January 2008
OPENING STATEMENT
The Official Movers of Vanderbilt Football
table of contents 4 6
National Commodore Club Know Your Teammate
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Commodores Cubed
Jennifer Risper and Christina Wirth Know your Commodores
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Point of View
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Off To A Hot Start
Alex Feinberg Men’s basketball team turning heads
11 Commodore Tidbits By the numbers
12 Withstanding The Test Of Time Vanderbilt’s longest-tenured coach
13 It’s My Turn — Rod Williamson Planning ahead
17 Official Movers Of VU Football On the road with VU’s equipment staff
20 Quick Hits A look at Vanderbilt’s sports teams
21 Snedeker Named Top Rookie Snedeker had six top-10 finishes
22 Where Are They Now? Former VU shortstop Ulises Cabrera
24 Sports Calendar
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Connect with
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Neil Brake Daniel Dubois Jonathan Ernst Steve Green Stan Jones John Russell
Contributors: Andy Boggs Chad Crunk John Erck Alex Feinberg Larry Leathers Nick Petrone Thomas Samuel Chris Weinman
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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.
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COM MODOR E CLU B
CORNER
PHONE: 615/322-4114 vucommodores.com
The Gift that Kept on Giving
By Jeff Ulmer NCC Executive Director
KENTUCKY GAME The Kentucky football game on Nov. 10 was dubbed both Letterwinners Day and National Commodore Club Day. In addition, the 1982 Hall of Fame Bowl team celebrated its 25th anniversary. The NCC held a reception for the team on Nov. 9, and the team was honored on the field during Saturday’s game.
One of the benefits of my job is getting to know so many fascinating people from all walks of life. One man that I will never forget is Dr. Greer Ricketson. I got to know him last summer in his home on a rainy afternoon. Greer was remembered for his famous “hidden ball play” that beat the sixth-ranked LSU Tigers in 1937. He was a tackle from Broxtin, Ga., who found his way to Nashville thanks to a phone call from then Head Coach Josh Cody. Cody didn’t realize it then, but he was responsible for helping Dr. Ricketson become Nashville’s first plastic surgeon. Had it not been for the education he received at Vanderbilt, he might not have attended Duke Medical School, or become chief resident at Tulane Medical School, or the person who developed and organized Vanderbilt’s first plastic surgery training program. Dr. Ricketson spoke fondly about his educational and athletic experiences at Vanderbilt, about his love for his family, his wonderful career as a plastic surgeon and how it all started on Dudley Field. Dr. Ricketson was a shining example of a Commodore athlete whose life was shaped by his experiences at Vanderbilt. Someone’s investment in the 1930s made it happen, and he was thankful for that.
NCC Executive Director Jeff Ulmer (left) checks in with former center Mark Littrell and his wife, Kim, at the barbecue.
Former Coach George MacIntyre (Coach Mac) shares stories with his granddaughter on his lap.
John Patton (punter), Donny Sherman (defensive backs coach), Whit Taylor (quarterback) and Norman Jordan (tailback) get together at the reception Friday night.
Dr. Ricketson passed away in July 2007, 70 years after his famous “hidden ball play.” Coach Cody and the donor whose gift made Dr. Ricketson’s experience possible would have been proud of his accomplishments.
JOIN THE NCC OR RENEW TODAY! Call 615/322-4114, click www.vucommodores. com or stop by the office in the McGugin Center to make your gift to the National Commodore Club. Every gift is allocated toward the goal of funding student-athlete scholarships. Your Membership Matters!
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Members of the 1982 football team pose for a group picture at Friday’s reception.
JOIN THE BLACK AND GOLD ENDOWMENT SOCIETY
KENTUCKY GAME
Vanderbilt Athletics and the National Commodore Club endeavor to endow all athletics scholarships. To help in that task, the NCC has created a new endowment level called the Black and Gold Society. Black and Gold Society members create an opportunity for a student-athlete while receiving full benefits of the Dudley Society with a five-year, $100,000 commitment.
For more information on the Black and Gold Society and Athletic Scholarship Endowments, please contact John Erck at john.erck@vanderbilt.edu or 615/322-7922.
2020 SOCIETY
Rod Gurley and former fullback Richie Bennett catch up before the Kentucky game.
Letterwinners form the tunnel for the football team to run through.
About 500 letterwinners and their guests attended the second annual Letterwinners barbecue.
NCC member Ted Moats, owner of Golden Rule BBQ, serves up a plate at the Letterwinners Barbecue.
NCC member David Patterson poses with Lucy Jones. Patterson was the oldest letterwinner to return, having played football at VU and graduated in 1946 after serving his country in WWII.
Former players Mike Jones, Bryon Koepke, Darrell Griffin and Kirk Williams get ready to form the tunnel for the players to run through.
The 2020 Society comprises members of the National Commodore Club, age 40 and younger, who contribute at least $100 annually. If you have been giving to the NCC at this level and are younger than 41, you are automatically in the 2020 Society. The society is a creation of the 2020 Advisory Committee, a group of young alumni committed to increasing young membership in the National Commodore Club and promoting VU Athletics. If you are a non-alumni member of the NCC and qualify for the 2020 Society but have not been notified, please contact Cal Cook at cal. cook@vanderbilt.edu or 615/343-4878.
WAKE FOREST GAME The Stratton Foster Foundation has donated more than $1 million to Vanderbilt athletics.
NCC Executive Director Jeff Ulmer shares a word with the trustees of the M. Stratton Foster Foundation after a presentation during the Wake Forest game. From left, Lipscomb “Buzz� Davis, Joe Thompson, Ulmer and Bob Andrews.
