2014-15 Vanderbilt Athletics Annual Report

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SPECIAL

ISSUE LEADERS AND CHAMPIONS

October 2015

A WELCOME FROM DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS David Williams

Vanderbilt teams won major championships and remained a respected leader in collegiate athletics against a backdrop of historic national lawsuits, network television launches, facility arms races and eye-catching financial deals during the 2014-15 sports year.

In an era of complexity, we have strived to keep our focus on what is truly important on a college campus—the student-athlete. Our Mission Statement says we prepare student-athletes to become leaders and champions in life and we have let those simple words guide us through many decisions along the way. We are, after all, an educational enterprise—not a professional sports franchise.

We have much to be proud about in 2014-15. As a representative of one of America’s finest universities, Commodore teams have audacious academic goals. One of our biggest is to achieve a 3.20 cumulative grade point average for all 340 student-athletes, which would replicate the general student GPA. While we have been above 3.0 for nine straight years, the 3.2 seemed distant until now and while we landed a fraction short with a school best 3.16, we will be shooting to surpass 3.20 this year.

We continue to be a national leader in the creation of enriching opportunities for studentathletes. We created a unique summer internship program, so innovative that it required special NCAA approval, which allowed 64 young men and women to get a taste of the world of business.

We were able to send our women’s golf team to Ireland for a week in June and shortly after that I accompanied 10 student-athletes on a mission trip to Cuba, where we were at the United States Embassy the day diplomatic relations resumed after a half-century. It was an unforgettable experience.

We also made another significant investment in our student-athlete welfare by implementing a full cost of attendance into our scholarship package. It is a newly allowed measure for which we have long advocated.

We understand that sports fans and the sports media pay close attention to the games and so do we. Our women’s tennis team had fans and alumni hanging on every volley during its exciting run to the 2015 NCAA national championship. Other programs sparkled as well including our men’s golf team, which ended the year ranked in the Top 5 after making its own run at a national title. Our strong bowling program won the Southland Bowling League and we all followed inning by inning as our baseball team came within a game of repeating as national champions at the College World Series.

Dansby Swanson became the No. 1 pick in Major League Baseball’s draft, following in the footsteps of the great David Price. Two other ‘Dores were first-round picks with golfer Hunter Stewart and tennis’ Gonzalez Austin gaining SEC Player of the Year honors.

We continue to keep a watchful eye on facilities that will enhance student-athlete experience and make our programs better. Construction continues on our extensive training room renovation with a completion date expected in late 2015. The Board of Trust approved a $10 million renovation of key baseball facilities and we are working toward completion of the fund-raising portion of that project.

Many of these achievements were accomplished with your help. Readers of Commodore Nation are important partners in our successes, sharing enthusiasm and financial resources to help make things happen. We appreciate your support.

I hope you will enjoy reading the contents of this issue.

Anchor Down!

DAVID WILLIAMS II Vice Chancellor and Athletics Director

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ATHLETIC Highlights H The baseball team once again made

TEAM

National Champions

a torrent run through the postseason, reaching the championship series of the College World Series for the second straight year. The Commodores fell one win short of repeating as national champs, but they reached the CWS for the third time in five years and captured 50-plus wins for the fifth time in program history.

H The men’s golf team reached the NCAA Championship for the second straight year and placed second in stroke play for its highest finish in program history.

The Commodores ended the NCAA Championships tied for fifth after match play.

H Two-sport phenom Simone Charley broke her own school record in the triple jump to finish third at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

In doing so, she earned First-Team AllAmerican honors for the second straight time after placing fourth in the triple jump at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships. On the soccer field, she was named All-SEC First Team and AllSouth Region after leading the team in scoring.

H The women’s cross country team won the South Region championship for the first time, advancing to the NCAA Championships for a school-record fourth straight year. The women’s cross country and track & field programs also finished the year ranked 15th—the school’s highest mark.

H The bowling team made the NCAA Championship for the 10th straight year and captured the inaugural Southland Conference championship.

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OCTOBER 2015

In May, the WOMEN’S TENNIS TEAM captured the athletics department’s second national championship in as many years. The Commodores defeated UCLA 4-2 to cap off a remarkable season in which they won the program’s first NCAA and SEC Tournament championships.

H The men’s basketball team advanced to the quarterfinals of the NIT and won 21 games for the program’s eighth 20-win season in the last 12 years—all under coach Kevin Stallings.

H Athletics department finished 51st in the Directors Cup standings for its fourth-best mark.

H Seven teams earned perfect APR scores of 1,000—bowling, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s golf, women’s indoor and outdoor track.

H Women’s tennis standout Astra Sharma was named the SEC Tournament MVP and the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament.

