COMMODORE NATION State oƒ
SPECIAL
ISSUE LEADERS AND CHAMPIONS
September 2014
All of us cheering for you. At U.S. Bank, we team together to support our customers and our communities. We are pleased to champion athletic programs that enrich the quality of life for everyone. You can count on every U.S. Banker to serve you – and to cheer on the spirit of teamwork – from the start of the game to the final whistle.
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A WELCOME FROM DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS David Williams
THERE IS A SIGN THAT HANGS IN TD AMERITRADE PARK THAT READS “HISTORY HAPPENS HERE.” For the tens of thousands of Vanderbilt fans who either attended the College World Series in person or who were glued to their television sets during much of June, there would be whole-hearted agreement in that statement. And as we experienced that history in Omaha, we also enjoyed a sports year that history would regard as one of the finest on our campus. Everyone was thrilled with our national championship in baseball. We couldn’t be prouder of or happier for Coach Tim Corbin, who has been loyal to Vanderbilt University throughout his 11 years of building our program into a national power. In many ways, our shining baseball program signifies what I believe our entire department strives for and can achieve. We have many quality programs that with hard work over time have built themselves into national contenders. We have been a national leader for years in academic performance and are the model for many with our firm commitment to integrity. The public’s perception of our department has changed over the last decade; gone are the days of cynical jokes or lovable loser tags. Today we proudly stand as a program that has been to three consecutive football bowl games, winning two, has won recent Southeastern Conference championships including the 2014 women’s golf title and a program that has fine traditions in nearly every varsity sport. We had our best Director’s Cup finish in five years. The past year was one in which we christened new facilities such as the wonderful Vanderbilt Recreation and Wellness Center and its 120-yard turf field, cutting-edge running track, bowling center and other amenities. We entertained a full house at the dedication of the sparkling Golf House and Conner Family Hitting Bays at the Vanderbilt Legends Club. We have evolved into a program that can attract the talents of Derek Mason as our football coach from Stanford. We have been able to keep top coaches in part because of your support and their belief that winning championships and coaching at the top echelon of their sport happen here. We continue Vanderbilt’s age-old tradition of first-class academics, achieving for the eighth consecutive year a student-athlete composite grade point over 3.0. When I access our overall program and the steady progress we have made since 2003, I am both energized and challenged. We are on the path to greatness but each year poses new challenges and opportunities. With your help and enthusiasm, we can continue to build the Vanderbilt Commodore brand into one of the nation’s beacons of excellence. I hope you will enjoy the contents of this “State of the Nation.” It was a year well worth remembering! Anchor Down!
DAVID WILLIAMS II Vice Chancellor and Athletics Director
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C O M M O D O R E N AT I O N
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ATHLETIC Highlights
TEAM
National Champions
H Bowling reaches ninth straight NCAA Championship and finishes fifth
H Department finishes 45th in Directors
Cup standings for best mark since 2007
H Football ties a school record for the
second straight year with nine wins, reaches third straight bowl and wins back-to-back bowl games for first time in program history
H Women’s golf team wins SEC
championship and NCAA East Regional, Simin Feng is named SEC Freshman of the Year and wins the SEC individual championship and Jenny Hahn wins medalist honors at East Regional
H Women’s cross country reaches the NCAA Championships for a school record third straight year
H Both golf teams make NCAA Championship, with the women finishing tied for 10th
H Both tennis teams reach NCAA Tournament, with the women advancing to the Sweet 16
H Both Ryan Lipman and Austin Gonzales (men’s tennis) earn All-American honors after reaching the NCAA Quarterfinals, the first doubles team to do so in school history
H Two-sport athlete Simone Charley earns All-American honors in the triple jump and breaks the school record five times. She also was an All-SEC Freshman selection for the soccer team.
H Seven teams are named in the top 10 percent of their sport by the NCAA based on APR scores
H Jordan Matthews (football) and Simone Charley (track and field, soccer) are named the school’s Athletes of the Year
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The 2014 BASEBALL TEAM wins the national championship with a 3-2 victory over Virginia on June 25, 2014, at the College World Series. It is the first national title for a men’s sport at Vanderbilt and just the second of any sport (bowling captured the 2007 national championship).
SEC Champions
The WOMEN’S GOLF TEAM captured its second SEC championship and first since 2004. Freshman SIMIN FENG, the SEC’s Freshman of the Year, was also the medalist. The WOMEN’S GOLF TEAM also received the TOLBERT CUP, which is presented annually to the team with the best combination of academics, athletics and community service. In addition to winning the SEC Championship, the Commodores claimed the NCAA East Regional title and finished 10th at the NCAA Championship. The team also had a 3.655 team GPA and logged 103.5 hours of community service.
