Sept. 13, 2016
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – After breaking six school records last season, the Commodores are excited to get back in the pool for another season to build on last year’s success. The 2017 schedule features four home meets at Centennial Sportsplex.
The Commodores had a strong sophomore class last year led by Kara Lucenti and Breanna Sapienza. The pair played a part in all six of the school records that were set last season.
The Vandy freshman also made contributions last season. Johanna Goldblatt broke a freshman record in the 50 free (23.47) and all four freshman made swims at the SEC Championships.
After just having one senior last season, the ‘Dores will have six this year and they all look to finish off their Commodore careers on a high note.
“Really looking forward to a great season,” said head coach Jeremy Organ entering his 11th season at Vanderbilt. “The schedule gives the girls a lot of opportunities to get up and race against great competition with the ultimate goal of competing well at the end of the season at SECs.”
Vanderbilt will face a lot of the competition from its own conference this season. The ‘Dores have three SEC opponents on the schedule along with a home meet versus Tennessee in which the date is still being determined.
The Commodores open the season with two consecutive conference opponents. First, LSU comes to West End for the home opener on Sept. 23th and then they travel to Tuscaloosa to face Alabama and West Florida on Sept. 30th.
The Commodores continue on the road for a tri-meet against San Diego State and UC San Diego. The next day they will stay out west and face San Diego State again. Next up, the ‘Dores head to Texas for the Houston Fall Invitational on Nov. 18-20.
The USA Swimming Short Course Nationals will be held in Atlanta, Ga. on Georgia Tech’s campus. Swimmers who qualify will head to Atlanta to compete in the four-day tournament starting on Nov. 30th.
Just before the winter break, Vandy hosts its second home meet of the season when they face Campbell at Centennial Sportsplex on Dec. 16th. Last season, the ‘Dores defeated the Camels 153.5-107.5.
After the break, Arkansas and Houston come to Nashville for a tri-meet on Jan. 20-21. The second day of the meet will be senior day for the Commodores where the six seniors will be honored. Vandy came in second last season at a quad-meet in Fayetteville against Arkansas, Houston and Clemson.
The ‘Dores head off to Marshall at the end of January to face the Thundering Heard for the second consecutive season. Last year, Vandy won 147-113 at Centennial Sportsplex on senior night for the ‘Dores.
Then the Commodores will make the short trip to Knoxville for the 2017 SEC Championships on Feb. 14-18. Competing against some of the top teams and best swimmers in the country, the Commodores have broken multiple school records at the SECs. The past two seasons, they have opened and closed the SEC Championships with school records.
Vanderbilt will then compete in what is known as the “Last Chance Meet”. The Commodores will try to improve their times and qualify for the upcoming NCAA Championships.
The 2017 NCAA Championships will be held in Indianapolis, Ind. and hosted by IUPUI. The tournament lasts three days and will begin on March 16th and conclude on March 18th.