Conference Matchup

Vanderbilt (3-5, 0-0 AAC) vs. No. 14/14 James Madison (4-2, 0-0 AAC)
Saturday, March 15 • 12 p.m. • ESPN+
Vanderbilt Lacrosse Complex • Nashville, Tenn.

Series History
• This will be the fourth matchup between the programs in a series that James Madison leads 1-2
• The first meeting between the teams was in 2004, which resulted in a Commodore victory 10-4
• The programs last meet during 2024 with JMU claiming a 21-3 win in Harrisonburg

The Opponent
• James Madison enters Saturday’s conference opener 4-3 overall, coming off a 5-11 loss to No.8 Maryland at Sentra Park
• The Dukes have not lost back-to-back contests in three years, when they fell to Penn State and Rutgers in March of 2022
• JMU began at No. 18 through the first three weeks of the season and ascended No. 13 following its win over then- fifth-ranked Florida, and have since landed at No. 14

The Scouting Report
• Junior Maddie Epke, who is on the Tewaaraton Watch List, has picked up right where she left off after a record-breaking sophomore campaign. She is the spark plug of JMU’s attack, leading the team in goals (17), points (25), assists (8), and draw controls (60)
• Nationally, Epke is tied for fourth in draw controls per game (10) and has JMU ninth in
draw control percentage (.623)
• Epke and Ava Bleckley were named preseason all-americans by InsideLacrosse and USA Lacrosse Magazine. Epke was also picked by the conference as AAC Preseason Attacker of the Year while Carolyn Thistlewaite was named AAC Preseason Defender of the Year

Last Time Out for the Dores
• Vanderbilt snapped its three game skid by having nine scorers in the win, six with multiple goals in a win over Coastal Carolina. Krestinski posted a career-high four goals of five shots and dished one assist
• Cate Bradley posted two goals and dished two assists for a career-high-tying four points and back-to-back multi-goal performances. Jackie Norsworthy added two goals for the Dores, tying her career-best
• Jaime Biskup posted four points off two goals and a career-high tying two assists, while Sammy Nuchow added three of a goal and two assists

2025 SuperFan Award
• Vanderbilt announced its recipient of the Robert Nesi Super Fan Award to General Scott Brower
• General Brower currently serves as the Bass Military Scholars program director at Vanderbilt. He began leading the program in 2021 and it provides scholarships to honorably discharged military service members seeking advanced degrees in law, medicine, business, and education
• He meets regularly with the lacrosse leadership council of about a dozen members of the lacrosse team to engage the Commodores in dialogue about principles of leadership, calling on his nearly 30 years of experience leading men and women in the Army, which culminated in his time as the acting senior commander for the 101st Airborne Division and Fort Campbell
• The team chose to award General Brower to be this year’s Robert Nesi Super Fan Award recipient not only for his lessons in leadership but also for the example he sets by caring about what happens when the leadership lesson ends
• The Robert Nesi Award was established in 2020 to celebrate people who significantly contribute to the Vanderbilt lacrosse program and support student-athletes on and off the field. The award is named in memory of the late Robert Nesi, father of former Vanderbilt lacrosse standout Gabby Nesi, whose unconditional love for his daughter and the Vanderbilt lacrosse family inspired and uplifted everyone he came in contact with

AAC Midi of the Week
• Brooke Baker scored a combined eight goals with two assists, nine ground balls, five draw controls and two caused turnovers in two games against top-30 RPI opponents last week to earn AAC Midfielder of the Week honors
• The grad student had a hat trick with four ground balls and three draw controls in a 13-9 setback to Louisville and had a game-high five goals with two assists, five ground balls and two draw controls in a 16-15 loss at Arizona State

2025 Vanderbilt AAC Weekly Honors Tracker
• Brooke Baker, AAC Midfielder of the Week (March 10)
• Brooke Baker, AAC Honorable Mention (Feb. 24)
• Jaime Biskup, AAC Honorable Mention (Feb. 24)
• Maddie Barkate, AAC Honorable Mention (Feb. 24)
• Maddie Barkate, AAC Honorable Mention (Feb. 10)
• Molly Joyce, AAC Goalie of the Week (Feb. 10)