Oct. 2, 2013
Practice Officially Starts: The 10th season of Vanderbilt bowling gets underway Tuesday with the official start of practice. The team will divide the year between the Smyrna Bowling Center during the fall and its brand new campus facility in the spring.
Preseason Ranking: The Commodores will open the season ranked No. 2 in the preseason National Ten Pin Coaches Association poll. Here is the top 10:
- 1 Nebraska
2 Vanderbilt
3 Central Missouri
4 Arkansas State
5 Maryland-Eastern Shore
6 Sam Houston State
7 Fairleigh Dickinson
8 Wisconsin-Whitewater
9 Stephen F. Austin
10 Adelphi
Left-handers Galore: Just four years ago Vanderbilt did not have a single left-hander on its roster. Then came Rebeca Reguero and Natalie Goodman followed by Amanda Fry last season. This year we add Nicole Powell to the southpaw arsenal.
New facility update: Vanderbilt’s high tech bowling facility is still on schedule for the team to use for spring practice. In addition to a quality teaching facility, it sits directly south of the McGugin Center headquarters, meaning it is a two-minute walk to the lanes!
Tolbert Cup’s New Home: The Tolbert Cup is one of the department’s highest awards, going annually to the team that best combines athletic achievement, academic success and community service. The bowling team earned the trophy, named after former track national champion Ryan Tolbert, in the 2012-13 season.
Say Cheese: The team had its annual photo shoot last Friday, taking team, small group and individual shots. The photographer, by the way, was Vanderbilt’s own John Russell, regarded as one of the best sports photographers in the country. A few years ago, a Russell photograph was the cover of Sports Illustrated’s The Year in Pictures issue.
Hall of Famer: One of the program’s highlights over the off-season was the induction of assistant coach Josie Earnest into Vanderbilt’s Athletic Hall of Fame.Earnest is the first bowler among 47 other Hall of Fame members.
Summer Travels Go Afar: Robyn Renslow and Natalie Goodman represented the United States at the PABCON Games, winning gold and silver medals. And Liz Saffold and Nicole Channin were part of a department contingent that traveled to Tanzania on a service trip to deliver shoes to remote African villages.
First tourney action: The Commodores open the season Nov. 1 at FDU’s New Jersey Jamboree. Former Vanderbilt All-American Brittni Hamilton will serve as a volunteer coach for FDU this year while she works on a Master’s degree.
