson said. “A lot of regular college students across the country

Running back Gaston Miller in front of the Parthenon in Centennial Park. Miller is spending May studying abroad in Greece. are studying abroad, and we want to make that available for our athletes.”

The obvious drawback to Miller and Caldwell studying abroad is the lack of training they will be able to do the month they are gone. However, the person who is the least concerned about the two players missing workouts is Johnson himself.

“The Maymester gives us a great opportunity to do this,” Johnson said. “They can come back and still get in good shape by working out in June and July. I think it is fantastic, and I believe our players will be diligent enough to stay in shape when they are somewhere, and they won’t be gone that long, so it is hard to get too out of shape.”

As a player entering his fourth year in the program, Miller has a firm grip on what is expected in the offseason, which is why he selected May as the best time for him to travel abroad. In case there were any doubts, Johnson’s blessing has provided Miller with more assurance that he isn’t abandoning the team.

“During the month of May it is real low key around here. There aren’t many courses

this summer. Among the other student-athletes who will are Bram Chisholm from cross country who will study in China, Lyndsey Wilcox from the soccer team who will travel to Nicaragua and Alex Jennings from swimming who will go to Italy.

Unlike some other institutions in which student-athletes may be discouraged from studying abroad, Vanderbilt’s administration embraces the opportunity for studentathletes just as it does traditional students.

Having that support from Vanderbilt’s administration speaks volumes to Miller.

“That is one of the big things that really made me want to take this opportunity because in the past I’d heard this opportunity wasn’t really available for athletes,” Miller said. “I think that is saying that the university is really working to get the athletes more involved with things that regular students do. That is a positive for not only student-athletes, but also the whole student body.” n

Men’s Sports 5/1 5/2 5/3 5/8 5/9 5/10 5/14 5/15 5/16 5/20-24 5/29-31

Golf

5/14-16 5/27-30

Tennis

5/8-10 5/15-24

May 1 • Vanderbilt View at South Carolina at South Carolina at South Carolina at Georgia at Georgia at Georgia Tennessee Tennessee Tennessee at SEC Tournament (Hoover, Ala.) at NCAA Regionals

6 p.m.

6 p.m.

12:30 p.m.

6 p.m.

Noon 1 p.m.

6 p.m.

6 p.m.

Noon TBA TBA

at NCAA Regionals at NCAA Championships (Toledo, Ohio)

All Day All Day

at NCAA Regionals TBA at NCAA Championships (College Station, Texas) TBA

Women’s Sports Golf

5/7-9 5/19-22

Lacrosse 5/2-4 5/10 5/16 5/22

Tennis

5/8-10 5/15-24

at NCAA Regionals at NCAA Championships (Owings Mills, Md.)

at ALC Tournament (University Park, Pa.) at NCAA First Round at NCAA Quarterfinals at NCAA Final Four (Towson, Md.)

All Day All Day

TBA TBA TBA TBA

at NCAA Regionals TBA at NCAA Championships (College Station, Texas) TBA

Track and Field

5/2 5/14-17 5/29-30

Safety Joel Caldwell will study abroad in Greece with Gaston Miller.

What to Watch For

The Month Ahead Baseball

STAN JONES

going on, and most athletes on the football team normally have their vacation time or go back home,” Miller said. “I just feel like it is a great opportunity for me to do that in May and be able to come back in June and July and still train and condition with the team to prepare for the season.”

Although Miller is missing time during one of the slowest months of offseason training, he is missing time nonetheless. At some schools any time missed would be considered inexcusable. Miller believes a factor for why Vanderbilt didn’t frown at him studying abroad was the culture within the program.

“The coaches and everyone encourage players to take advantage of opportunities like this,” Miller said. “I’ll miss it a little bit, and I will still do some exercises before I go to sleep at night over there, but it was definitely an easy decision to make to say I will do this in May and come back and get back in shape.”

Caldwell and Miller will not be the only Vanderbilt student-athletes studying abroad

at Mississippi Open at SEC Championships (Gainesville, Fla.) at NCAA Mideast Regional

vucommodores.com

Jim Patterson, assistant director editorial content at Vanderbilt, wrote a fascinating article in the May issue of Vanderbilt View on former Commodore Taylor Stokes returning to campus to get his degree.