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COMMUNITY Service
“credit” or undue attention. The registered hours reflect an increase of 29 percent from the prior academic year.
Along with academic and athletic achievement, service is the third leg of the priority tripod inside Vanderbilt Athletics. Every year Commodore individuals and teams donate hundreds of hours— often more than 1,000 hours—of their scarce free time to volunteer around the Middle Tennessee community. During 2013-14 Vanderbilt student-athletes donated 1,673.5 hours toward making our community a better place to live by reaching out to help those in need of assistance. Those hours only reflect the time reported to our Life Skills office; there are always staff and students who volunteer beyond what they report because they are helping for the right reasons and not to receive
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SEPTEMBER 2014
Nine of our 15 programs contributed over 100 hours of service, a substantial total when considering their schedules. From the students’ viewpoint, they are most proud of the Commodores Compete for a Cause, a creation of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee several years ago. A charity is identified and then the teams raise money for that cause in a friendly competition with each other. This year the students chose Special Olympics of Middle Tennessee and collectively proceeded to raise $6,400 on its behalf. Among the year’s other service recipients were the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, Harris-Hillman Special Education School, Vanderbilt Stallworth Rehabilitation Hospital, the annual Trick or Treat event, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Ronald McDonald House and Rocketown.
Other activities include various reading trips to area schools, appearances at elementary school events and charity fundraisers and promotion of good health initiatives. The list from the 350 student-athletes and staff is lengthy! The Department of Athletics also assists many other worthy organizations including the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, Salvation Army Angel Tree, Vanderbilt University Medical Center and many local elementary school fundraisers to name a few.
AT REGIONS, EVERY DAY IS GAME DAY. Game day brings out the best in all of us. Leadership. Teamwork. Tradition. Spirit. These are the things we love about college football. They’re also the values that drive our more than 22,000 associates at Regions to give you the products, advice and guidance you need to move life forward.
Š 2014 Regions Bank.
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AWARD WINNERS Athletes of the Year
JORDAN MATTHEWS Football The all-time leading receiver in the Southeastern Conference, Matthews embodied Vanderbilt values of character, sportsmanship, leadership and work ethic. The Madison, Ala., product won numerous honors after setting five SEC records, ending his collegiate career by earning MVP honors at the BBVA Compass Bowl. He is now a member of the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles.
SIMONE CHARLEY Soccer, Track and Field Charley burst onto the collegiate scene as a freshman. The Birmingham, Ala., product made the SEC’s all-freshman soccer team before joining the track and field team, where she earned secondteam All-America honors in the triple jump. Additionally, she also achieved All-Academic honors by track and field’s national coaching organization.
Brad Davis Award Nominee BRIONNE WILLIAMS Track and Field The Southeastern Conference salutes its champions of community service with this annual award, which is accompanied by a postgraduate scholarship. In addition to captaining the track team and making Vanderbilt’s Dean’s List, Williams participated in eight different service projects and organizations including Habitat for Humanity, Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, Vanderbilt F.O.O.D. and even a community development project in South Africa.
SEC Champion SIMIN FENG Golf In her freshman year, Simin Feng won the Southeastern Conference Tournament by eight strokes in leading the Commodores to the SEC title. Feng earned second-team All-America honors.
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Boyd McWhorter Award Nominees The Boyd McWhorter Award is sponsored by the Southeastern Conference and is awarded to the top male and female student-athletes in the league with grade point average and character the primary criteria. Each institution nominates its top male and female, who receive a $7,500 post-graduate scholarship. KENDRA HENDRIX Soccer Hendrix graduated in Public Policy, Community Sustainability in May. She overcame her lower income neighborhood to develop into a community service star who was a member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll, a three-year soccer letter winner and a leader on the campus. FITZ LASSING Football Lassing was a brilliant student, graduating with a major in economics. He was a fouryear letterman and four-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll who earned numerous academic honors during his undergraduate tenure.
ACADEMIC Excellence Vanderbilt’s long tradition of academic excellence continued during the 2013-14 year. Commodore student-athletes exceeded the 3.0 composite achieved a 3.0 grade point average for at least one semester.
H 206 STUDENT-ATHLETES MADE SEC HONOR ROLL (61% OF TOTAL)
3.
