June 29, 2011
Vanderbilt student-athletes earned 201 Southeastern Conference All-Academic awards during 2010-11, an all-time high. Our previous best was 186 awards in 2008-09. As a point of reference, in 2003-04 Vanderbilt had 149 student-athletes earn SEC academic mention. To earn SEC All-Academic honors, a student-athlete must have a 3.0 grade point average for two semesters or a cumulative g.p.a. of 3.0 or higher.
The women’s golf team has just returned after spending a week in Scotland. The team played on five historic courses: The Old Course at St. Andrews, Crail, Carnoustie, Castle Course and King’s Barns. Lauren Stratton’s 70 at Crail was the team’s low score. In addition to lots of great golf, the Commodores toured Edinburgh Castle and heard a presentation on Old Tom Morris, one of the pioneers of professional golf.
For those of you coming to the U2 concert July 2 in Vanderbilt Stadium, rest assured you that you will be astounded by the facility’s transformation from a 40,000 seat football venue into an eye-popping setting for one of the world’s leading music groups. If you don’t already have tickets, forget it. The concert has been sold out since it was announced last fall.
Our National Commodore Club is on the cusp of its best fiscal year since 1998. There is still a day to act before its books for 2010-11 close. You can help make that happen either with your own membership or by encouraging a friend that has been considering membership. The fiscal year ends June 30. You will hear this refrain repeated because it is true and important: in order to continue attracting first-rate student-athletes and producing top quality teams this department – or any other in major college athletics – needs to have active financial participation from its alumni and friends. Your membership matters.
NAME DROPPING…There were too many Vanderbilt people at the College World Series to mention but among those Quick Slant ran into was Hunter Hillenmeyer, his wife and baby daughter tailgating near TD Ameritrade Park. Hunter reports injuries have probably ended his Chicago Bear career. Among the former baseball players in attendance were Gil Kim, a walk-on from Tim Corbin’s first Vandy team who is now a Major League scout in Mexico, and Rucker Taylor, now an assistant baseball coach at Samford.
Quick Slant will be taking one week off, returning July 13.