H Two Commodores were named SEC Players of the Year—Hunter Stewart of men’s golf and Gonzales “A.J.” Austin of men’s golf—while Carson Fulmer was named the SEC Pitcher of the Year.

H A record three Commodores—Dansby Swanson, Carson Fulmer and Walker Buehler—were selected in the first round of the MLB Draft, with Swanson taken No. 1 overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

H Six Commodores were tabbed as Vanderbilt co-athletes of the year— Astra Sharma, Simone Charley, Hunter Stewart , Gonzales Austin and Dansby Swanson and Carson Fulmer.

Conference and Regional Champions H In its third trip to the SEC Tournament finals, the Vanderbilt women’s tennis team broke through. The Commodores captured their first SEC Tournament championship with a 4-3 victory over Georgia and redshirt freshman Astra Sharma was named the SEC Tournament MVP.

H The baseball team won its third straight NCAA Regional championship and second consecutive Super Regional title.

The Commodores have won six Regional crowns—all under coach Tim Corbin—and three Super Regional titles.

H The bowling team won the inaugural Southland Bowling League championship.

The Commodores defeated Arkansas State in the championship match to finish the tournament unbeaten. Senior Nicole Mosesso was named the tournament MVP.

H The women’s cross country team claimed the first regional championship in program history by capturing the South Region crown.

An impressive five Commodores finished in the top 15.

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Nation on the Rise

H Vanderbilt Athletics’ one-year-old con-

athletes with the opportunity to learn

schools earning points for NCAA Tourna-

tract with Nike was bolstered as the iconic

how businesses and organizations func-

ment performance.

shoe company recognized that Com-

tion while local employers received free

modore teams were becoming more and

help in June and, in some cases, July.

more prominent on the national scene.

H Gross royalties for Vanderbilt licensed

Tennessee

time period.

H The SEC Network has profoundly

VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY

COMMODORES H The State of Tennessee approved the pre-sale of two Vanderbilt athletic

impacted conference athletics with the

specialty car license plates. Information

most successful launch in history of any

on the plates is found on the front page

cable network. As the year wound down,

of vucommodores.com.

the SEC Network was available not only nationwide but also in 50 countries!

H The innovative summer internship

H Vanderbilt finished the sports year ranked 51st out of 293 institutions in the annual Director’s Cup all-sports tabula-

program, the first of its kind in major col-

tion. It was VU’s fourth-highest placing

lege athletics, provided 64 student-

ever and put it in the 83rd percentile of

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OCTOBER 2015

Presidents and Chancellors and headed the search that ultimately named Greg missioner.

15. By comparison, nine other SEC institugrew an average of 10% during the same

Zeppos is serving as the chair of the SEC

Sankey to succeed Mike Slive as SEC Com-

merchandise increased 32% during 2014tions using Collegiate Licensing Company

H Vanderbilt Chancellor Nicholas S.

H The New York Times bestselling biography Strong Inside about basketball trailblazer Perry Wallace by Vanderbilt alum Andrew Maraniss made news all year including winning the RFK Book Award.

H The sports publication Bleacher Report rated our new addition to the recreation center among the nation’s best indoor facilities to practice football. The space is also used for a variety of campus recreation and meeting activities and by other Commodore teams.

H Director of Athletics David Williams was reappointed as chair of the NCAA Infraction Appeals Committee with a term expiring Sept. 1, 2017. Williams was also named to the Board of Directors of the Nashville Public Education Foundation.

H Vanderbilt Athletics led the Southeast-

All 16 Commodore programs exceeded the

DIGITAL NEWS

NCAA’s multi-year measuring standard.

Strength in Numbers: Vanderbilt recorded its second best year overall in unique visitors and totaled more than 13 million page views for the fourth consecutive year on VUcommodores.com in 2014-15.

ern Conference with seven of its varsity

H Seven former members of Vanderbilt’s

programs earning perfect 1.000 scores

athletic department are now directors of

by the NCAA’s APR tool, which tabulates

athletics at other universities around

academic progress and roster retention.

the country.

Power of Mobile: Handheld devices accounted for 35 percent of unique visitors and 31 percent of page views on VUcommodores.com in 2014-15. Also, VUcommodores.com finished ninth in CBS Interactive’s Top 50 annual rankings for mobile page impressions.

CWS Excitement: VUcommodores.com registered its second best month ever for page views (2,031,756) and unique visitors (436,991) in June 2015 as the Commodore baseball team advanced to the College World Series Finals.

National Championship Madness: VUcommodores.com had an increase of 37 percent in page views and 23 percent in unique visitors in May 2015, compared to May 2014, as the Commodore women’s tennis team captured its first national championship.