H 123 EARNED DEAN’S LIST DISTINCTION (37%)
Commodore GPA Average
H 235 HAD 3.0 GRADE POINT OR HIGHER (70%)
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grade point average for the eighth consecutive year while seven in 10
cumulative grade point average
Baseball 2.862 Men’s basketball 2.985 Women’s basketball 2.707 Bowling 3.309 Men’s cross country 3.712 Women’s cross country 3.416 Football 2.792 Men’s golf 3.144 Women’s golf 3.648 Lacrosse 3.374 Soccer 3.476 Swimming 3.180 Men’s tennis 3.271 Women’s tennis 3.366 Track and field 3.072
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The city’s hottest spots, all under one roof.
Discover a variety of culinary delights and escape to one of the only full-service spas downtown. Connected to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and adjacent to the Music City Center. We’re ready for you Nashville — like nothing you’ve ever experienced before.
STUDY ABROAD During the academic year, 10 student-athletes from the sports of soccer, football, swimming and
England
men’s cross country were able to study abroad in six countries. Destination locations were Spain, Italy,
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland, France, South Africa and England.
Football’s PATTON ROBINETTE, a pre-med
student, traveled to France where the quarterback took a comparative health systems class in Paris
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France
before heading to Marseilles.
Soccer’s ASHLEY OSWALD spent her Maymester taking a course called “Economics, War and Conflict” in London. Oswald, a rising senior, also ventured around, stepping in both the Western and Eastern Hemispheres at the prime meridian while also stopping in Paris for a weekend.
Italy Spain South Africa C O M M O D O R E N AT I O N
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Nation on the Rise
Vanderbilt Athletics signed a multi-year
Vanderbilt generated over $500,000 in
The College World Series championship
contract with Nike, the world’s leader in
royalties that are earmarked for university
produced tremendous sales of merchan-
the design, development, manufacture
scholarships.
dise. Nine large retail chains are carrying
and marketing of athletic-related foot-
Large vendors such as Academy Sports,
this merchandise. The composite sales
wear, apparel, equipment and accessories.
Cracker Barrel, Wal-mart and Costco were
figures are not known as this issue goes
The partnership will not only benefit all
some of the retailers either adding more
to press.
Vanderbilt varsity teams through uni-
store locations or expanding their Vander-
forms, practice gear and equipment but
bilt product line during the year.
it is believed that alumni and friends will also see additional high-quality Vanderbilt merchandise on store shelves.
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SEPTEMBER 2014
THE INCREASING IMPORTANCE OF DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS
H Both VUcommodores.com and the department’s social media outreach registered their best years in 2013-14.
H Overall website traffic soared 23% in unique visitors and improved an additional 4% in page views in comparison to 2012-13.
H The numbers also reflect the power of winning an NCAA championship. Vanderbilt smashed its monthly unique visitors record after capturing the College World Series title. In June, unique visitors spiked 167% over normal months.
H Another statistic that stands out: mobile traffic. From March to June, handheld devices accounted for 37% of unique visitors and 27% of page views on VUcommodores.com. VU also landed at No. 4 in CBS’s Top 50 rankings for mobile page impressions and unique visitors from April to June.
DIGITAL MEDIA GROWTH
H Vanderbilt achieved its highest rankings ever in CBS’s Top 50 quarterly report for page impressions (14th overall) and unique visitors (16th), both set in April-June 2014. Previous high: No. 21
H Record Monthly Average: 222,635, 23% increase (+41,249), breaks 2011-12 record average of 186,069
H From March to June, mobile traffic accounted for 37% of overall unique visitors on VUcommodores.com
H VU’s College World Series run produced 133% increase in unique traffic for June; also accounted for 153% increase in page views
H 42% of unique visits during College World Series run in June were viewed via mobile devices; 34% of page views during this time were viewed on mobile devices
H For National Signing Day on Feb. 5, 2014, VUcommodores.com was one of the most-viewed CBS Interactive sites for the third year in a row, finishing at No. 11 overall in page views and No. 18 in unique visitors
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SOCIAL MEDIA STATS FOR 2013-14
H Twitter: @VandyBaseball 93% growth in followers; @VUcommodores 65% growth; @VandyFootball 65% growth
H Facebook: Vanderbilt University Athletics exceeded 100,000 followers; 102% growth since last July
H Instagram: @VUcommodores 264% increase in followers
H Vine: @VUcommodores 121% increase in followers
H Vine: Tyler Beede draft selection clip retweeted over 4,764 times and featured on MLB Network draft coverage
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FACILITIES
THE RECREATION AND WELLNESS CENTER OPENED ITS FABULOUS MULTI-PURPOSE WING IN OCTOBER. THE IMPACT:
H
Inclement weather no longer curtailed team practices.