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Know Your Teammate
Christina Wirth and Jennifer Risper H ow well do best friends and teammates Christina Wirth and Jennifer Risper know each other? We put the two to the test. First, each player was asked to answer nine questions about themselves. After giving their own answers, each player was asked to guess how the other would answer each question to see who knows the other better. Christina Wirth
Jennifer Risper
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THE QUESTIONS
WIRTH
RISPER
Middle Name
Diane
Denise
Biggest Fear
Not having Jennifer any more
Not getting married some day
Favorite Fast Food Restaurant
In-N-Out
In-N-Out
Biggest Pet Peeve
Other people being messy
When people ask me what is wrong when I’m fine
Major
HOD
HOD
Favorite TV Show
Whammy
The Hills
Shoe Size
11 1/2
9 1/2
Favorite Pro Athlete
Steve Nash
Kobe Bryant
Favorite Movie
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
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Commodores Cubed When asked how the other would respond to the same questions — here’s what they said:
WIRTH ON RISPER Middle Name
✓
hamilton HOLLIDAY
jermaine BEAL
sarah DENNIS
cara GIORDANO
Football
Basketball
Soccer
Lacrosse
Least Favorite Conditioning Drill
The 110 conditioning test
Sprints after practice
The half-gasser test
The half-gasser test
Favorite Website
Any news website
ESPN.com
My bank’s website when I’m not broke
shopbot.com
Get a salary
To live a great year
Work in my studio four days a week and paint one painting a week
To eat less candy
Favorite Off-Day Activity
To do nothing
Watch movies and play video games
Painting in my studio ... and sleeping
Watch movies
Number Of Songs On My iPod
443
1,000
3,000
257
Food That Has Been In My Fridge The Longest
Ketchup or mustard
Green grapes
A huge jug of salsa since August
Jello since August
People Say I Look Like
I don’t usually get that
Nobody
Sienna Miller — and it always makes my day
Heidi from The Hills
Favorite Reality Show
I don’t like reality shows
MTV Cribs
Run’s House
Keeping Up with the Kardashians
Denise Biggest Fear
✓
Not getting married some day Favorite Restaurant
✓
In-N-Out Biggest Pet Peeve
✓
When people ask what is wrong Major
✓
HOD Favorite TV Show
X
Family Feud Shoe Size
X
8 1/2 Favorite Pro Athlete
✓
Kobe Bryant
My New Year’s Resolution
Favorite Movie
✓
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days TOTAL: 7
RISPER ON WIRTH Middle Name
✓
Diane Biggest Fear
✓
Losing someone she loves Favorite Restaurant
✓
In-N-Out Biggest Pet Peeve
✓
People being messy Major
✓
HOD Favorite TV Show
X
Full House Shoe Size
X
11 Favorite Pro Athlete
✓
Steve Nash Favorite Movie
✓
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days TOTAL: 7
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Point of View
By Alex Feinberg Editor’s Note: Each month “Commodore Nation” will ask a varsity athlete to sound off on a point of personal interest. Feinberg is a senior on Vanderbilt’s baseball team. He created a company that sells bracelets that benefit families of soldiers killed in Iraq. n late July I found myself doing my newly found hobby — thinking of business opportunities. I observed that the most important feature in products for consumers in my generation is the brand name. I figured if I could create a popular enough name, I just might have something. So after over 200 hours of R&D (creating an edgy brand name), I came up with “Saturday Soldier.” After reading through the NCAA rule book, I confirmed that a student-athlete cannot use his name or image in profitable entrepreneurial venture. However, I still wanted to go through with the project, so I decided to donate the profits from the sale of our bracelets to a cause that I felt strongly for — helping the families of soldiers killed in Iraq. It is a great cause, because no matter how an individual feels about the war, everyone feels bad for the families who have lost loved ones. When I told people back home about my plan, some thought my aspirations were far-fetched. Every time I heard something negative, it fueled me to succeed on an even higher level. There were many obstacles in laying the groundwork for Saturday Soldier. But none of them seemed like obstacles to me because I was convinced that failure was not even a possibility. Creating SaturdaySoldier.com was tough because I had never created a website before. However, I felt that learning the process was integral to our success. In late August, I anxiously awaited the response from my peers. I was ecstatic when I heard many Texas Tech players wore our bracelets on ESPN the first week of the season. The name “Saturday Soldier” caught on like I hoped. The athletes in my generation loved it from the start. Because of the name’s uniquely edgy appeal, we were able to get athletes from 27 major conference football teams, 5 professional baseball organizations, and Team USA baseball to wear Saturday Soldier apparel. Because of them, we were able to get our bracelets retailed in three states — Tennessee, Missouri and Iowa. Even though I did not have connections in the military when I started Saturday Soldier, reading the e-mails that soldiers have sent me has been truly inspiring. Although my teammates have limited business experience as young consumers, they understand how consumers think, and they think Saturday Soldier is going to grow in success. To learn more about Saturday Soldier or to purchase Saturday Soldier bracelets, go to www.saturdaysoldier. com/battlebands. ■
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Commodores Heat Up The Hardwood espite returning three starters off a team that advanced to the Sweet 16 last season, the Commodores were picked by the media to finish fourth out of six teams in the SEC East. Judging by the first two months of the season, the Commodores appear to be looking at that prediction in the rearview mirror. Led by senior guard Shan Foster, who earned two SEC Player of the Week honors during the first four weeks of the season, Vanderbilt climbed into the ESPN/USA Today poll and Associated Press poll for the first time on Dec. 3. “It feels great, but by the same token we feel like we have a lot of work to do,” Foster said regarding the team’s start. “We realize that we aren’t perfect. We have a lot of potential, and we feel like if we are able to reach that potential, then we will be really good. But right now we just have to continue to come to practice with our hard hats and lunch pails as coach calls it.” While the play of Foster, coupled with the addition of freshman forward A.J. Ogilvy, certainly has been contributing in Vanderbilt’s success, it is the depth of the team that has bred so much success.
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Ten players are averaging double figures in minutes, while six players are averaging more than six points per game. That depth has enabled Stallings to use multiple combinations on the floor to match up with any team. Even when losses looked imminent against DePaul, South Alabama and Wake Forest, the Commodores were able to persevere by continuing to play their game. Not to be overShan looked has been Foster the addition of Ogilvy, whose play has made the rest of his teammates better. Most notable, has been the improved play of Alan Metcalfe, who kept Vanderbilt in the game at DePaul by scoring a careerhigh 18 points. “There is a little bit of pressure taken off with a great player like A.J. (Ogilvy),” Metcalfe said. “Coach just wants me to come in and be solid and run the floor.” With each win, the team is gaining more and more confidence, which will be needed when conference season begins in January. “It is all clicking for the whole team, so it is just fun to play with them right now,” Metcalfe said. ■
CORNER Q:
Super Star is a prospective student-athlete that is being recruited to play both football and baseball. How many times can the football and baseball coaches that are interested evaluate Super?
A:
Evaluations are counted separately for each sport. Therefore, each coaching staff may evaluate Super using the permissible number of occasions in their sport. NCAA Bylaw 13.1.8.2 states that the limitation in Bylaw 13.1.8 is sport specific; therefore, a prospective student-athlete being earnestly recruited [see Bylaw 15.5.8.7.1-(d)] by an institution in more than one sport may be evaluated on the permissible number of occasions in each of those sports during the academic year. Evaluations are counted against the sport of the coach making the evaluation. (Adopted: 1/10/92).
By Candice Storey
Compliance Questions? Please contact:
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CORNER Jeremy Organ Head Swimming & Diving Coach Organ is in his second season of heading Vanderbilt’s swimming and diving program. Since his appointment, Organ has been responsible for rebuilding the Commodores’ swimming and diving program, which had been disbanded in 1990. How difficult of a challenge has it been to build a program and compete in the SEC? I don’t think it is more difficult than I thought. It is not any big shock to see how high the level of competition is in the conference. You just have to take it one year at a time, and you have to take little steps. We still have to have the expectation that we are going to be competitive and that we are going to do our best. Each year, hopefully, that gets higher and higher. On how much of a challenge recruiting has been with limited scholarships? There are different hurdles that we have academically and financially that probably a lot of schools don’t have. On the same token, this is a top-20 university that we are attracting student-athletes to, so that is a huge factor. People see that we are in the SEC and we are trying to build a program, and I think people have been very receptive to that. Did you always know that you wanted to be a coach?