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AWARD WINNERS Athletes of the Year For the first time in recent memory, the athletics department chose multiple Athletes of the Year. Due to extraordinary team and individual performances, two co-Female Athletes of the Year and four co-Male Athletes of the Year were chosen

Female Athletes of the Year SIMONE CHARLEY The two-sport athlete raked in her second straight Female Athlete of the Year award.

The sophomore was a two-time AllAmerican in the triple jump, including a third-place finish at NCAA Outdoor Championships, and was an All-SEC forward on the soccer field, leading the team in scoring.

ASTRA SHARMA The Australian bounced back after a wrist injury prematurely ended her first season and led the Commodores to their first national and SEC Tournament championships. The redshirt freshman and All-American clinched the winning point and was named both the NCAA Tournament MVP and SEC Tournament MVP.

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Male Athletes of the Year GONZALES AUSTIN The two-time first-team All-American capped off a brilliant career by being named SEC Player of the Year.

He owns the school record for career wins in singles and doubles play.

CARSON FULMER The flame-thrower became the third Commodore to be named SEC Pitcher of the Year. He won the SEC pitching triple crown, leading the league in wins, strikeouts and ERA. He was named the College Baseball Hall of Fame’s National Pitcher of the Year and was drafted eighth overall by the Chicago White Sox.

HUNTER STEWART Ending a superb career, Stewart led the Commodores to match play of the NCAA Championships for the first time as they finished tied for fifth. He was named SEC Player of the Year and became the program’s second first-team All-American. In August, he became the first Commodore to be named to the Walker Cup, a prestigious competition that pits the United States’ best amateur golfers against Great Britain and Ireland’s best.

DANSBY SWANSON The consensus first team All-American led the team in hits, runs, doubles, triples and home runs as he was given the Brooks Wallace Award, presented to the nation’s top shortstop. He helped lead the Commodores back to the championship series of the College World Series for the second straight year and joined David Price as the only Vanderbilt players to be drafted No. 1 overall when he was nabbed by the Arizona Diamondbacks in June.

Brad Davis Award Nominee

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.

IRINA GABASA Golf Gabasa stayed involved in community outreach in her native country of the Philippines.

She reached out to students at her high school through golf, and organized a food distribution to impoverished children. In Nashville, she has volunteered with First Tee of Nashville and at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

JAMES SIAKAM Basketball Siakam volunteered at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt and the Stallworth Rehabilitation Hospital. He also was a member of a literacy organization promoting educational opportunities in vulnerable communities, and he volunteered at the Dismas House in Nashville to find supportive services for former criminal offenders.

Perry Wallace Courage Award The first undergraduate to receive the Perry Wallace Courage Award was senior men’s basketball player JAMES SIAKAM. The award was established to honor an individual who best represented traits of Wallace, a Vanderbilt alum who was the first African-American basketball player in the SEC. Siakam had a superb senior season and provided a spark for his teammates even after this father’s sudden death in his native country of Cameroon.

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JOHN EWING Cross country Ewing graduated with a degree in chemical engineering and is in his first year at the Vanderbilt School of Medicine.

He was named to the Dean’s List every semester and was a four-time honoree on the SEC Academic Honor Roll.

CHRISSY OBERG Swimming Oberg was a double major in American history and political science and compiled a GPA of 3.56. She graduated in May and is attending law school at the University of Virginia. The four-time SEC Academic Honor Roll member also served on the Vanderbilt Student-Athlete Advisory Council and worked in the office of Sen. Lamar Alexander in Washington, D.C., for a summer.

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ACADEMIC Excellence Vanderbilt student-athletes continued their long tradition of academic success by It marked the ninth straight year the cumulative GPA exceeded 3.0, a goal that once

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appeared nearly unattainable. Nearly three out of four Commodores had at least

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compiling the department’s highest cumulative grade point average ever, a 3.135.

one 3.0 semester.

3.

H 218 STUDENT-ATHLETES MADE SEC HONOR ROLL H 128 EARNED DEAN’S LIST DISTINCTION

cumulative grade point average

Commodore GPA Average

H 260 HAD 3.0 GRADE POINT OR HIGHER AT LEAST ONE SEMESTER

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OCTOBER 2015

Baseball 2.900 Men’s basketball 2.931 Women’s basketball 3.088 Bowling 3.235 Men’s cross country 3.760 Women’s cross country 3.458 Football 2.879 Men’s golf 3.274 Women’s golf 3.687 Lacrosse 3.373 Soccer 3.275 Swimming 3.274 Men’s tennis 3.172 Women’s tennis 3.442 Track and field 3.147

STUDY ABROAD More than 15 student-athletes from bowling, lacrosse, men’s cross country, soccer, swimming, women’s golf and women’s tennis studied abroad this summer through Vanderbilt’s Maymester program. The students traveled to Australia, England, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Sicily, Spain and South Africa.