H A high school track and field meet drew nearly 600 competitors from seven states and produced some national caliber times.
H The campus community was able to use the new Mondo track surface for its own fitness purposes.
H Various large campus convocations and meetings were hosted here, including an Information Technology meeting (pictured above).
H The facility was built entirely through generous philanthrophy from alumni and friends.
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SEPTEMBER 2014
THE NEW BOWLING CENTER IN THE RENOVATED RECREATION AND WELLNESS CENTER WAS OPENED IN JANUARY. THE IMPACT:
H
Practice sessions were held on campus instead of requiring the one-hour per day commute to the previous practice site.
H
Individual practice sessions, allowed by the NCAA but previously impractical due to the distance, were instituted.
H
IMG marketing held a special event with some sponsors and Commodore coaches.
H
The campus community now has another recreation outlet when the Commodore team is not practicing.
THE VANDERBILT GOLF TRAINING CENTER AND THE CONNER FAMILY HITTING BAYS WERE DEDICATED IN SEPTEMBER 2013. THE IMPACT:
H
The cutting-edge technology in the Vanderbilt Golf Training Center and the Conner Family Hitting Bays helped the women’s team win the SEC championship for the first time in 10 years and the men’s team reach the NCAA championship field for the first time since 2007, where it placed 16th.
H
Commodore teams have beautiful locker rooms, perhaps the finest in the SEC or beyond, and a welcome place to store gear, shower after practices or simply to relax with a game of ping-pong.
H
The facilities were built entirely through generous philanthrophy from alumni and friends.
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TEAM Reviews BASEBALL • The team won Vanderbilt’s first-ever men’s national championship, going 51-21. • The Commodores advanced to the school’s second College World Series and hosted NCAA Regionals and Super Regionals for the third time in four years. • Dansby Swanson was named the Most Outstanding Player of the CWS and was one of four Commodores to make the All-Tournament team, along with Tyler Campbell, John Norwood and Rhett Wiseman. • Pitcher Tyler Beede was tabbed MVP of the Nashville Regional and Swanson, Vince Conde, Bryan Reynolds and Walker Buehler were named to the All-Tournament Team. • The ’Dores won 50-plus games for the third time in four years and played in a school record 72 games. • Head Coach Tim Corbin was named the consensus National Coach of the Year. • Dansby Swanson and Vince Conde were named All-Americans with Bryan Reynolds and Hayden Stone earning Freshman All-American honors. • Conde earned the second Gold Glove Award in Vandy history, joining Sonny Gray as the only two ’Dores to win the award. • Five ’Dores were drafted—all in the first 15 rounds—with Beede going 14th overall in the first round to the San Francisco Giants.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL • Reached the NCAA Tournament for the 15th straight season; Vanderbilt is one of only eight schools (along with UConn, Duke, Georgia, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Stanford and Tennessee) to accomplish this feat. • Posted seven victories over NCAA tournament teams—Tennessee, LSU, Texas A&M, Georgia, Western Kentucky, Dayton and James Madison.
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SEPTEMBER 2014
• Defeated three ranked opponents in the span of 15 days, including beating No. 8 Tennessee, 74-63, on Jan. 12. It was VU’s third win over UT in six years. • Climbed as high as No. 16 in the AP poll and held that spot for two consecutive weeks (Jan. 20 and 27) and again on Feb. 10. • Senior guard Christina Foggie won the SEC scoring title after averaging a career-best 19.0 points per game. • Foggie became the school’s all-time leader in 3-pointers (276) and moved up to seventh on the school’s all-time scoring list (1,743). • Foggie was a second-round draft pick by the Minnesota Lynx, and was the highest drafted player among SEC players. • Foggie and Jasmine Lister were each named All-American Honorable Mention.
MEN’S BASKETBALL • Head Coach Kevin Stallings, who won his 279th career game with Vanderbilt against Lipscomb on November 15, is now the all-time Vanderbilt wins leader, surpassing legendary coach Roy Skinner. Stallings now has 292 wins at Vanderbilt, is the wins leader at Memorial Gym with 198 and has 415 victories as a head coach. • Senior Rod Odom was named to the All-SEC Second Team by league coaches after averaging a team-leading 13.6 points in 2013-14. • Freshman post player Damian Jones had an outstanding freshman campaign, and was named to the All-SEC Freshman team by the league’s coaches. He averaged 11.3 points and 5.7 rebounds per contest, scored in double figures in 20 games and had five double-doubles on the season.