May 6-8 • Commencement The 2008-09 school year will come to a close with commencement activities taking place May 6-8. The Party will be at 9 p.m. May 6, while Senior Day is May 7 and graduation is May 8.

May 14-16 & 25-28 • MLB Showdown Former Commodores Jensen Lewis, Jeremy Sowers and David Price will meet on the diamond seven times in May depending on when Sowers and Price are called up from the minors.

The teams will play in Tampa May 14-16 and in Cleveland May 25-28.

May 24-June 7 • French Open Former Commodores Julie Ditty and Bobby Reynolds will compete at the French Open beginning May 24. The French Open is the second of four grand slam tournaments throughout the season.

May 31 • NCC Renewal Deadline The deadline to renew your National Commodore Club membership for the 2009-10 school year is May 31. You must renew your membership in order to maintain your ticket and parking benefits.

All Day All Day All Day

C O M M O D O R E N AT I O N

17

Small-Town Legend Turned Vanderbilt Staff Ace

18

M AY 2 0 0 9

NEIL BRAKE

T

here is a saying about small towns that if you blink, you might miss them.

Chapel Hill, Tenn., is one of those towns. Just 36 miles south of Nashville in Marshall County, Chapel Hill has a little more than 1,000 residents and two stoplights.

From Rex’s Foodland to the Country Diner, as in most small towns, most everything in Chapel Hill is locally owned and operated.

The only franchised restaurants are Sonic and Subway, which have both opened in the past five years.

What Chapel Hill may be most known for in the southeast is the annual Lions Super Pull of the South each July. The event is so renowned that it has been named the national tractor pull competition of the year on seven occasions and annually attracts close to 20,000 spectators.

Chapel Hill also is the hometown of Vanderbilt ace Mike Minor, who has proved once again that being from a small town has nothing to do with being small-time. Minor has gobbled up accolade after accolade in his tenure at Vanderbilt. He was named a Freshman All-American by just about every baseball publication in 2007 and he was named Baseball America’s 2008 Summer Player of the Year.

Success on the baseball diamond is nothing new to the junior left-hander, who was a three-time all-state selection at Forrest High School, where he led the school to a runnerup finish at the 2006 Class A state tournament. The same season Minor won 13 games, including 12 by shutout, and had a 0.08 ERA with 188 strikeouts in 86 innings.

“We’ve had a lot of good players and we’ve had a lot of good pitchers, but we haven’t had any in his class,” said Forrest High School Baseball Coach Wayne Hardison, who began the program in 1986. “He was as automatic as they come.”

Minor didn’t just win in high school, he won with numbers that are usually seen only on video games. The stories of how he pitched are those that grandfathers could tell their grandkids. Stories that sound mythical as time passes much the same way as the distance of Mickey Mantle’s home run that cleared the right field roof at Tiger Stadium or Babe Ruth calling his shot.

There is the story of Minor pitching a perfect game in the second game of a home and road doubleheader one night. There is the story of him recording all 21 outs of a 7-inning game by strikeout. Ironically, his 21-strikeout game was also the only game he allowed an earned run his senior year. There are also stories of him backing up his words on the mound such as when he told his coach, “Coach, the ball game is over,” after a late-inning mound visit.

Minor’s success in high school games helped put him on the map as a baseball player, but in order for people to find a player in Chapel Hill, Tenn., Minor and his father Mike Sr. knew he had to first go where the scouts were.

“When I was younger, my dad made me go to all the camps and all the showcases,” Minor said. “I had to go to every single thing someone invited me to because he knew there was no other way. No one is going to go to Chapel Hill to watch a small-town pitcher throw.”

Minor also knew that his numbers could easily be pushed aside by the fact that he played against lesser competition at smaller schools.

“People would say even if he does good, no one cares because the hitters aren’t very good,” Minor said. “I needed to prove myself and throw against the better hitters.”

Needless to say, he proved he was good no matter the competition and eventually word began to spread. Soon Forrest High School was receiving the type of attention from college and Major League Baseball scouts that Class A programs rarely get. Each time Minor pitched there were 15-20 scouts behind home plate with radar guns in hand.