COMPLIANCE
Candice Storey Director of Compliance 615/322-7992 candice.storey@vanderbilt.edu
COACHES’
George Midgett Compliance Coordinator 615/322-2083 george.d.midgett@vanderbilt.edu
I had no clue what I was going to do (in college). It was a whole new world. I grew up thinking I was going to be a hockey player. I tried out swimming a little late in the game, and I ended up going to college and swimming. The No. 1 thing was to finish my degree and go from there. That first year of coaching, I liked it so much that I just kept on doing it. You played hockey as a youth? I played hockey growing up until I was 16. At 16, I started swimming for the first time and I played hockey. I was 17 when I decided to swim fulltime. It was a huge change to go from hockey to swimming. What is the best advice a coach ever gave you? “Just have fun and don’t sweat the small stuff.” – Mike Stromberg, former swimming coach at North Dakota. ■
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COM MODOR E
TIDBITS • Four Commodores were named to the Coaches and Associated Press All-SEC Football Teams. Junior wide receiver Earl Bennett and senior offensive tackle Chris Williams were named to the first team on both squads. Sophomore defensive back D.J. Moore was selected first team by the AP and second team by the coaches, while senior linebacker Jonathan Goff received second team accolades from both the AP and coaches. • Former Commodore golfer Chris Brady gained her conditional LPGA card at LPGA Q-School on Dec. 2 in Daytona Beach, Fla. Brady finished with a score of 5-over-par 365. Thirty-seven players earned conditional status. Former VU golfer May Wood also earned conditional status. • The four home wins by Vanderbilt’s football team were its most since 1987 when the Commodores also won four games. Vanderbilt posted wins over Richmond (41-17), Ole Miss (31-17), Eastern Michigan (30-7) and Miami (Ohio) (24-13). The Commodores also had a seven-point loss to Kentucky and a three-point loss to Georgia at home. • Senior Shan Foster has been selected as one of 30 candidates for the 2007-08 Lowe’s Senior CLASS award, given to the nation’s top senior male and female college basketball players who exemplify a total student-athlete. • Vanderbilt baseball signee Sonny Gray of Smyrna, Tenn., showed his classmates at Smyrna High School that he is more than just a talented baseball player. In December, Gray showed off his acting ability by playing the part of Troy Bolton in the school’s version of High School Musical. Gray also quarterbacked Smyrna to its second consecutive Class 5A state football title.
By The
NUMBERS 30
quarterback sacks recorded by Vanderbilt’s defense in 2007 — the third most in school history.
1
The number of players in SEC history to have at least 70 receptions in three straight seasons. Earl Bennett became the first, finishing with 75 catches in 2007.
21,502
The number of people that are employed by Vanderbilt University.
1984
The last year VU had three AP first team All-SEC selections until 2007. Offensive tackle Chris Williams, defensive back D.J. Moore and Earl Bennett were all selected this season.
2
SEC Player of the Week honors received by Shan Foster in the first four weeks of the basketball season.
1989
The last year a player won SEC Player of the Week honors twice in the first four weeks. Tennessee’s Dyron Nix won consecutive awards to open 1989.
54%
The increase in the amount of traffic on vucommodores.com in November 2007 over November 2006.
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Fourteen Years and Counting for Vanderbilt’s Longest-Tenured Coach
Macdonald has taken Vanderbilt to the NCAA Tournament all 13 years.
an you name Vanderbilt’s longest-tenured coach? Don’t worry, you aren’t the only one if you can’t. With all of the news of hirings and firings that fill the first page of the sports section these days, the coaching carousel has never been spinning faster. In today’s world of musical coaches, Vanderbilt women’s tennis coach Geoff Macdonald has withstood the test of time longer than any other Vanderbilt head coach. Now in his 14th season at the helm of Vanderbilt’s women’s tennis program, Macdonald is the Commodores’ longest-tenured coach by three years. Eleventh-year lacrosse coach Cathy Swezey is the second-longest tenured. During Macdonald’s tenure with the Commodores, he has compiled a record of 281-90 (.757) and has taken his squad to at least the round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament each of the last 10 seasons. That success has brought numerous overtures from other programs across the country, but Macdonald has stayed loyal to Vanderbilt. “I have had job offers,” Macdonald said. “I’ve never gone for an interview. I tell people when I get the call that I’m flattered and I often listen to what they are saying, but I really have felt lucky and fortunate to be able to be here and do this job coaching. I feel like I have been very well supported.” When Macdonald came to Vanderbilt from Duke before the 1995 season, the Commodores had never been ranked higher than No. 28. Since taking over the reins, Vanderbilt has never been ranked lower than No. 16 and has advanced to the NCAA Tournament each year, including two trips to the Final Four. Not bad for a guy who “never really planned to be a coach.” Even with all of the success, Macdonald has stayed motivated to get even better. “The privilege to be able to coach here and in the Southeastern Conference is very motivational,” Macdonald said. “Taking really bright and accomplished students and competing against the best teams in the country and trying to win at a high level is something that is a challenge that really resonates with me.”