• Vanderbilt has made a 3-pointer in 896 consecutive games, a streak which began at the inception of the 3-point line in 1986-87. The Commodores rank second only to UNLV for the longest streak in Division I basketball and are one of just three teams (along with UNLV and Princeton) to make a 3-pointer in every game since its inception.
BOWLING • Vanderbilt earned its ninth straight bid to the NCAA Championship’s final field of eight. • The Commodores placed fifth at the NCAA Championship and finished with 79-40 record. • The team christened sparkling new bowling lanes in Recreation and Wellness Center in January. • Sophomore Robyn Renslow earned second-team All-America honors for second straight year. • Junior Natalie Goodman was named an honorable mention All-America selection. • Finished regular season strong, winning own invitational that included 19 of top 20 teams. • Team had third perfect game in program history. • Team posted a 3.28 GPA and placed three on the Dean’s List.
WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY • The Commodores earned their third consecutive bid to the NCAA Championships, where they placed 27th nationally. • Vanderbilt finished second at the NCAA South Regional, scoring 116 points, and took 5th at the SEC Championships. • Liz Anderson, Sara Barron, Rebecca Chandler, Amira Joseph, Hannah Jumper, Grace Orders, Kara Slavoski, Vanessa Valentine, Lily Williams and Megan Yohe were all named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll. • Reagan Anderson, Carmen Carlos and Courtney Kriegshauser were named to the SEC FirstYear Academic Honor Roll.
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• The Commodores were named All-Academic Team by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). They earned the honor with a 3.43 GPA. Also, senior Liz Anderson earned a spot among the Division Women’s Individual All-Academic Honorees for the third time in her career after posting a 3.48 GPA.
• Matthews, Andre Hal, Wesley Johnson and Kenny Ladler earned All-SEC recognition while Andrew Jelks was named to the All-SEC Freshman team.
MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
• Vanderbilt knocked off No. 15 Georgia in a come-from-behind victory for its first win over a ranked opponent in five years. The Commodores also won at Florida for the first time since 1945 and defeated Tennessee in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1926.
• The Commodores competed at the NCAA South Regional, finishing 21st.
WOMEN’S GOLF
• Junior John Ewing posted a personal-best of 25:38.13 to finish 57th overall at the SEC Championships. • The Commodores were named All-Academic Team by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The Commodores earned their spot on the list with a 3.63 team GPA—the third-highest mark among all qualifiers. • John Ewing was named to the SEC Community Service Team. • Andrew Bachman, Matthew Cleveland, John Ewing, Andrew Fix, Nick French, Dan Henderson, David McAdams and Sam Reilly were all named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll. • Sam Andrews, Nikolaos Gkotsis and Jake Van Geffen were named to the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll.
FOOTBALL • The Commodores made their fourth bowl appearance in six years and a school-record third straight. • Vanderbilt defeated Houston in the BBVA Compass Bowl to win consecutive bowls for the first time in program history. The Commodores also won nine games in successive seasons for the first time in program history. • Jordan Matthews, who was drafted in the second round by the Philadelphia Eagles, became the SEC’s all-time leader in career receptions, career receiving yards and singleseason catches.
• The Commodores won four tournaments this year, with all happening in the spring. Vanderbilt won the Central District Invitational in its spring opener for the first team win of the Greg Allen era, and captured the 3M Lady Jaguar Intercollegiate, the SEC Championship and the NCAA East Regional. • Vanderbilt won the SEC Championship and the NCAA Regional by a combined 25 shots. The Commodores captured the SEC title by 11 shots and the East Regional by 14 shots. • Vanderbilt claimed the SEC team and individual championship in April at the Greystone Golf and Country Club, with the team winning by 11 strokes over second-place South Carolina and freshman Simin Feng earning medalist honors. • The Commodores did the double again at the East Regional. It was their second regional championship, wth Jennifer Hahn claiming medalist honors. • Three Commodores were honored by the SEC for their play this season. Feng was named the conference’s Freshman of the Year, while also being honored on the All-SEC First Team and the All-Freshman team. Sophomore Jennifer Hahn was named to the All-SEC Second Team, while freshman Antonia Scherer was named to the All-Freshman team. Feng was also named a second-team All-American by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association.