New Zealand

Italy

Soccer teammates KEEGAN THIMONS and ERIN MYERS traveled through New Zealand as they received hands-on learning in their Volcanoes, Earthquakes and Glaciers class.

Along with hiking through the wilderness, they visited one of the sets of Lord of the Rings and went sky-diving.

SMITH and soccer’s CLAIRE ANDERSON spent a

Spain

Lacrosse teammates CAROLINE PETERS and LEXI month in London, taking a class on the History and Business of London Fashion.

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Football’s RALPH WEBB ventured out of the United States for the first time in his life, enjoying the beauty of Australia.

The running back took a class on biodiversity and evolution but also snorkeled in the Great Barrier Reef, kayaked through mangroves and hiked and zip-lined in tropical rainforests.

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

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COMMUNITY Service Service to others remains an important quality the athletics department promotes in its student-athletes. The 2014-15 school year was no exception as the Commodores volunteered more than 2,003 service hours (that were reported to our Rising Star Program office) for the most in recent memory.

Community service at local organizations varied from time spent at the Martha O’Bryan Center to the Dismas House to the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, among others. In addition, 23 student-athletes went on service trips with Nashville-based Soles4Souls to Costa Rica and Cuba, delivering more than 2,000 pairs of shoes to children in need. The annual Commodores Compete for a Cause fundraising effort raised $3,296 for the YWCA of Nashville and Middle Tennessee, with the swimming team leading the way.

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OCTOBER 2015

Personal & Career Development Vanderbilt’s Rising Star Program (formerly Life Skills) continued to help Commodores build toward a bright future after college.

A summer internship program was started as 65 student-athletes participated in one-or two-month internships in the community at more than 30-plus organizations.

The students spent 20 hours a week as unpaid interns and took part in Friday professional development workshops with the Center for Student Professional Development.

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TEAM Reviews BASEBALL

MEN’S BASKETBALL

• For the second straight year, the Commodores reached the championship series of the College World Series and won 51 games.

• Advanced to quarterfinals of the Postseason NIT and won 21 games in 2014-15, Vanderbilt’s eighth 20-win season in the last 12 years.

• The ’Dores made the CWS for the third time in five years, falling just one win short of repeating as national champs.

• Coach Kevin Stallings now has 313 career Vanderbilt wins, and is one of only five SEC coaches to win 300 or more games at one institution, joining Kentucky’s Adolph Rupp, Florida’s Billy Donovan, and LSU’s Dale Brown and Harry Rabenhorst.

• Eight Commodores were taken in the MLB Draft.

Shortstop Dansby Swanson was taken No. 1 overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks, joining David Price as the only other Commodore to share that honor. Pitcher Carson Fulmer was selected eighth by the Chicago White Sox and pitcher Walker Buehler was picked 24th by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

• Carson Fulmer was named the National Pitcher of the Year by the College Baseball Hall of Fame.

Dansby Swanson was the recipient of the Brooks Wallace Award, given annually to the nation’s top shortstop, and was named the D1Baseball Player of the Year. Both were consensus AllAmericans.

• Fulmer became the third Commodore to win SEC Pitcher of the Year honors, joining David Price and Grayson Garvin. Fulmer also won the pitching triple crown, leading the SEC in wins (14), ERA (1.83) and strikeouts (167).

• Outfielder Jeren Kendall, third baseman Will Toffey and pitcher Kyle Wright were tabbed as Freshman All-Americans.

• Vanderbilt sophomore center Damian Jones was named to the All-SEC 1st Team and the AllDefensive Team, while freshmen Wade Baldwin IV and Riley LaChance were honored on the AllFreshman Team. The trio become the 32nd, 33rd, and 34th selections, respectively, to be honored as an All-SEC team member of the Kevin Stallings era, while Jones’ first-team honor is the program’s 56th selection since 1949 and the first since 2012 when John Jenkins and Jeffery Taylor were named to the team.

• The Commodores finished the season with four different players shooting 40% or better from 3-point range in 2014-15 (at least 10 made threes), only the third time since the threepoint line came into existence in 1986-87 that a Vanderbilt team has accomplished that feat.

• 10 of the 14 squad members were named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll or SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll.

• LaChance led all SEC freshmen in scoring at 12.3 ppg in all games and in league games only (12.2), while Wade Baldwin IV led all freshmen in assists with 4.4 per contest and steals in league games only with 1.67 per game. Matthew FisherDavis led all SEC freshmen in threes made with 2.1 per game

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OCTOBER 2015

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

CROSS COUNTRY

• Rebekah Dahlman named to All-SEC Freshman team.

• Captured the program’s first-ever NCAA South Region championship, dethroning two-time defending regional champion Florida State.

• The Commodores’ strength of schedule was ranked among the Top 15, and was ranked in the Top 5 for much of the season.