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While some people need changes in their careers because of boredom or repetition, Macdonald credits the ever-changing coaching profession and student-athletes for keeping him inspired after 20 years as a head coach, including the 14 at Vanderbilt. “The thing that is interesting about coaching is that there are so many different areas that you need to try to understand,” Macdonald said. “I’ve learned that I have to keep learning all the time. An interesting feature I find is that college students are usually a slightly different person each of the years of college because there is so much going on with identity formation. So I find that interesting. “It is also a challenge to really try to be one of the best teams in the country and do it in a way that fits in with the values of our school, meaning great sportsmanship and great character.” One way Macdonald tries to continually improve and get better as a coach is by reading and applying what he reads and sees in everyday life to tennis. “I’m addicted to reading,” said Macdonald, whose wife, Kate, is an associate English professor at Vanderbilt. “It is not unusual for me to read four or five books at the same time. I think a key I noticed in college was that everything I saw, read or did had some application to tennis. “I went to Virginia and I would watch ACC basketball, and I would learn how to play better tennis by watching how each team played defense and valued each possession. I would watch how North Carolina would be down by 12 with five minutes to go and not lose its poise and win the game by eight. Or I would read a novel and get something out of that novel that applied to tennis.” That willingness to continuously try to get better has led to a track record of success for Macdonald. And as the coaching carousel continues to spin, Macdonald couldn’t be more happy with his decision to stay at Vanderbilt. “The opportunity to come here was really an interesting one and was probably one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,” Macdonald said. “When I came here, Vanderbilt really didn’t get winning in a lot of ways. There were a lot of reasons why, but I saw potential here in every sport. If Vanderbilt commits to something it can be absolutely the top.” ■
VANDERBILT COACHES BY TENURE Coach
Sport
Geoff Macdonald Cathy Swezey Kevin Stallings Ronnie Coveleskie Melanie Balcomb Tim Corbin Bobby Johnson John Williamson Ian Duvenhage Steve Keith Jeremy Organ Tom Shaw Greg Allen D’Andre Hill
Women’s Tennis Lacrosse Men’s Basketball Soccer Women’s Basketball Baseball Football Bowling Men’s Tennis Cross Country Swimming Men’s Golf Women’s Golf Track and Field
Season 14th 11th 9th 7th 6th 6th 6th 4th 3rd 2nd 2nd 2nd 1st 1st
It’s My Turn By Rod Williamson emorial Magic is in full bloom, and baseball is just around the corner. That means it is time to think about a football bowl game in 2008. I’m sober and completely serious. We are not predicting our first bowl trip since 1982 but I will go on record as expecting we will once again be knocking on the proverbial qualifying door. Maybe this time we’ll kick it in. You should share that expectation. What’s that you say? You’ll worry about it when the time comes? Fair enough, but let me offer fodder to chew on. You might be surprised to learn we were preparing for a possible bowl game this past year. Administrators made a detailed presentation to a bowl committee. We learned much in the process. A school’s fan base is paramount to bowl committees. They are far less concerned about the gridiron attributes of a team than they are about how many tickets that university is likely to sell, how many hotel rooms will be used and what impact that team’s faithful will have on their local economy. We have a challenge. Our academic reputation is golden, but we have a liability when convincing city fathers that we should be their choice against SEC powers that draw 92,000 fans for a spring game and routinely travel 15,000+. Imagine yourself with the AutoZone Liberty Bowl and can choose between Mississippi State with 30,000 cow-bell-clanging Bulldog fans and Vanderbilt, which takes less than 10% of that number to many road games. Who do you vote for? We learned of the Wake Forest example. The Deacons made the 2006 ACC title game and on that national stage, Wake brought about 2,000 fans. Over half the stadium was empty — a huge embarrassment to the ACC and a bigger turnoff to bowl reps. Fortunately for Wake Forest, it won the game and went to the Orange Bowl. Had it lost, it would have tumbled to the lower tier of bowls because nobody wanted their puny fan base. However, to the relief of the Orange Bowl, Wake Forest regrouped and attracted 18,000 fans, redeeming its reputation as a viable bowl participant. Kentucky is a favorite with our local Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl. Despite returning to the bowl for the second straight year and having migrated to Vanderbilt Stadium in November for our regular season contest, the Cats pre-sold 27,000 tickets! The game was an immediate sellout. That has a profound impact. When we have this opportunity, Vanderbilt needs thousands of people who heretofore have not been bitten by the football bug to get excited. Since you are reading this magazine, we are preaching to the choir, but it is not too early to get the right mindset. Just as we planned to host an NCAA Baseball Regional several years before we actually did, it is only prudent that we plan now with our improving football program. We will be working behind the scenes, defining our program and university to bowl reps well in advance of invitations. We would be irresponsible if we didn’t. We’re working on our part, but we need you and lots of others to decide now that you and your family will attend our bowl game, regardless of the site. Don’t host a block party. Don’t go to a sports bar with the gang … hop in a car or plane and show up. We can’t buy our way in; we can’t beg our way in. For years we’ve heard folks say they will get with the program when there is good reason. That time may arrive soon. ■
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of Vanderbilt Football t’s more than 42 hours before kickoff at Neyland Stadium when a moving truck and a Grayline bus pull away from the McGugin Center and head to Knoxville, Tennessee. The bus isn’t filled with players, coaches, band members or even overzealous fans – instead the bus is filled with Vanderbilt’s equipment staff. Led by equipment manager Luke Wyatt, the staff is responsible for loading, unloading and transporting the 26-foot moving truck that contains all the equipment that Vanderbilt needs to play a game away from home. As is the routine for every Commodores road game, the equipment crew spends each Thursday before a road game packing the truck and filling it to the brim with an eclectic mix of items ranging from the team’s helmets and jerseys to the training room supplies and radio equipment. Once the helmets and shoulder pads are collected and loaded into the truck after Thursday’s practice, it’s off to Knoxville, where the staff will drive through the night and check into the team hotel. After catching a few hours of shuteye, the crew heads to Neyland Stadium Friday morning to prep the locker room before the team arrives for a walkthrough at 2 p.m. Although their work and identities are usually unknown among fans and observers, the behind-the-scenes work of the equipment staff is as important to Vanderbilt’s football program as oil is to a car’s engine.
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The People Led by Wyatt, who got his start by helping at practices and games as a kid, the football equipment staff is a close-knit group
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that forms a bond much like a fraternity. In addition to Wyatt, who has been in his current position for 18 years after serving as an assistant the previous seven years, the staff is comprised of three full-time employees, four part-time employees and more than a dozen volunteers. The group ranges in age from 20 to 70 and experience from their first season to their 30th. There are the long-timers: Bobby Russell, Billy Smith, Ricky Stewart, James Arendale and Buddy Shaffer, who’ve all been working on the staff for more than 16 years. “I do it because I love the game, and I love Vanderbilt,” Shaffer said. “I started working at Vanderbilt as a member of the chain gang during Black and Gold scrimmages and was hired by coach (George) MacIntyre in 1982.” As a volunteer, Shaffer helps set up all of the headset communications between the coaches in the press box and the players and coaches on the sideline. Shaffer also sets up headset communications for the Tennessee Titans at all of their games. There is Harold Gregory, who has been on the staff for 10 years and is the second-oldest member. Born in 1938, Gregory once performed at the Grand Ole Opry House and knew Elvis Presley through his wife’s aunt, Kitty Wells, the “Queen of Country Music.” “I love just helping out with the team and being involved,” Gregory said. “I’ve been supporting Vanderbilt all of my life. I’ve missed one game since 1962.” There is Sam Leban, who makes the 722-mile trek from El Dorado, Kan., to Nashville eight or nine times a year just to help the staff. A salesman for Nevco scoreboards, Leb-
an’s son Dan was a football player turned student manager for the Commodores in the ‘90s. Leban began volunteering with the staff when his son was working with the staff as a student assistant. “Luke is great, and I’d do anything I could to help him,” Leban said. “The group is just fun to be around.” Despite only getting a per diem as compensation like the rest of the volunteers, the cost of logging the 722 miles from El Dorado to Nashville, hasn’t stopped Leban from doing what he loves. “When I tell people I do this, they either think that it is really neat that I get to be on the sideline at all of these games, or that I’m crazy,” Leban said. While the majority of state schools have upwards of 30 students on their equipment staffs, Vanderbilt’s staff is mostly comprised of individuals beyond their college years. “It is hard to find students at Vanderbilt that want to do it and are able to have it work with their class schedules,” Wyatt said. “It is a commitment to be able to make practices and be here in time to set up the field for practice.” To staff the crew, Wyatt has tried to offset the shortage of student workers by utilizing the size of the city to find volunteers. “I do have a good pool to pull from (in Nashville),” Wyatt said. “Vanderbilt also allows me to hire someone from another school because it is hard to find students at Vanderbilt.” One local student on Wyatt’s staff is Garrett Walker, a junior from Trevecca Nazarene University, who is in his first year. “It is something I’ve wanted to do for a career,” said Walker, who was a student
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Game Day
manager at the University of Alabama before transferring to Trevecca. “When I transferred, I e-mailed Luke (Wyatt) and let him know I was interested in helping out.”