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MEN’S GOLF • The Commodores appeared in their eighth NCAA Regional in 2014 in San Antonio, Texas, and advanced to their fourth national championship. Vanderbilt placed 16th for its highest finish in program history. • Vanderbilt’s 273 in the second round of the San Antonio Regional set a new Briggs Ranch Golf Course collegiate team scoring record, and the total is the fifth-best singleround team score in program history. The Commodores’ back nine performance contributed mightily to the record-setting day, with Vanderbilt’s counters going a combined 11-under par in the stretch. • Vanderbilt won two team tournaments in 201314, claiming the Osprey/Eagle Intercollegiate and the Talis Park Challenge, and five events in the last two years. The Commodores had seven other top five finishes this season. • Junior Hunter Stewart won The Players Amateur in the summer of 2013, which allowed him to play in the PGA Tour’s RBC Heritage in April of 2014. The Lexington, Ky., native fired a tworound score of five-over, 147 (74-73) at the RBC Heritage and missed the cut by one stroke. • Freshman Matthias Schwab, from Rohrmoos, Austria, was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team after he posted the team’s lowest stroke average for the year and won medalist honors at the Carmel Cup in his first collegiate tournament. Schwab is the first Vanderbilt player to be named to the SEC’s All-Freshman Team, which began in 2008.
LACROSSE • The Commodores knocked off two ranked opponents, No. 13 Stanford in overtime on the road and No. 9 and undefeated Johns Hopkins, for their first wins over ranked foes in two years. • Senior defender Alyssa Dunlap was named to the All-West Region Second Team by the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association. • Dunlap was a first-team All-American Lacrosse Conference selection. Senior attacker Abby Wheeler was tabbed to the second team.
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SEPTEMBER 2014
• Wheeler scored seven goals—the secondmost in program history—in the win over Stanford, including the game-winner with less than 35 seconds left. • Freshman Jill Doherty was named to the AllALC Tournament Team after scoring a careerhigh five goals against Northwestern in the opening round of the ALC Tournament. • The American Lacrosse Conference, which Vanderbilt joined as a charter member, dissolved after 13 seasons. In 2015, the Commodores will play in the eight-team Big East Conference, which will include SEC foe Florida.
SOCCER • The Commodores upset No. 23 Wisconsin on the road for their first win over a ranked opponent in nearly two years. • Cheyna Williams was named First Team All-SEC after scoring 16 goals, which tied for the second-most in a single season in school history. • Simone Charley was named to the SEC AllFreshman Team after scoring five goals and dishing out five assists. • Vanderbilt scored 37 goals for its highest scoring outburst in eight years. The Commodores also averaged 2.06 goals a game, its highest scoring clip since 2000.
SWIMMING • T he team broke 15 school records at the SEC Swimming and Diving Championships. • Elly Faulkner set three school records at the SEC meet and reached the finals of the 200yard breaststroke. Chrissy Oberg also reached the C-final in the 200-yard backstroke. • Senior Alyxandra Vernon was named to the SEC Community Service Team. • Fourteen members of the team were named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll and First-Year Academic Honor Roll.
WOMEN’S TENNIS
TRACK AND FIELD
• The Commodores finished the season ranked 11th in the country by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. It was this team’s best final ranking since 2008.
• The Commodores sent a total of nine representatives—who qualified in a school-record seven events—to the NCAA East Outdoor Preliminaries.
• The team reached the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2011. It was the team’s 20th straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Along with the men, they hosted the NCAA Regional together for the first time in 11 years.
• Freshman Simone Charley had a record-setting season in the (outdoor) triple jump, and qualified for both the NCAA Championships and the USATF Junior National Championships. Charley earned Second Team All-American honors after a ninth-place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. She also earned a fifth-place finish at the SEC Outdoor Championships.
• Frances Altick, Courtney Colton and Lauren Mira advanced to the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships. • Frances Altick was named First Team All-SEC while Marie Casares and Georgina Sellyn were tabbed to the second team. Sydney Campbell was named SEC Co-Freshman of the Year. Ashleigh Antal was named to the All-SEC Tournament Team after helping the Commodores to the semifinals. • Head coach Geoff Macdonald picked up his 500th career win and now has 511 wins. He is just three wins shy of 400 in 20 years at Vanderbilt.
MEN’S TENNIS • The Commodores made their 13th trip to the NCAA Tournament, hosting an NCAA Regional along with the women’s team. Vanderbilt lost in the second round to No. 16 Columbia but finished ranked 20th by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. • Gonzales Austin and Ryan Lipman earned AllAmerican honors in singles and doubles. The doubles pair reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament and Austin and Lipman each reached the Sweet 16 in singles. • Lipman, a three-time All-American, finished his career as the school’s all-time career leader in combined wins. He totaled 174 wins with 96 coming in singles play.