• Posted an impressive 78-62 victory over previously unbeaten Mississippi State in early January.

It snapped the Bulldogs’ 18-game winning streak and marked one of just five losses for MSU during the regular season.

• Defeated five teams that were ranked among the Top 50 in RPI—No. 26 Green Bay, No. 28 James Madison, No. 29 Mississippi State, No. 43 Minnesota and No. 44 Arkansas. (Note: RPI rankings are according to NCAA.com.)

• Sophomore Marqu’es Webb finished the season shooting a team-high 59.5 percent from the floor. She shot a sizzling 68.2 percent—going 28-of-41—during the final six games of the season, and averaged 12.3 points per game during that stretch.

BOWLING • Advanced to NCAA Championships for the 10th straight year.

• Won Southland Bowling League championship and Columbia 300 Music City Classic.

• Robyn Renslow was named first-team AllAmerica and Katie Stark was named third-team All-America.

• Robyn Renslow placed second at Intercollegiate Singles finals.

• Nicole Mosesso was named MVP of Southland championship.

• Giselle Poss earned berth on Puerto Rican national team roster.

• Qualified for the NCAA Championships for the fourth consecutive season, finishing 28th at the national meet.

• Head coach Steve Keith was named the NCAA South Region Coach of the Year by the USTFCCA. • Rose as high as No. 12 in the USTFCCCA poll.

• Took second place at the SEC Championships; it was the second-best showing in the program’s history, ranking behind only the SEC Championship squad of 2011.

• Both VU squads (men and women) were named All-Academic Teams by the USTFCCCA, which represents the ninth consecutive year in head coach Steve Keith’s nine-year tenure that both of his teams have earned the honor.

• The Vanderbilt men compiled a GPA of 3.760— the highest in the nation among the Division I All-Academic team qualifiers—and the Vanderbilt women posted an impressive mark of 3.458.

• Had 19 athletes named to the 2015 Spring SEC Academic Honor Roll.

FOOTBALL • Derek Mason began his first year as head coach after serving as Stanford’s defensive coordinator.

• Linebacker Nigel Bowden was named to the Freshman All-SEC Team by the league’s coaches.

Running back Ralph Webb also received SEC AllFreshman recognition. Tight end Steven Scheu was named to the Associated Press’ All-SEC Second Team.

• Sophomore Darrius Sims returned two kickoffs for touchdowns against South Carolina on national TV, becoming the first SEC player to achieve the feat and matching the NCAA record for kickoff returns for touchdowns in a game.

• Patton Robinette and Alex Hysong finished their careers and were accepted into the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, along with cross country runner John Ewing and former football player Steve Monk.

WOMEN’S GOLF • Vanderbilt competed in its16th consecutive NCAA Regional in St. George, Utah, and its 17th overall.

• The Commodores won two tournaments in 2014-15, their own Mason Rudolph Championship September 19-21, 2014, and then the Rainbow Wahine Invitational in Honolulu October 22-23.

• Leading scorer Jennifer Hahn claimed two medalist honors in 2014-15—at the Mason Rudolph Championship and the UCF Challenge in Orlando. Freshman Cindy Ha won the Rainbow Wahine individual title, and junior Morgan Ransom captured the Chattanooga Classic competing as an individual.

• Hahn finished the season as Vanderbilt’s leading scorer in 2014-15 with a 73.27 stroke average, two individual titles, and four top 10 finishes.

She had four rounds in the 60’s this season, including a season-low 67 on two occasions— the second round of the UCF Challenge and the first round of the SEC Championship. Hahn, from Henderson, Nevada, was named to the All-SEC second team this season.

• Freshman Cindy Ha averaged 73.87 strokes per round, the second-best on the team, and was honored by the SEC coaches in being named to the All-SEC Freshman team.

• All 10 members of the team were named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll or the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll.

• The women’s golf team notched the 15th-highest GPA according to the Women’s Golf Coaches Association. The list includes over 500 women’s golf teams that are members of the WGCA.

• Ralph Webb set freshman team records with 907 rushing yards and 212 carries.

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MEN’S GOLF

LACROSSE

• Vanderbilt head coach Scott Limbaugh, who finished his third season, led the Commodores to their third consecutive regional and second consecutive NCAA Championship for only the second time in the program’s history. Vanderbilt finished second in the stroke play portion of the NCAA Championship for its best finish ever and finished in a tie for fifth in its first appearance in match play. Limbaugh was named as one of five finalists for the Dave Williams Collegiate Coach of the Year.

• The Commodores notched seven wins for their most victories in three years as they narrowly missed making the BIG EAST Conference Tournament in their first year in the league.

• The Commodores finished the 2014-15 season as the fourth-best team in the country according to Golfstat, Vanderbilt’s highest ranking ever.