Although kickoff for Vanderbilt’s game at Tennessee is at 2 p.m. ET, a bus carrying the equipment staff departs the team hotel at 9 a.m., some five hours before kickoff. “I try to time our arrival so that we have about an hour of downtime before the team arrives,” Wyatt said. When the staff arrives, they go right into setting up each player’s locker. Wyatt instructs and demonstrates the precise way that every item is to be placed in each locker. The laundry bags go on the middle of the three hooks, the long-sleeved Nike DriFit goes on the right hook, the pants must drape the back of the chair and face up, the jersey must drape the back of the chair and face down and the shoulder pads must face the same direction behind every chair. The precision is taken very seriously, and one mistake can cause the group to ridicule another. Sam Leban found this out firsthand and drew a good-humored ribbing from the staff after incorrectly placing a laundry bag on the right hook instead of the middle. In order to speed up the process of matching equipment with each player, Wyatt grabs each piece of equipment and identifies it by shouting the players number followed by either “O” or “D” for offense or defense. Wyatt then hands the item to a member of his staff, and it is placed in the player’s locker. While the majority of the staff is setting up the locker room for the players, Ricky Stewart, a 16-year veteran on the staff, is setting up the coaches’ locker room, as he does every game. “I’ve been doing this for so long that I just know what they want,” Stewart said. “Some coaches want short socks, some long and the same with the shirt.”
Build Up For A Road Game If you’ve ever wondered how something got to the stadium or on the sideline, there is a fairly good chance that the equipment staff had something to do with it. The preparation that goes into a road game for the equipment staff begins on Monday and continues until kickoff. With jobs ranging from doing the team’s laundry after practice to repairing shoulder pads and cleaning helmets, the equipment staff spends Monday through Wednesday making sure every “t” is crossed and every “i” is dotted before Thursday’s departure. Packing for the game begins on Wednesday when the equipment staff receives the official dress list and uniform combination from the coaching staff. The actual loading begins on Thursday afternoon, which also is departure day for the staff. “The only three things we can’t pack on Thursday afternoon are the shoulder pads, helmets and pad bags,” Wyatt said. “We wait until after practice is over, and we pick them up immediately after practice. We pack them and load them on the truck, and that is the final thing that we load.” After the team concludes practice on Thursday at about 6 p.m., the equipment staff begins collecting the player’s helmets and stacking them in large carts as they enter the locker room. Once the truck is loaded and every piece of equipment is accounted for, the staff departs on the bus to the team hotel, where they hope to catch a few hours of sleep. Some nights can be shorter than others, depending on the length of the drive. “For the Florida game earlier this season, we had only three hours to sleep before having to head to the stadium,” Wyatt said. The turnaround can be quick for Wyatt and the staff, which must head to the stadium at least four or five hours before the team’s scheduled walk-through. Some of the work that is done on Friday before the team arrives includes selecting lockers for all of the players and putting up nametags above each locker. “Coach (Bobby Johnson) likes offense on one side of the room and defense on the other, so that is how we set it up if the locker room allows for that,” Wyatt said. Other legwork that is done before the team arrives includes putting each player’s walkthrough gear in his locker, placing the coaches’ headsets in the press box and checking the equipment for damage that may have occurred at Thursday’s practice. “Friday at the stadium is the third check I will do to see if anything got scarred on that Thursday’s practice and needs repair,”
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Luke Wyatt has been Vanderbilt’s equipment manager for 18 years.
Wyatt said. “Thursday is usually a pretty light practice, so there aren’t a lot of things that need to be fixed.” While it would be possible for the staff to set up the locker room for Saturday’s game after the walkthrough, the risk of theft is too prevalent for Wyatt, who keeps the jerseys locked in a metal cage that has bars that are too narrow for a hand to fit through. The entire country saw the importance of keeping jerseys under lock and key when Virginia Tech’s jerseys were stolen before its game at Georgia Tech. While Wyatt always packs extra jerseys, Virginia Tech did not have replacements, and a few Hokies were forced to wear old Georgia Tech uniforms. “We won’t put out any game cloth on Friday,” Wyatt said. “I keep them locked in a cage and am very careful. We had a couple of jerseys disappear at Kentucky one year, and we had one jersey stolen at Arkansas a few years ago, but for the most part it is not a problem. Most places realize that they’ve got to come to your place, so they take care of you.”
Sam Leban (left) and Harold Gregory inspect and clean helmets.
Beyond the setup in the locker room, Buddy Shaffer, Chuck Arnold and David Frazier are responsible for setting up the headsets and phones on the sideline for communication between the field level and press box. Once the frequencies have been programmed, each of the 10 headsets is tested by the trio, who walk up and down the sideline checking to see if there are any gaps in the communication. While the headsets are being tested on the sideline, the staff in the locker room wraps up preparation for the game. Assistant equipment manager Gary Veach is preparing to oversee the pregame warmup. A five-year veteran on the staff, Veach is in charge of directing the precise location for each position grouping to warm up. Fellow assistant equipment manager Chris Singleton, a seven-year veteran on the staff, goes around to lockers and applies double-sided tape to the shoulder pads for players who request it. By placing the tape on the top of shoulder pads, it makes it difficult for the opponent to get a grip on a player’s jersey. When Singleton finishes, it is just a little past 10:30 a.m., and the team isn’t scheduled to arrive until 11:50 a.m. The extra time is a welcome sign to the staff, and it signifies that the setup has been completed without any major hiccups. Maybe just as importantly, it allows the staff a little
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Assistant equipment manager Chris Singleton applies tape to a pair of shoulder pads.
time to relax before the team arrives and it’s time to go again. Any moments of rest that can be had on game day are very important because early mornings at the stadium turn into late nights on the road back to Nashville. “No matter what time it is, we unload everything off the truck when we get back,” Wyatt said. “After we get it off the truck, we don’t do much unpacking that night except for the uniforms which go immediately into the wash. Everything else is done on Sunday.”