Minor had never received so much attention, and neither had Hardison, who got bombarded with telephone calls from college and professional teams that wanted to see Minor pitch.

“Mike’s junior year was when (the scouts) first really started coming and I left a message on my phone that said, ‘If you are calling about Mike pitching, he is throwing on this day and that day and those games are at this

particular time and I will replace this message if any plans are changed,’” Hardison said.

“That saved me a whole lot of calls. It was just hard to keep up with everyone calling.”

The scouts kept coming and each time they came, they left even more impressed.

Eventually, Minor’s success led him to one of the hardest decisions he ever had to make when the Tampa Rays drafted him in the 13th round of the 2006 MLB Draft.

“It was pretty tough because to come from a middle-class family, that kind of money sounds like a lot of money,” Minor said. “When you see that money right in front of your face, it is kind of hard to turn that down.

“My dad and I sat down almost every night going back and forth trying to figure out what to do. I didn’t know what I wanted.

I was 18 years old and I had all this money in my face and my dream was to go play Major League Baseball. It was really hard, but at the end, it was so overwhelming and the money wasn’t enough to make me say yes, so I chose Vanderbilt.”

His decision to come to Vanderbilt couldn’t have turned out better. He is in his second season as the team’s No. 1 starter and is regarded as one of the top pitchers in the country.

As Minor continues to improve, so has his support level from fans, but no set of fans are prouder to see Minor succeed than the resi-

ball. Seeing Minor play Division I has given hope to others that they, too, could make it to where he has.

“We are a small school and we play good baseball, but when you get a D1 scholarship at a Class A school, the rest of the players think maybe I don’t have to go to a private school or a big school to play D1 ball,” Hardison said.

The hope Minor has provided other kids in his hometown is something he is proud of.

“When I go home, I get a lot of kids who are athletes asking me what I do there in terms of weight training, running and throwing,” Minor said. “It is pretty cool to tell them what we do because they take that to heart. They will actually try it, so it is motivation to them because they know Vanderbilt does it.”

By Vanderbilt doing it, the students know that not only is Minor doing those drills, but so did former Commodores David Price and Pedro Alvarez, who went on to become the No. 1 and No. 2 draft picks, respectively.

In Minor’s first two years, the spotlight was on Price and Alvarez, but now it is on him.

That adjustment has taken some time to get used to.

“It is hard to fill (Price’s) shoes with him going as the No. 1 pick and the way he carried himself on the field and off the field,” Minor said. “He was a big leader and very vocal, but I’m just not that kind of guy. I’m the type of guy that is pretty quiet and just tries to lead by example.”

As someone who would prefer to let his actions speak louder than his words, it would be hard to find someone who has set a better example with their play on the field than Minor.

In addition to his stellar play for the Commodores, Minor has been a key cog for the U.S. National Team the past two summers.

Last year alone, Minor served as the ace for the team that went 24-0 over the summer and won the International University Sports

NEIL BRAKE

dents of Chapel Hill, who view Minor as a role model despite being just 21 years old.

“All the grownups and younger kids look up to him,” Hardison said. “People not just in Chapel Hill, but around the county and around the area are proud of Mike. I hardly ever play a game or go somewhere where there are coaches and people around where baseball is being played that somebody doesn’t ask me how Mike is doing.”

Chris Messick operates Rex’s Foodland in Chapel Hill with his father Rex, who owns the business. He has known Minor since the Vanderbilt ace was just a kid, and like everyone in town, he couldn’t be happier with how Minor has represented Chapel Hill.

“Everybody around here pretty much knows everybody if you’ve been here long enough,” Messick said. “We all follow what (Mike) is doing. “There has always been a connection with everyone in town, and he has kind of put Chapel Hill and Forrest High School on the map you could say.”

His importance to his hometown is something Minor understands and embraces, but he is still getting used to the attention.

Even though there are a little more than 1,000 residents in the town, there is usually a good-sized contingent of Chapel Hill residents in the crowd when Minor pitches.

Against Florida on April 3, a group of 80 people from Chapel Hill purchased tickets to watch Minor pitch.