• Charley broke the school record in the triple jump early in the outdoor season, and went on to break her own record four more times, including a jump of 43-2.50 at the Junior nationals in her final competition of the year. • In addition to Charley, numerous other Commodores established outdoor school records, including Liz Anderson in both the10K (33:44.76) and the 5K (16:07.34); Amira Joseph in the Steeplechase (10:27.72); Sarah Bell in the pole vault (13-3.50); and the 4x200 relay team of Erin Edmond, Skyler Carpenter, Courtney Clayton and Charley (1:40.24). • Jennifer Cannon, Skyler Carpenter, Ellie Tidman and Brionne Williams were all named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll. Also, Sarah Bell, Courtney Clayton and Tierney Price were named to the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll. • The Commodores scored points in six separate events at the SEC Indoor Championships— representing the best overall showing in head coach Steve Keith’s tenure. Anderson broke the school record while taking fourth in the 5K with a time of 16:14.30, and Williams earned a share of fourth place in the high jump (1.78m) to augment the Commodores’ highlights.
• The men also hosted the SEC Championships and reached the semifinals for the first time since 2003 by upsetting top-seed and No. 9 ranked Georgia.
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NOTEworthy Women’s basketball coach MELANIE BALCOMB served on the USA Basketball Junior National Team Committee to help select the USA Basketball Women’s U18 National Team.
Men’s basketball coach KEVIN STALLINGS surpassed Roy Skinner last year with his 279th win at Vanderbilt in the second game of the season to become the program’s winningest coach. Stallings, who begins his 16th year, now has 292 wins at Vanderbilt.
TIM CORBIN was named the unanimous National Coach of the Year after leading the Commodores to the national championship.
Cross country and track coach STEVE KEITH led the women’s cross country team to its school record third straight NCAA Championships while he also battled myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). The rare cancer is now in remission.
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SEPTEMBER 2014
STAFF NEWS & Achievements
Director of Broadcasting JOE FISHER was named the Tennessee Co-Sportscaster of the Year. Fisher begins his 17th season as the play-by-play voice at Vanderbilt.
Women’s basketball athletic trainer MICHELE LOFTIS won the inaugural Chris Patrick SEC Athletic Trainer of the Year Award.
Director of Ticketing ERIC JONES won the Karen Dolan Spirit Award for service with University Staff Advisory Council.
COME TO HARPETH HALL
Go Beyond YOUR EXPECTATIONS!
Vanderbilt staff and student-athletes underwent Green Dot training, a program which promotes safety on campus
ADMISSION OPEN HOUSE For Parents and Daughters Sunday, November 9 • 2 p.m. Registration begins at 1:30 p.m.
www.harpethhall.org
3801 Hobbs Road | Nashville, TN 37215 | 615-346-0126 Financial Aid Available
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SEPTEMBER 2014
INVEST IN LEADERS AND CHAMPIONS!
Join the National Commodore Club and help Vanderbilt prepare our 350 student-athletes to become leaders and champions. Support from Commodore Nation is an integral part of our student-athletes’ success. Annual gifts to the NCC are needed for Vanderbilt to continue to offer competitive scholarships, recruit talented student-athletes, and provide them with the education and environment to win. Thank you for your support of Vanderbilt Athletics and our ’Dores!
Contact us! CALL: (615) 322-4114 EMAIL: ncc@vanderbilt.edu VISIT: NationalCommodoreClub.com vucommodores.com
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ALUMNI in the Spotlight
MARINA ALEX (’12) finished tied for ninth at the Women’s British Open while competing in her first major tournament as a professional golfer.
COMMODORES MEAGAN MARTIN (’12 track and field) is a professional rock climber who recently became the third female to complete the qualifying course on NBC’s American Ninja Warrior. LARRY SMITH (’11 football) is finishing his master’s degree and is the quarterbacks coach at Jacksonville State University.
MORE
JENCE RHOADS (’11 women’s basketball) tried out for and made the national team for USA Team Handball. Jence, who played basketball professionally in Europe, is following in the footsteps of her mother, Melinda, who played on the 1984 Olympic handball team.
Former football players LORENZO PARKER
STEPHANIE FALCONE (’12 swimming)
JORDAN COLEMAN (’12 women’s
(’04) and JOEL CALDWELL (’09) recently
majored in fine arts and managerial studies
basketball) received her master’s degree in
completed their law degrees while JOHN
and is a singer-songwriter in Nashville. She
sports administration from Belmont and is
STOKES (’10) is enrolled at Vanderbilt School
recently released a single, “What Are You
living in Shanghai.
of Medicine.
Waiting For” on iTunes.