• Vanderbilt senior Hunter Stewart was named a GCAA First-Team All-American after his 2014-15 senior season and is only the second Commodore player to be honored on the first team, joining Brandt Snedeker in 2003. Sophomore Matthias Schwab was named to the third team, while junior Zack Jaworski was an honorable mention selection. The three All-American selections were the most in one season for any Vanderbilt team.

• Stewart was named the SEC Player of the Year, the first-ever in the program’s history, as well as the All-SEC First Team. Schwab was named to the All-SEC First Team, Carson Jacobs was named to the second team, and Humphrey was named to the All-Freshman team and the AllSEC Second Team. The four All-SEC selections is the most ever for a Vanderbilt team.

• Three of the top eight single-season stroke averages in the program’s history were registered this season, with senior Hunter Stewart leading the way with a 69.49 stroke average, the best-ever stroke average by a Vanderbilt player. Matthias Schwab had a 70.44 stroke average this season (3rd), and Theo Humphrey a 71.73 average (7th).

• In all in 2014-15, Vanderbilt registered 51 combined rounds in the 60’s and 23 rounds of 68 or better.

• 10 of the 11 members of the team were named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll or the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll.

• Senior Ben Fogler was named a GCAA AllAmerican Scholar. An All-American scholar is an individual that must be a junior or senior academically, compete in at least three full years at the collegiate level, participate in 50-percent of his team’s competitive rounds, have a strokeaverage under 76.0 in Division I, and maintain a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.2.

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OCTOBER 2015

• Senior defender Alex Duckenfield was named to the All-West/Midwest Region Second Team by the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association.

• Juniors Mallory Schonk and Annie Vreeland were named to the IWLCA Academic Honor Roll and the Commodores were honored as an Academic Honor Squad.

• Defender Margaret Fee was named to Inside Lacrosse’s All-Rookie Team.

• Six Commodores earned All-BIG EAST Conference honors. Alex Duckenfield and Mallory Schonk were named to the First Team. Emma Dagres, Jill Doherty, Maddie Kratz and Alexa Kunowsky were tabbed to the Second Team.

• Caroline Peters led Ireland with 17 goals and was named to the All-European Championship Tournament Team after the Irish took fifth place at the Women’s Lacrosse European Championship in Czech Republic.

• Sophomore Jill Doherty was invited to tryouts for the U.S. Women’s National Team, and former three-time Vanderbilt All-American Ally Carey made the National Team for the second time.

SOCCER • The Commodores won seven games for their most wins in three years and just missed qualifying for the SEC Tournament.

• Their season was highlighted by big victories over rival Tennessee (on the road) and a comefrom-behind overtime victory at home against Cincinnati.

• Leading scorer Simone Charley was named to the All-SEC First Team. Midfielder Lydia Simmons was tabbed SEC All-Freshman team.

• In January, Darren Ambrose was hired as the sixth head coach in program history. The native of England spent the previous 15 years at Penn, where he was the all-time winningest coach in program history.

• In June, redshirt sophomore Lina Granados became the first active Commodore player in the Women’s World Cup when she was called up to the full 23-player roster for her native country of Colombia.

SWIMMING

MEN’S TENNIS

• The Commodores broke eight school records at the 2015 SEC Swimming and Diving Championships.

• Gonzales “A.J.” Austin was named the SEC Player of the Year, Ohio Valley Senior of the Year, and ended the season ranked No. 10 in the country.

• Chrissy O’berg was named Vanderbilt’s female nomination for the H. Boyd McWhorter ScholarAthlete Post-Graduate Scholarship.

• Austin and Rhys Johnson were named first-team All-Americans in doubles, Austin’s second year as an All-American in both singles and doubles.

• Ten swimmers were selected to the Winter SEC Academic Honor Roll.

• Head Coach Ian Duvenhage was named the Ohio Valley Coach of the Year.

• Four Vanderbilt freshman records were broken in 2015.

• Freshman Daniel Valent was the third Vanderbilt player to ever earn Ohio Valley Player to Watch honors.

• Junior Hannah Martin helped break a total of five records for the ‘Dores—two individual records (50 and 200 free) and three relay (200 free, 400 free, and 800 free).

WOMEN’S TENNIS • First team to ever win the SEC Tournament and NCAA Championship in the same year.

• Head Coach Geoff McDonald was named SEC and National Coaches of the Year and Aleke Tsoubanos was named National Assistant Coach of the Year.

• Ashleigh Antal (doubles) , Sydney Campbell (singles), and Astra Sharma (doubles) claimed first-team All-American Status.

• Astra Sharma was named SEC Tournament and NCAA Tournament MVP as a redshirt freshman, as well as Vanderbilt Co-Female Athlete of the Year.