“I still have people come up to me anytime I go home and tell me how proud they are I went to a Division I college,” Minor said. “In a bigger city, people go to Division I colleges all the time and you don’t have people come up to them and say how proud they are that they went Division I. I think I might have been the third person ever to go to Vanderbilt from Chapel Hill.”

Further adding to the significance of Minor playing at VU is that he is the only player from Chapel Hill to ever play Division I base-

Minor (12) is congratulated by his teammates, including former Commodore David Price (14).

vucommodores.com

Federation World Championships. With the team, Minor went 3-0 with a 0.75 ERA with 37 strikeouts in a team-high 36 innings pitched.

“I really noticed the significance of how I did when I watched the World Baseball Classic,” Minor said. “My dad asks questions all the time and I used to just give him the short answers, but you don’t realize how significant it is. I realized how lucky I was to go with the U.S.A. team two years in a row and this past year go undefeated. It is something I’ll never forget.”

Minor’s biggest moment with the U.S.A. team came in the biggest game. Playing Japan in the gold medal game, Minor threw 9.2 innings of shutout baseball in a contest that the U.S. won 1-0 in 12 innings.

“So far it is best experience I’ve had in baseball,” Minor said.

Even with his success on the diamond, Minor is always striving for constant improvement. In his first two seasons at Vanderbilt, he was limited to a fastball and a changeup. He has since added a slider to his repertoire and is getting more comfortable with a curve ball.

However, maybe his biggest improvement has come with his mental game. Growing up, it was rare for another team to score a run off Minor, but when someone did, Minor was always his own worst critic and emotions would sometimes affect his play on the field.

With the help of Vanderbilt pitching coach Derek Johnson, Minor has focused on harnessing his emotions.

“I am always a guy who gets really upset with myself and is very competitive within myself. If I gave up a hit, a double, a home run, I was so mad at myself I couldn’t come back from it,” Minor said. “I couldn’t bounce back and just say, ‘It was one pitch and we can still win this thing.’

“This year, I thought about how stupid it was and how it is one pitch at a time and you have to move on and you have to have a short memory. That is a big part of my game right now that I had to improve on and it is going to help me in the long run, and has helped me. I’ve just got to have confidence in myself to know that I’m going to be better than anybody that comes up to the plate.”

So far, Minor has been better than pretty much anyone he has faced at the plate and because of that he will be one of the most coveted players in June’s MLB Draft. Inevitably, Minor will be faced with another difficult decision of whether to sign or return to school. But no matter what route he goes, earning his degree will remain a priority.

“Neither one of my parents went to college because they didn’t have a lot of money,” Minor said. “I would be the first one in the family to graduate, so it is very important to me to get a degree.”

Chapel Hill may be small enough that you might miss it if you blink, but Mike Minor has shown that just because you are from a small town it doesn’t mean you can’t have a bigtime game. n

C O M M O D O R E N AT I O N

19

Quick Hits to sign with the Commodores this year.

• J unior Mike Minor was named SEC

Pitcher of the Week on April 13 following his performance against No. 1 Arkansas. Minor worked eight innings, striking out 11, while surrendering just four hits in a 9-0 win on April 10.

• Vanderbilt’s Sonny Gray was named SEC freshman of the week after earning a win and a save in the Florida series. Gray picked up a save on April 4 when he pitched an inning of scoreless relief in a 4-3 win. He then entered in the eighth inning of the game on April 5 with the score tied at 9 and held the Gators to one hit in two innings while striking out three to get the win.

• V U defeated No. 1 Arkansas on April 10 and 11 to earn its first wins over a top-ranked opponent since defeating No. 1 Rice to open the 2007 season.

• A aron Westlake was named the Male Comeback Player of the Year at the Black and Golf Banquet on April 13.

• Former

Commodore Derrick Byars was selected second team All-NBA DLeague on April 6.

• Vanderbilt signee John Jenkins was named the Tennessean Boys High School Player of the Year and was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in Tennessee.

• Jeffery Taylor was named Male Newcomer of the Year at the Black and Gold Banquet on April 13.