As soon as the final cart is off the truck and the jerseys have been washed, the cycle for next week’s game has already begun. And while some people may question why someone would donate so much time and not earn a penny doing so, Shaffer knows there is nowhere he would rather be than helping Vanderbilt’s football team. “I love Vanderbilt, and I love doing this because the people I work with are great,” Shaffer said. ■
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Quick Hits MEN’S SPORTS Baseball • Head coach Tim Corbin an-
nounced the signing of 14 players to National Letters of Intent. The class includes six pitchers and eight posiTim Corbin tion players. Nine of the players are ranked among the nation’s top 200 players. • Inking with the Commodores were Jack Armstrong, RHP/1B (Jupiter, Fla.), Will Clinard, RHP (Cross Plains, Tenn.), Jason Esposito, INF (Bethany, Conn.), Grayson Garvin, LHP (Suwanee, Ga.), Sonny Gray, RHP (Smyrna, Tenn.), Andrew Harris, INF (Nashville, Tenn.), Joe Loftus, INF (Savage, Minn.), Matt Marquis, OF (Annandale, N.J.), Adam Milligan, OF (Savannah, Tenn.), Navery Moore, RHP (Franklin Tenn.), Dylan Pratt, UTIL (Gray, Tenn.), Riley Reynolds, INF (Lee Summitt, Mo.), Ryan Westmoreland, OF (Portsmouth, R.I.) and Corey Williams, LHP (Huntsville, Ala.). • Four Commodores earned preseason honors on Dec. 12. Pedro Alvarez, Dominic de la Osa, Ryan Flaherty and Mike Minor were named to the Brooks Wallace Award Watch list. Alvarez and de la Osa were also named preseason first team All-Americans by the NCBWA with Minor earning second-team recognition.
Basketball • Senior Shan Foster received
SEC Player of the Week honors for the second time this season on Dec. 3. • The Commodores are off Kevin to their best start since the Stallings 2003-04 season, when the ’Dores opened the season 12-0. • Head Coach Kevin Stallings announced that forwards Lance Goulbourne (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Steve Tchiengang (Montverde, Fla.) have signed National Letters of Intent to attend Vanderbilt and play basketball for the Commodores beginning in the fall 2008.
Alan Metcalfe scored a career-high 18 points at DePaul on Dec. 12. (Photo: John Russell)
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Football
WOMEN’S SPORTS
• Wide receiver Earl Bennett
Basketball
concluded the season with 75 catches for 830 yards, becoming the first player in SEC history with three Bobby Johnson straight seasons of 70 or more catches. • The Commodores finished the season with 30 quarterback sacks, the third-most in school history. • Over the last three seasons, the 14 wins by Vanderbilt are the most in a four-year period since 1992-94, when the Commodores also won 14 games. • Four players were named to the Coaches and Associated Press All-SEC Teams. Earl Bennett and Chris Williams earned firstteam honors on both squads. D.J. Moore was selected first team by the AP and second team by the coaches. Jonathan Goff received second team honors from both.
• Head coach Melanie Balcomb announced the signings of guard Tia Gibbs (Louisville, Ky.) and wing Jordan ColeMelanie man (Longwood, Fla.). Balcomb • Vanderbilt defeated then-No. 10 Duke 68-55 on Nov. 28. The win was the first over the Blue Devils since 1982.
Jessica Mooney scored 16 points in consecutive home wins over Duke and Western Kentucky. (Photo: Steve Green)
Bowling Jonathan Goff led the Commodores with 113 tackles in 2007. (Photo: John Russell)
Men’s Golf • Junior Jon Curran finished 11th at the 33rd Annual Western Refining College All-America Golf Classic on Nov. 20. Tom • Head coach Tom Shaw anShaw nounced the signing of Trey Del Greco to a National Letter of Intent. A native of Birmingham, Ala., Del Greco won the 2006 Alabama Class 6A State Title. He also is the son of former NFL kicker, Al Del Greco.
Tennis • Head coach Ian Duvenhage announced the signings of Charlie Jones and Alex DiValerio during the early signing period. Ian • Both players are seniors Duvenhage in high school and will join the Commodores for the 2008-09 season. Jones hails from Destrehan, La., while DiValerio is a native of Malvern, Pa. • Jones is ranked No. 32 by Tennisrecruiting. net, while DiValerio is ranked No. 70 by the same site. • Ryan Preston was ranked No. 24 and Vijay Paul was ranked No. 28 in the ITA Southeast regional rankings released on Dec. 7.
• The Commodores repeated
as champions at the Hawk Classic in Delaware on Nov. 18. • Head coach John WilliamJohn son announced the signing Williamson of Brittni Hamilton (Webster, N.Y.), regarded by many as the top high school bowler in the nation, to a National Letter of Intent. • Junior Karen Grygiel was MVP of Hawk Classic and has been in the top 6 of the last three tournaments.
Lacrosse • The lacrosse team was hon-
ored for its academic success by the NCAA. The team earned the NCAA Public Recognition Award, which honors the team for championing the Academic Progress Rate.
Cathy Swezey
Women’s Golf • Vanderbilt head women’s golf coach Greg Allen has announced the signings of Marina Alex and Andrea Messer to National Letters of Intent and Greg Allen will be eligible for the Commodores in the fall of 2008. • Alex and Messer are Allen’s first two Vanderbilt signees since he was named head coach of the Commodores in the summer of 2007.
Swimming
Tennis
• The Vanderbilt swimming and diving team completed the fall portion of their Jeremy Organ schedule at the Western Kentucky Invite. Freshman Leigh-Ann Axt (Kingwood, Texas) won three races on the weekend, including breaking her own school record in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 56.42. • At the same meet, Axt also set a Bill Powell Natatorium record in the 200-yard butterfly, finishing with a time of 2:04.45. • Head coach Jeremy Organ announced that Laura Dillon (Reston, Va.) and Allison Voss (Columbia, S.C.) have signed National Letters of Intent to begin swimming with the Commodores in the fall of 2008. • The Vanderbilt swim team hosts its first home meet since 1992 when it welcomes Miami (Fla) to the Centennial Sportsplex on Friday, January 11.
• Head coach Geoff Macdonald announced that Chelsea Preeg, Heather Steinbauer and Geoff Jacqueline Wu have Macdonald signed National Letters of Intent to attend Vanderbilt and play women’s tennis beginning in the fall of 2008. • Preeg (Naples, Fla.) is currently ranked sixth in the girls’ 18 and under division and has been ranked as high as No. 1 in the country. Steinbauer (The Woodlands, Texas) is the No. 2 ranked player in the state of Texas. Wu (Holmdel, N.J.) is the top ranked player in N.J. • The team opens the spring part of its schedule at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 16 as it hosts UT-Martin at the Currey Tennis Center. • Four players are ranked in the ITA southeast region singles rankings. Catherine Newman (No. 6), Amanda Taylor (No. 7), Courtney Ulery (No. 10) and Taka Bertrand (No. 19). In doubles, Bertrand and Newman are ranked No. 8 and Taylor and Courtney Ulery are No. 12.
