Dear Commodore Nation,
The spring semester is officially underway, and it has been refreshing to see campus buzzing with activity again as students returned from their unusually long winter break. Among them were many of our student-athletes, whose presence at McGugin Center had been sorely missed.
Of course, life at McGugin remains far from normal, given the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, but just hearing voices echoing through the halls was encouraging. It also made me appreciate how connected we all are, not just to those in our immediate circles—our family, friends and colleagues—but also to the strangers we may never know by name. This is something that has been particularly top of mind for me ever since the holidays.
As heartbreaking as the past year was at times, I continue to be impressed by this community of ours and the resiliency it has shown in the face of such hardships. I’m talking about Nashville, of course, but also our Vanderbilt Athletics community. Our student-athletes, coaches and staff had to endure their own set of challenges in 2020, on top of those faced by everyone else, and they rose to the occasion time and again, making us proud in the process.
Take, for example, Sarah Fuller. The senior student-athlete from Wylie, Texas, who plays goalkeeper for the recently crowned SEC champion Vanderbilt soccer team, handled the pressure of the media spotlight with grace when she became the first woman to play in a football game in the SEC and for a Power Five program on Nov. 28. She then made history again two weeks later when she became the first woman to score in a Power Five game.
We simply viewed her participation on the football team as an opportunity to step up when we needed her. Amid all the attention, she remained squarely focused on practicing and preparing to help her team. Her humility and maturity were also on full display when she represented the university and introduced Vice President Kamala Harris during a televised prime-time presidential inauguration event on Jan. 20.
In addition to Sarah, there were plenty of other bright spots these past couple of months. For one, our student-athletes posted a 3.2 collective grade-point average—the highest ever for a fall semester. Considering all the challenges they had to deal with, between competing amid the uncertainty of COVID-19 and attending classes under unusual circumstances, it’s impressive what they were able to accomplish.
Individual student-athlete accomplishments include fifth-year senior golfer John Augenstein, who announced his decision to turn pro after a strong showing as an amateur at the Masters Tournament. Nick Laning, a junior from Barrington, Illinois, became the first Vanderbilt man or woman to earn SEC Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors. Nick has a 3.983 GPA and is pursuing a degree in civil engineering with a minor in computer science.
And we never want to miss opportunities to highlight our alumni. Congratulations are in order for former basketball student-athletes Aaron Nesmith and Saben Lee. Aaron was selected 14th overall by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the 2020 NBA Draft, while Saben was chosen 38th overall in the second round and ultimately joined the Detroit Pistons. We also congratulate our football alumni Ke’Shawn Vaughn for advancing to the Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (along with former Commodore Shelton Quarles, who serves as the team’s director of football operations, and former Vanderbilt assistant coach Rick Christophel, the Bucs’ tight ends coach), and David Culley, the pioneering Vanderbilt quarterback who was named head coach of the Houston Texans.
During this Black History Month, my thoughts and admiration are with pioneers such as David, in all sports, who came to Vanderbilt under challenging circumstances in the 1960s and ’70s and paved the way for so many student-athletes to come. They made Vanderbilt a better place, and we salute their courage and determination. We look forward to hearing the stories of our pioneers and honoring their contributions to Vanderbilt in the months ahead.
I must also take this opportunity to reiterate how delighted I was to announce Clark Lea as our new head football coach in December. A Nashville native, Coach Lea is a former football student-athlete who walked on as a fullback for the Commodores and played three seasons. He also is a two-time graduate, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in political science.
Coach Lea may have strong ties to Vanderbilt football’s past, but his hiring is very much about the program’s future. He understands as well as anyone the importance of our commitment to serving our student-athletes, having been one himself at this university, and how transformational the decision to attend Vanderbilt can be. Yet he also brings top-tier experience and a fresh perspective that will help us not only win in the SEC, but win the right way.
More than 100 former football student-athletes attested to the strides we’re making in that program—and across athletics in general—in a recent Vanderbilt Hustler editorial. I am the first to admit that there’s still much work to do, but their letter, in which they voice their support for Coach Lea and encourage fellow fans and alumni to get behind our efforts, shows that we’re heading in the right direction.
As we pivot to the rest of 2021, we continue to face the stark reality of the pandemic, which unfortunately led to circumstances that recently forced us to discontinue the women’s basketball season. And we will likely endure disruptions in some form or fashion for the rest of the semester, but there’s much to be excited about on the horizon.
I look forward to updating you on the renovation of our football locker room—which is now underway—additional facility plans as well as some important hires. To start, we are happy to announce the addition of Lauren Belisle, our new senior associate athletic director for sales and fan experience. I know that the fan experience may seem like an odd thing to focus on right now, given how long it has been since we were all able to gather and cheer on our student-athletes. But trust me, we’ll be welcoming you back with open arms soon, and when you do return to Hawkins Field, Vanderbilt Stadium, Memorial Gym or any of our other venues on campus, it will be not just how you remembered it, but better.
And last, but not least, I want to take a moment to congratulate our provost, Susan R. Wente, on her appointment as president of Wake Forest University. Susan served Vanderbilt with great distinction and truly understood the value of the student-athlete experience. She led this university as interim chancellor under the most difficult of circumstances, and we wish her all the best in her new endeavor.
Until we meet again, keep wearing those Vanderbilt face masks and keep looking out for one another.
Anchor Down,
Candice Lee
Vice Chancellor for Athletics and University Affairs and Athletic Director