• T he team was awarded the Tolbert Cup

and Senior Rob Whiting received the Community Service Award at the Black and Gold Banquet.

• Whiting was selected as Vanderbilt’s male nominee for the H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Post-Graduate Scholarship, which is presented annually to the SEC’s top male and female scholar-athletes.

• Whiting was one of 58 student-athletes from fall sports to receive an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.

• Safety Reshard Langford was named

Mr. Commodore at the Black and Gold Banquet on April 13.

• Bryant Hahnfeldt’s kick in the Music City Bowl earned Play of the Year in male sports at the Black and Gold Banquet.

• Former Commodore Jay Cutler was traded to the Chicago Bears on April 2.

• Vanderbilt announced the signing of wide receiver Collin Ashley to a National Letter of Intent on April 18. He is the 18th player

20

M AY 2 0 0 9

• Vanderbilt officially concluded its 2008

season on March 29 when it held its annual awards banquet and distributed bowl rings.

• Reshard Langford received the Vanderbilt Hustle Award, while George Smith won the Dedication Award and Patrick Benoist earned the Captain’s Award.

• David Leinweber received the Dr. Henry Tyler Academic Achievement Award. D.J. Moore, Steven Stone and Chris Marve were named the Most Valuable Players at their defensive positions.

• Jared Hawkins, Brandon Barden and Thomas Welch were named the Most Valuable Players at their offensive positions.

• Brittni Hamilton was selected as the Divi-

sion I Rookie of the Year.

• Earnest, Hamilton and Senior Michelle

Peloquin were voted as First Team AllAmericans.

• Vanderbilt finished fifth at the 2009 NCAA Bowling Championship in Canton, Mich.

• Vanderbilt announced the signings of Jessica Earnest, Sarah O’Brien, Kim Carper, Courtney Morgan and Lauren Rhein to National Letters of Intent.

• Vanderbilt finished second at the one-

day, 36-hole Ladies Midwest Shootout on April 11. Brooke Goodwin led VU by tying for fourth.

• Vanderbilt finished 10th at the Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational on March 22.

Megan Grehan led the way in 29th place.

• T he Commodores placed third at the

Reunion Intercollegiate on April 7.

Adam Hoffman placed second, while Hudson Johnson tied for 10th and Jon Curran tied for 14th.

• Vanderbilt finished in a tie for 12th at the Schenkel E-Z-Go Invitational on March 23. Jon Curran led the Commodores at the tournament by tying for 20th place.

• Vanderbilt ended its 10-match los-

• Freshman goalkeeper Natalie Wills was

named WomensLax.com Rookie of the Week on March 23 following the team’s 12-7 victory over No. 17 Penn State. Wills has 13 saves and three ground balls in the win.

• Nicole Lukens was named Female

ing streak on April 5 with a 4-3 win at Mississippi State.

Comeback Player of the Year at the Black and Gold Banquet.

• Christina Wirth was named Ms. Commo-

• Heather Steinbauer was named SEC

dore and earned the Jim Robins Award at the Black and Gold Banquet.

• Jennifer Risper was named WBCA National Defensive Player of the Year.

• Wirth was selected as Vanderbilt’s female nominee for the H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Post-Graduate Scholarship, which is presented annually to the SEC’s top male and female scholar-athletes.

• Wirth received honorable mention recognition on the 2009 State Farm Coaches’ All-America Team on April 4.

• W irth was also named to the AllSenior All-America First Team by the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award committee on April 5.

• With and Risper were selected in the 2009 WNBA Draft on April 9. Wirth was selected No. 19 overall by Indiana, while Risper was selected No. 29 overall by Chicago.

• Junior Josie Earnest was named NCAA

Bowler of the Year for the second straight year, becoming the first player to win the award two times.

Freshman of the Week on April 7.

• Steinbauer had clinched three of Van-

derbilt’s previous four wins and was 7-0 in SEC play.

• Anna Carr was named Female New-

comer of the Year at the Black and Gold Banquet on April 13.

• Teegan Hill and Rita Jorgensen had top10 finishes at the Ole Miss Invitational.