• Commodores are on a 23-match home win streak which dates back two seasons.

• Ended the school year with a team GPA of 3.442 and five 2015 ITA Scholar-Athletes.

• Eight athletes were named to the Spring SEC Honor Roll.

• Five athletes were tabbed to to the Spring SEC Honor Roll .

• Earned 14th NCAA tournament berth.

• Commodores compiled one of their most successful SEC seasons, going 8-4 against league teams.

WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD • Finished the season ranked No. 15 in the USTFCCCA’s Program of the Year standings. It marked the first time in school history that the Commodores have earned a spot on the list, and they were one of only two schools from the SEC— along with Arkansas—to qualify.

• Sophomore triple-jumper Simone Charley put together one of the finest seasons in team history, earning First-Team All-American honors for both indoor and outdoor. Charley finished third at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and fourth at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

• During the indoor season, Charley finished third at the SEC Championships—and broke her own school record—with a jump of 43-5.25. During the outdoor season, she broke her own school record in the triple jump at the SEC Championships, where she finished fourth with a leap of 43-7.

• Had nine representatives qualify for the NCAA Outdoor East Regionals in a school-record eight events.

• Had seven athletes named to the 2015 Spring SEC Academic Honor Roll: Liz Anderson, Sarah Bell, Skyler Carpenter, Erin Edmond, Janetra Gleaves, Tierney Price, Ellie Tidman.

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

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FACILITIES

BASEBALL COMPLEX

H

The Vanderbilt University Board of Trust approved a $10 million project to provide enhanced space in Memorial Gym for instruction, team building and coaching in addition to settings that can foster interactions with returning professional players.

TRAINING ROOM

H

18

Construction on the state-of-the-art Training Room began last January and is slated to be completed in December.

The current facility is being expanded to 9,200 square feet and will include examination and treatment rooms, team doctor offices, more office space for the 13 athletic trainers and three hydrotherapy pools.

OCTOBER 2015

This rendering represents the final entrance area to the Training Room; select components will be completed as part of future renovations at McGugin Center

MCGUGIN CENTER TRAINING ROOM Entrance from within McGugin Center

MAKE EVERY DAY FEEL LIKE GAME DAY.

Ask us how you can get your official Vanderbilt CheckCard.

Want to support the Commodores everywhere you go? Then put the Vanderbilt University Regions CheckCard* in your wallet.

There’s never been a better way to show your school spirit than with the Vanderbilt University CheckCard with a Regions checking account.

Checking | Savings | Lending | Advice and Guidance Visit a branch, call 1.800.regions or go to regions.com/anchordown.

Official Bank of the

Š 2015 Regions Bank. All deposit accounts are subject to the terms and conditions of the Regions Deposit Agreement. All loans and lines subject to credit approval. *$10 fee applies to each collegiate CheckCard. | Regions and the Regions logo are registered trademarks of Regions Bank. The LifeGreen color is a trademark of Regions Bank.

Rio Grande Fence Co. is a proud supporter of Vanderbilt Athletics.

20

OCTOBER 2015

The Commercial Fence Professionals™

NOTEworthy GEOFF MACDONALD was named SEC Coach of the Year and ITA National Coach of the Year after his women’s tennis team won league and national championships.

ALEKE TSOUBANOS was named the national Assistant Coach of the Year by the ITA after

Men’s Golf Coach SCOTT LIMBAUGH

Vanderbilt won the NCAA tennis championship.

is being inducted into the Huntingdon College Hall of Fame this fall.

Baseball Coach TIM CORBIN was honored

Director of Athletics

by the Middle Tennessee Chapter of the

DAVID WILLIAMS was

National Football Foundation and College

one of seven individuals

Hall of Fame with the 2015 Fred Russell

appointed by SEC

Women’s Golf Associate Head Coach

Distinguished American Award. He was also

Commissioner Greg

HOLLY CLARK is being inducted into

the American Baseball Coaches Association

Sankey to form a working

the hall of fame at Morristown (Tenn.)

regional coach of the year.

group to review issues

West High School, her alma mater.

surrounding studentathlete conduct.

Women’s Basketball Coach MELANIE BALCOMB was Men’s Tennis Coach

inducted into the College of

IAN DUVENHAGE

New Jersey Hall of Fame.

was the Ohio Valley Region Coach of the Year.

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ALUMNI in the Spotlight

FESTUS EZELI (men’s basketball) became just the second Vanderbilt player to win an NBA Championship. Ezeli, a 2012 grad and first-round draft pick, helped the Warriors win their first title in 40 years.

Where Are They Now?