Snedeker Named PGA Tour Rookie of the Year Former Commodore Brandt Snedeker was tabbed as the PGA Tour’s Rookie of the Year on Dec. 11. “This has been a wonderful season for me and to finish it by being voted by my peers as Rookie of the Year is tremendous,” Snedeker told pgatour.com. “When I looked at the list of Tour players who have been honored in such a way, I am humbled to have my name alongside them.” Snedeker finished 20th on the FedEx Cup points list and had six top-10 finishes. His top performance of the season came in August when he won the Wyndham Championship by two strokes over Tim Petrovic with a 22-under 266 (70-67-66-63). A native of Nashville, Snedeker took the lead for good at the Wyndham Championship on the par-3 17th when he sank a 32-foot birdie putt that moved him ahead of Petrovic. On the season, Snedeker collected the third-highest rookie total in PGA history by earning $2,836,643. He also played in 29 events and made 23 cuts. Prior to competing on the PGA TOUR, Snedeker was a member of the Nationwide Tour from 2004-06. In 2006, he finished ninth on the money list. Snedeker earned the honor over the likes of George McNeill and Anthony Kim. McNeill posted a win at the Frys.com Open. Additional honors handed out the same day included Tiger Woods being selected Player of the Year and Steve Stricker being recognized as Comeback Player of the Year. ■
Snedeker hoists the trophy after winning the Wyndham Championship on Aug. 19. (Photo: Jonathan Ernst, Wire Image)
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Where Are They Now?
With Ulises Cabrera ven though Ulises Cabrera ended his baseball-playing career after two seasons in the Texas Rangers organization, he really never ended his career in baseball. A former shortstop and two-year letterwinner for Vanderbilt’s baseball team in 2000 and 2001, Cabrera now works for Creative Artists Agency in Los Angeles as the director of the Latin American Baseball Division. An Academic All-SEC selection in 2000, Cabrera graduated from Vanderbilt in 2001 with a degree in human and organizational development with an emphasis on leadership. On the field, Cabrera batted .311 with 117 hits in two seasons. In 2000, he led the Commodores in runs with 51, while ranking second on the team with a .353 batting average and tying for second with 67 hits. Following his senior season at Vanderbilt, Cabrera signed a free-agent contract with the Rangers after going undrafted. In two seasons of professional baseball, Cabrera reached as high as Class A ball in Savannah, Ga., before he decided to pursue other career opportunities. After retiring from playing, Cabrera didn’t stray far from the game he grew up loving as a child by accepting a job with Louisville Slugger as a professional baseball representative in Southern California. Cabrera also went back to school, earning his MBA from Pepperdine. “In the minors, I realized that (playing baseball) probably wasn’t the best use of my skill set,” Cabrera said. “Even at Vanderbilt, I didn’t pigeonhole myself into a position. I’d rather look in areas that I was interested in. For me, baseball has always been a big part of my life, but business has always been a big part of my life, as well. “When I made the decision to go to Louisville Slugger I looked at it more so from the standpoint of which components I am interested in would come into to play, and it combined business and baseball.” With Louisville Slugger, Cabrera worked on endorsement contracts for majorleague players such as Alex Rodriguez, David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez. “Essentially my job was to get the product from Louisville Slugger into the big leagues, and that was basically my focus,” Cabrera said. Just this past year, Cabrera assumed his current position with Creative Artists Agency, a world-renowned talent agency that represents actors, musicians and numerous athletes such as Derek Jeter, LeBron James, David Beckham and LaDainian Tomlinson.
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“At CAA, this is an opportunity for me to leave a positive impact on the next generation of players,” Cabrera said. “To provide them (clients) with a better experience and to know that by the end of the day, it is leaving a positive impact that is going to significantly change the lives and families of our clients is really what it is all about.” A native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Cabrera’s position as the director of the newly-created Latin American Baseball Division provides him with an opportunity to work with Latin American players. “Here (CAA) I can leverage my experiences, my skill set, my education and my apprenticeship so that I can help my clients in Latin America raise the bar in terms of what representation is and really look out for my clients best interests having seen how other people operate in the business,” Cabrera said. “I think there is a disconnect between what is offered currently in the marketplace and what I think should be.” Although he still is getting acclimated to his new position, Cabrera is excited about the future. He can already feel the impact that CAA and his coworkers have had on him. “Creative Artists is the top agency in the world, not only because of the clients they represent, but because the people that work there, as well,” Cabrera said. “To be in that type of learning environment where you find yourself on the cusp of the most innovative thinking and thoughts in both the entertainment and sports world is really exciting.” ■
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Vanderbilt Winter/Spring Sports Calendar MEN’S SPORTS Baseball Date
Opponent
2.22 2.23 2.24 2.27 2.29 3.1 3.2 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 3.11 3.12 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.18 3.19 3.21 3.22 3.23 3.25 3.26 3.28 3.29 3.30 4.2 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.8 4.9 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.15 4.16 4.18 4.19 4.20 4.22 4.23 4.25 4.26 4.27 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.6 5.7 5.9 5.10 5.11 5.15 5.16 5.17 5.21-25 5.30-6.2 6.6-9 6.14-25
vs. Oregon State (Tempe, Ariz.) at Arizona State vs. Miami (Ohio) (Tempe, Ariz.) Evansville Kansas (Music City Classic) Iowa (Music City Classic) Xavier (Music City Classic) Illinois-Chicago Illinois-Chicago Illinois-Chicago Illinois-Chicago Western Carolina Western Carolina South Carolina South Carolina South Carolina Louisville Lipscomb at Alabama at Alabama at Alabama Belmont Middle Tennessee State Arkansas Arkansas Arkansas at Middle Tennessee State at Ole Miss at Ole Miss at Ole Miss Western Kentucky Austin Peay at Mississippi State at Mississippi State at Mississippi State at Lipscomb at Western Kentucky Auburn Auburn Auburn at Austin Peay at Belmont Kentucky Kentucky Kentucky at Tennessee at Tennessee at Tennessee vs. Memphis (Jackson, Tenn.) Tennessee Tech Georgia Georgia Georgia at Florida at Florida at Florida at SEC Tournament (Hoover, Ala.) NCAA Regionals NCAA Super Regionals at College World Series (Omaha, Neb.)
Result TBA TBA TBA 4pm 4pm 4pm 4pm 4pm 4pm 2pm 1pm 4pm 4pm 6pm 2pm 1pm 6pm 6pm 6:30pm 4pm 2pm 6pm 6pm 6pm 3pm 1pm 6pm 6:30pm 4pm 1:30pm 6pm 6pm 6:30pm 2pm 1:30pm 6pm TBA 6pm 2pm 1pm 6pm 6pm 6pm 2pm 1pm 6pm 3pm 1pm 6pm 6pm 6pm 2pm 1pm 5:30pm 5:30pm 3pm TBA TBA TBA TBA
Basketball Date
Opponent
11.5 11.10 11.13 11.20 11.23 11.24 11.29 12.1 12.5 12.8 12.12 12.22 12.29 12.31 1.3 1.5 1.9 1.12 1.17 1.19 1.27 1.30 2.2 2.6 2.9
Tusculum (Exhibition) W, 80-79 Austin Peay W, 81-67 at Toledo W, 77-70 Valparaiso W, 87-78 vs. Utah State (South Padre Island) W, 77-56 vs. Bradley (South Padre Island) W, 95-86 South Alabama W, 91-88 (2OT) Georgia Tech W, 92-79 Wake Forest W, 83-80 Lipscomb W, 90-67 at DePaul W, 91-85 (OT) Tennessee State 8pm Tennessee-Martin 12pm Iona 7pm Rice 7pm UMASS 3pm South Carolina 7pm at Kentucky 12:30pm at Tennessee 6pm LSU 12pm at Florida 12pm at Ole Miss 7pm Auburn 4pm at Georgia 6:30pm at South Carolina 4pm
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Result
2.12 2.16 2.23 2.26 3.1 3.5 3.8 3.13-16
Kentucky Florida Georgia Tennessee at Arkansas Mississippi State at Alabama at SEC Tournament (Atlanta)
8pm 2pm 3pm 8pm 3pm 7pm 6pm TBA
Men’s Golf Date
Opponent
9.14-16 9.24-25 10.14-16 10.21 11.5-6 2.17-19 3.2-4 3.16-17 3.28-30 4.6-8 4.18-20
at Carpet Capital Collegiate Classic at Shoal Creek Invitational at The Ridges Mason Rudolph Intercollegiate at Western Carolina Intercollegiate at Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Champ. at Seminole Intercollegiate Kauai Collegiate Cup at Furman Intercollegiate at The Reunion at SEC Championships (Sea Island, Ga.)