• Hill posted some of the top sprint marks in school history. Her time of 24.48 in the 200 meters was the fastest time by a Commodore since Olympian Ryan Tolbert. Hill also placed fifth in the 400-meter dash with a personal-best mark of 55.01. It was the third-fastest outdoor time in school history.

• Jorgensen notched a season-best time of 4:30.97 to place third in the 1500-meter run. Jorgensen also placed eighth in the 800-meter run.

• Mallory Hitt won the heptathlon title at the War Eagle Invite on April 17.

Men’s Sports Women’s Sports

vucommodores.com

C O M M O D O R E N AT I O N

21

22

M AY 2 0 0 9

Del Greco Blazing His Own Trail on the Links

A

vucommodores.com

“I had (my dad) as a coach just about any day I needed him to,” Trey said of his kicking career. “He was out there at practice with me every day, and he could relive what he lived vicariously through me.”

Everything was falling into place for Trey to continue his kicking career in college through his first two years at Spain Park High School in Birmingham, Ala., where Trey played football and golf through his sophomore year. He earned All-City honors as a kicker and won the Class 6A Individual State Championship as a sophomore, but everything changed following that year.

JOHN RUSSELL

round the Nashville metropolitan area, the surname Del Greco conjures up memories of made extra points and game-winning field goals, but on the west side of the city at Vanderbilt University, there is another Del Greco making a name for himself for an entirely different reason.

Trey Del Greco, son of former NFL kicker Al Del Greco, has returned to the city where his dad spent the final years of his professional career with the Tennessee Titans and is making an immediate impact as a freshman on Vanderbilt’s golf team.

Coming to Vanderbilt has been a bit of homecoming for Trey, who spent much of his youth rotating between the city where his father was playing that season and back to Birmingham, Ala., during the offseason. When the Houston Oilers made the permanent move to Nashville for the 1998 season, so did Trey.

“Birmingham was always our home, but Nashville was always a home away from home, and it was the same way in Houston,” Trey said.

The familiarity with the city made the Del Grecos comfortable with Trey coming to Vanderbilt, but it was during their visit to Vanderbilt when they knew it was the place.

“We knew Nashville was a great city to live in,” Al said. “We played that one year in the stadium there but really spent time in the parking lot, went to the game and left. When we took Trey up on an unofficial visit the summer before his senior year, I was blown away with how beautiful that campus is and just how pretty the surroundings were.”

The Del Grecos’ time spent in Nashville made them familiar with the city and the city became familiar with the Del Greco name.

Even nine years after Del Greco made his last field goal for the Titans, the name remains well known throughout the city. That familiarity is something Trey quickly realized upon his arrival at Vanderbilt.

“I’ve gotten it in the airport a couple of times, and I’ll run into it every once in a while where people will ask me if I’m related,” Trey said. “The guys on the team ask me about it and whether it bothers me. It doesn’t really bother me. I feel like I’m at a point in my life now where I’ve gotten that my whole life and now I’d rather get the ‘Hey you're Trey Del Greco’ instead of ‘hey, you are this guy’s son.’

I’d like to make my own name around here.”

So far, Trey has done just that. Although he is the team’s lone freshman, he has been a significant contributor in Vanderbilt’s lineup throughout the season with his best finish coming at the Coca-Cola Duke Invitational in October where he tied for 11th.

Trey has made an impact on the golf course, but he could just as well be making an impact on the football field. For many years he believed the only sport he would be playing in college would be football much like his dad did at Auburn.

Trey Del Greco “I was fortunate to have a pretty good golf season my sophomore year of high school and I enjoyed golf more, but I just didn’t think that I had a chance to go to college,” Trey said.

Trey’s stardom on the links made him rethink what he’d like to do in college and ultimately led him to his decision to give up football his junior year to focus on golf. His decision came as a shock to a lot of people, including himself.

“That was actually a shock to a lot of people that I didn’t go to Auburn,” Trey said. “Up until my sophomore year, I had planned on doing exactly that and going to Auburn and playing football. Just with him kicking in the past there and me being a kicker in high school, I figured I had a chance to follow his path.”

The decision to give up football was a tough one to make, but it was even more difficult to tell his dad.