HILLARY HAGER CARTER, Basketball, ’04 Policy Fellow, AAS Science and Technology

ANJARAE WASHINGTON, Track, ’08 Associate Consultant, Bain & Company

22

OCTOBER 2015

CARTER HAWKINS, Baseball, ’07 Director, Player Development, Cleveland Indians

MALLORY CROSLAND, Golf, ’99 Senior Producer, PGA of America ANDREW NISKER, Tennis, ’00 Crown Attorney, Canadian Government CHRIS GROER, Tennis, ’96 Computational Math Group, Oak Ridge National Laboratory BARA COLA, Football, ’02 Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Tech BRYN SEDLACEK, Lacrosse, ’06 Asia Consultant, iJET Intelligent Risk Systems MARK LOOMIS, Golf, ’89 PGA Coordinating Producer, SHAN FOSTER, Basketball, ’08: MEND Director, YWCA of Middle Tennessee

Fox Network

Your store

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Commodore.

Visit us at 2501 West End Avenue in Nashville and online at

vucommodores.com or

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1/23/15 3:01 PM

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

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Class of 2015 Upon graduation in May, the Class of 2015 quickly began the next chapter of their lives. Of the 68 student-athletes, 41 percent are already working, 26 percent have continued their education and are enrolled in grad school and 15 percent are pursuing their sport professionally.

Four of those—John Ewing (cross country), Alex Hysong (football), Steve Monk (football) and Patton Robinette (football)—are in their first year at the Vanderbilt School of Medicine. Former SEC Player of the Year Tony Kemp, currently with the Houston Astros organization, graduated in December and walked in May. Former Chicago Bears wide receiver Earl Bennett earned his

SHELBY MOATS (basketball) completed

MARIE CASARES (tennis) works for

degree in the summer. Bobby Reynolds,

his bachelor’s and master’s degree in just

engineering firm, Littlejohn Engineering

after 11 years of professional tennis,

five years and is working at Nashville-

Associates, in Nashville.

commuted from his home in Georgia last

based Jefferies, a global investment

fall to finish his degree.

banking firm.

41% Already have jobs

18% Undecided/Searching for jobs

15% Plan on pursuing their sport

26% Grad school

TAYLOR RICHARDSON (soccer) is enrolled

Athletic’s 2012 Revenues in the Vanderbilt School of Nursing along In 000’s with former teammates Lauren Hart and Shannon Morrish.

24

OCTOBER 2015

GET GAME IN THE JOIN THE NCC GRIDIRON CLUB

To be great, a team needs all of its members to commit to

success. Giving to the NCC Gridiron Club shows your dedication to see Vanderbilt Football succeed. You are the reason we will win. With a gift to the NCC Gridiron Club, you can gain up-close access to Vanderbilt Football and are eligible to receive benefits*. NCC Gridiron Club benefits include invitations to tailgates and in-season luncheons, mini helmet, personalized jersey and more. Join today, and get in the game!

Black

$150

Gold

$500

Captain

$1,000

Dore

$2,500

Star V

$5,000

Anchor

$10,000+

*NCC Gridiron Club benefits vary based on membership level.

Contact us!

CALL: (615) 322-4114 EMAIL: ncc@vanderbilt.edu VISIT: NationalCommodoreClub.com

GENEROUS Alumni and Friends

6,336 NCC Members FY15

Total Gifts & Pledges = $11,067,059. This was an increase of $371,292 (3.5%) from FY14 ($10,695,767).

Annual Gifts = $4,826,490. This was an increase of $65,401 (1.5%) from FY14 ($4,761,089).

Excellence Funds Gifts = $1,255,474. This was an increase of $317,808 (34%) from FY14 ($926,991).

13 of 15

Excellence Funds saw growth from FY14 to FY15.

TOTAL PHILANTHROPIC SUPPORT TO ATHLETICS

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

$5,555,787

$6,488,412

$14,342,118

$7,739,660

$10,695,767

$11,067,059

26

OCTOBER 2015

A In

FINANCIAL Health

Plant Expense 4.7%

Other Income 3.7%

REVENUE (FY15)

Sponsorship 3.5%

Debt Service & Reserves 7.4% Salaries 35.6% Ticket Income 13.1% Scholarships 20.7%

Gifts 5%

University Investment 21.6% SEC Revenue 49.1%

IDS, Supplies & Expenses 12.2%

EXPENSES (FY15)

Endowment Income 3.7%

Recruiting, Uniforms & Team Travel 9.7%

Game Expenses & Guarantees 9.2%

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.

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Some restrictions may apply. Loan approval is subject to credit approval and program guidelines. Not all loan programs are available in all states for all loan amounts. Rate and program terms are subject to change without notice. Mortgage and home equity products are offered by U.S. Bank National Association. Deposit products are offered by U.S. Bank National Association, Member FDIC. Š2015 U.S. Bank. All rights reserved. 150647 6/15

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

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VANDERBILT FOOTBALL

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