Result 17th (901) 12th (905) 15th (882) T4th (287) 2nd (582) All Day All Day All Day All Day All Day All Day
Men’s Tennis Date
Opponent
1.27 2.2 2.3 2.7 2.9 2.10 2.16 2.17 2.24 2.29 3.2 3.7 3.9 3.14 3.21 3.23 3.28 3.30 4.4 4.6 4.12 4.17-20
Michigan State 11am Samford 1pm Memphis 1pm New Mexico 2pm vs. North Carolina State (Ann Arbor, Mich.) 2pm at Michigan 12pm Belmont 9am Wisconsin 1pm Middle Tennessee State 11am Florida 2pm South Carolina 1pm at Arkansas TBA at LSU TBA at Northwestern 7pm at Auburn 1:30pm Alabama 1pm Ole Miss 2pm Mississippi State 1pm at Tennessee TBA at Georgia TBA at Kentucky 1pm at SEC Tournament TBA
Result
WOMEN’S SPORTS
Bowling Date
Opponent
Result
10.27-28 11.9-11 11.17-18 12.1-2 1.18 1.19-20 2.1-3 2.9-10 2.16-17 3.1-2 3.15-16
at Central Regional Fall Jamboree at Wisconsin-Whitewater at UMES Hawk Classic at Capital City Classic at Central Region Duals at Greater Ozark Invitational at Lady Indian Invitational at Capital Classic at Morgan State Invitational at Holiday Classic Columbia 300 Music City Classic
7-3 2nd 1st 2nd All Day All Day All Day All Day All Day All Day All Day
Women’s Golf Date
Opponent
9-14-16 9.24-26 10.5-7 10.19-21 11.4-6 2.25-27 3.9-11 3.21-23 4.4-6 4.18-20
Mason Rudolph Championship 13th (901) at NCAA Fall Preview 5th (881) at Lady Tar Heel Invitational T5th (886) at Stanford Fall Intercollegiate 10th (920) at Collegiate Match Play Champ. 1-2 at Arizona Wildcat Invitational All Day at UCF Challenge All Day at Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic All Day at Ping ASU Invitational All Day at SEC Championships (Loudon, Tenn.) All Day
Result
Lacrosse Date
Opponent
2.17 2.22 2.24 3.1 3.4 3.8 3.12 3.15 3.17 3.23 3.30 4.6 4.11 4.13 4.16 4.20 5.2 5.3 5.11-25
Cincinnati at UMBC at Lehigh Duquesne Virginia Tech at North Carolina Boston University New Hampshire Cornell Penn State at Northwestern at Johns Hopkins Ohio State at Albany (NY) at Notre Dame Duke ALC Tournament Semifinals ALC Tournament Championship NCAA Tournament
Result 1pm 3pm 11am 1pm 1pm 11am 5pm 1pm 3pm 12pm 1pm 12pm 4pm 11am 3:30pm 1pm TBA TBA TBA
Swimming
Basketball Date
Opponent
Result
10.31 11.5 11.9 11.11 11.14 11.20 11.23 11.25 11.28 12.1 12.2 12.6 12.9 12.22 12.30 1.2 1.5 1.10 1.13 1.17 1.20 1.27 1.31 2.3 2.7 2.10 2.14 2.17 2.21 2.28 3.2 3.6-9
Cumberland (Exhibition) W, 104-43 Anderson College (Exhibition) W, 76-41 UAB W, 92-51 Furman W, 68-51 at Indiana State L, 72-77 (OT) at Clemson W, 74-56 Belmont (VU Thanksgiving Tourn.) W, 104-43 Iowa State (VU Thanksgiving Tourn.) W, 62-53 Duke W, 68-55 vs. St. Mary’s (Berkeley, Calif.) W, 90-69 at California L, 59-67 Western Kentucky W, 75-54 Colorado L, 51-62 Lipscomb 5:30pm Old Dominion 2pm South Florida 7pm at Princeton 1pm Mississippi State 7pm at LSU 4pm Georgia 7pm at Tennessee 2pm Ole Miss 2pm at Florida 6pm at Georgia 1:30pm South Carolina 7pm at Alabama 2pm Kentucky 7pm Tennessee 3:30pm at Arkansas 7pm at Auburn 8pm Alabama 2pm at SEC Tournament (Nashville) TBA
Date
Opponent
10.13 10.19 10.20 11.2 11.10 11.16-18 1.11 1.19 1.26 2.20-23 3.1
at Southern Illinois L, 75-151 at North Florida L, 69-162 at Georgia Southern L, 89-120 at Alabama/LSU L, 49-240/L, 48-245 at Marshall L, 59-179 at Western Kentucky Inv. 3rd (456) Miami (Fla.) All Day at Arkansas All Day at Georgia Tech/Emory All Day at SEC Championships (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) All Day at Last Chance Meet All Day
Result
Women’s Tennis Date
Opponent
1.16 1.18 1.20 1.25 1.26 2.16 2.20 2.29 3.2 3.5 3.7 3.9 3.11 3.13 3.21 3.23 3.28 3.30 4.4 4.6 4.12 4.17-20
Tennessee-Martin at New Mexico vs. Colorado (Albuquerque, N.M.) Michigan Notre Dame East Tennessee State Middle Tennessee State at Florida at South Carolina at Georgia Tech Arkansas LSU Florida International Furman Auburn at Alabama at Ole Miss at Mississippi State Tennessee Georgia Kentucky at SEC Tournament (Auburn, Ala.)
Result 2:30pm 6pm 11am 2:30pm 2:30pm 2:30pm 2:30pm 12pm TBA 1:30pm 2:30pm 2:30pm 2:30pm 2:30pm 2:30pm 1pm TBA 1pm 2:30pm 2:30pm 2:30pm All Day