“I was real nervous the day I told him I wasn’t going to play, because giving it up junior year kind of settled that I wasn’t going to play in

college,” Trey said. “I was really nervous to tell him, but he was happy for me. He completely supported me, and he actually said it was a very smart decision so I was very thankful for him in that respect.”

Seeing his son quit the game he made a career of was especially tough for Al to swallow.

“I was disappointed basically just because I would have liked to have seen how good he could have become,” Al said. “At that time, as a junior in high school, he was much better than I was. Whether he would have developed strengthwise and continued to do that, I don’t know, but just the thought of not having that opportunity kind of threw me a little bit.”

The decision came as a surprise to Al, but the dedication Trey showed to golf from that point forward was unlike anything Al had seen from him before.

“I pretty much knew that golf was Trey’s baby and supported his decision,” Al said. “It wasn’t just because it was to get out of football to goof around and just be a regular student and play golf here and there, he actually worked his tail off every single day during that fall.”

With his father’s blessing, Trey focused completely on golf his junior year, which enabled him to earn his scholarship to Vanderbilt.

“Up until sophomore year, golf was just a hobby of mine,” Trey said. “I worked really hard for about a year and got my scholarship here all settled, so I decided to go back and help the football team my senior year.”

Instead of playing defensive back and wide receiver in addition to his kicking duties like he did his freshman and sophomore year, Trey was purely a kicker.

“I told the coaches that I’d kick, but I can’t stay at practice all day, so they let me come for the first 30 and 45 minutes and let me do what I needed to do,” Trey said. “They actually restructured practice to do kicking at the beginning. I would do that and then I would go practice golf the rest of the afternoon.”

Like football, Trey learned the game of golf from his father, who also made a name for himself on the golf course with his play at the annual American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe. The tournament, which is held each July, pits top celebrities in sports and entertainment against each other. Al has earned 10 top-10 finishes at the event and won it in 2000. His success on the links eventually helped land him a job as the golf coach at Spain Park, where he coached Trey all four years.

“In those tournaments he used to play in, I would go with and I was always that little kid on the range hitting balls with a driver that was taller than me,” Trey said. “He kind of got me into it.”

Trey is following in his father’s footsteps in more ways than one as a Division I athlete in a city where his father is beloved, it just isn’t happening in the sport most people, including himself, had expected. n

C O M M O D O R E N AT I O N

23

The Last Look

Jonathan White focuses on the ball as he prepares to lay down a bunt.

This photo and dozens more are available for purchase by visiting the photo store on vucommodores.com.

24

M AY 2 0 0 9

JOHN RUSSELL

EYE CONTACT

5 \YUfh YlUa XcYgbÁh ^igh dfchYWh mcif ZihifY" =h dfchYWhg h\Y]fg" DfchYWh]b[ mcif ZUa]`m ghUfhg k]h\ dfchYWh]b[ mcifgY`Z" 5 W\YW_!id Zfca JUbXYfV]`h <YUfh WUb XYhYfa]bY ]Z mciÁfY `]_Y`m hc VY Uh f]g_ Zcf \YUfh X]gYUgY UbX k\c Y`gY ]b mcif ZUa]`m aUm VY Uh f]g_" <YUfh X]gYUgY dfYjYbh]cb ]g ^igh cbY dUfh cZ U WcadfY\Ybg]jY \YUfh UbX jUgWi`Uf dfc[fUa h\Uh cZZYfg U Zi`` fUb[Y cZ gdYW]U`hm X]U[bcgh]W UbX d\mg]W]Ub Wcbgi`hUh]cb gYfj]WYg" Hc hU_Y WUfY cZ mcif ZUa]`m hU_Y WUfY cZ mcif \YUfh" B] aQVSRcZS O VSO`b SfO[ Ob bVS QZW\WQ \SO`Sab g]c dWaWb DO\RS`PWZb6SO`b Q][ ]` QOZZ ca Ob $ # ! ³ ! &

BVS ]\Zg BS\\SaaSS V]a^WbOZ `O\YSR O[]\U C A <Sea E]`ZR @S^]`b¸a /[S`WQO¸a 0Sab 6]a^WbOZa & T]` 6SO`b 6SO`b Ac`US`g