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SEPTEMBER 2014
A total of 10 former Vanderbilt standouts were on MLB teams in 2014. Three (TAYLOR HILL, CURT CASALI and DREW VERHAGEN) made their Major League debuts. Casali was actually the catcher for another former Commodore, DAVID PRICE, in a game before Price was traded to the Detroit Tigers. JONATHAN GOFF (’07 football) is an application engineer at Turck Inc., in Minneapolis. CHRIS MARVE (’11 football) completed two years for Teach for America and is currently back at Vanderbilt as a graduate assistant on the football team.
SONNY GRAY made his Major League debut in 2013, pitched two games in the playoffs, started on Opening Day in 2014 and was named American League Pitcher of the Month twice.
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C O M M O D O R E N AT I O10:13 N AM23 7/26/13
Class of 2014 After graduating in May (or December for some), the Class of 2014 didn’t waste any time jumping into the next chapter of their lives. Of the Class of 2014’s 60 student-athletes, 31 percent have jobs, 22 percent are pursuing their sport professionally and 17 percent have enrolled in grad school. While 10 are heading to grad school, Kendra Hendrix (soccer) has joined the Peace Corps for two years, Megan Yohe (cross country and track) is serving others through missionary work in Colombia and Alyxandra Vernon (swimming) has joined Teach For America in Alabama.
31% Already have jobs
BRANDI BYNER (lacrosse) is headed to
ABBY CARR (soccer) is a research assistant at
grad school for counseling at Wake Forest.
the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research.
5% Service work
7% Traveling for a year before attending law school, nursing school or medical school
17% Grad school
22% Plan on pursuing their sport
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SEPTEMBER 2014
18%
Athletic’s 2012 Revenues PATRICK SUTTON (football) is working at the In 000’s Kennedy Krieger Institute, which is dedicated
Undecided/Searching for jobs
to helping children with brain disorders.
GENEROUS Alumni and Friends $10,732,546, the second highest overall total
Despite this strong growth, giving to the
demonstrated their passion and generos-
in six years. These commitments included
important NCC unrestricted fund, which
ity for Commodore athletics during the
annual gifts, scholarships, endowment gifts
directly helps underwrite the entire
2013-14 year. For the first time in history,
and support for facilities.
athletic department and specifically
the National Commodore Club is truly
The popularity of sport-specific NCC
student-athlete scholarships, was at
national, with members residing in all 50
Excellence Funds continued to grow
$3.5 MILLION, the second-highest
states and even six countries around the
with giving to individual sport programs
total in the past five years.
world. The NCC ended its year with 6,618
up by 28 PERCENT during the year.
members, 868 of whom were new.
Through this relatively new program,
Total gifts and pledges to athletics giving
donors can earmark which sport they
was up more than $2.5 million to a total of
wish their gifts to impact directly.
6,618 NCC Members
2012-2013
Vanderbilt alumni and friends once again
Multipurpose Facility
50
states and
6
countries
2012-2013
2013-ongoing
(including 868 new members) in
Vanderbilt Golf Training Center Training Room
TOTAL PHILANTHROPIC SUPPORT TO ATHLETICS
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2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
$5,555,787
$6,488,412
$13,966,768
$8,120,290
$10,732,546
SEPTEMBER 2014
A In
FINANCIAL Health
Plant Expense 5%
Other Income 7%
REVENUE (FY14)
Sponsorship 4%
SEC Revenue 37%
IDS, Supplies & Expenses 12%
Debt Service & Reserves 5% Salaries 39% Ticket Income 15% Scholarships 21%
Gifts 6%
University Investment 26%
EXPENSES (FY14)
Endowment Income 5%
Recruiting, Uniforms & Team Travel 12%
Game Expenses & Guarantees 6%
A In
Athletic’s 2012 Revenues In 000’s
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C O M M O D O R E N AT I O N
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MISSION STATEMENT We prepare student-athletes to become leaders and champions in life by placing the highest values on integrity, character, sportsmanship and victory.
Vanderbilt University is committed to principles of equal opportunity and affirmative action. “Vanderbilt� and the Vanderbilt logo are registered trademarks and service marks of Vanderbilt University. Produced by Vanderbilt University Creative Services and Vanderbilt Printing Services, 2014. This publication is recyclable. Please recycle it.
TAKE VANDERBILT GAME DAY TO THE NEXT LEVEL. Stay connected to the Commodores with cutting edge smart devices on Verizon XLTE, the next advancement of America’s Largest and Most Reliable Network. With double the 4G LTE bandwidth in cities coast to coast, stream and share more Vanderbilt football than ever before.
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C O M M O D O R E N AT I O N
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CELEBRATES
2014 Baseball National Champions Š2014 The Coca-Cola Company.