Sticks and Mouth Guards
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VMagSmr04_20-21.final 6/30/04 2:46 PM Page 20 Sportsathletics Vanderbilt at look A Sticks and Mouth Guards A “late bloomer” to lacrosse, Michelle Allen is 2004’s Player of the Year. By NELSON BRYAN e really went crazy,” everywhere while I was growing up,”she says. ly liked Cornell,”she says. “I loved the team, recalls Michelle Allen. Her father was a band director in the Army. and the school was great.”But several factors “There were sticks and “Sports in general was a good way to make brought her south. Her parents moved to Ken- mouth guards thrown all friends.” tucky, and she knew they wouldn’t be able to over the field. I had no The family settled in Maryland during see her play at Cornell. She has a sister on “Widea where my stuff was when we were done.” Allen’s high school career, where she became the crew team at the University of Louisville It was a melee of merriment. Allen, a senior a three-sport star in basketball, soccer and and a brother in high school. In addition, her attack, and her teammates on the women’s lacrosse.“I had no idea what lacrosse was until high school teammate and best friend, Jess lacrosse team had just defeated favored James I moved to Maryland. I was a late bloomer,” Roguski, sang the praises of an up-and-com- Madison University 10-4 to advance to the she says with a smile. ing Vanderbilt program. “I had been down NCAA Final Four. The late bloomer was named a lacrosse All- here to visit her my freshman year and just “It’s so exciting,”she says.“The games are American in 2000, and the Carroll County loved Vanderbilt and Nashville. I met Cathy so much fun, especially (Md.) Times newspaper [Coach Swezey] and really liked her. It seemed the hard ones. That’s one tabbed her as one of the like the right thing to do.” reason we’re playing so county’s top 50 athletes of The ensuing three years at Vanderbilt showed well right now. We have the century. progress on the field and in the classroom. nine seniors who love “It was very frustrating at Allen majored in human and organizational playing and don’t want first,”she says of her intro- development. “I really liked the hands-on, to go home.” duction to lacrosse. She had applications-style classes,”she says.“You learn Allen is one of three the athletic ability, but had to how to relate to people, work with them, captains on the senior- be schooled in technique and and make them as successful as they can be. laden team that won the specific movements. “They Actually, a lot of that transfers over into sports, 2004 American Lacrosse actually started me out on being captain and a leader on the team. Conference champi- defense. In my junior year, “This year has been amazing. We’ve improved onship. It’s serendipitous they switched me to attack. every year, but this year, especially at the end that she wears the num- The hardest part to learn was of the year, we’ve been peaking at the right ber one on her jersey and the rules. In lacrosse there are time.” also was named the ALC’s some strange rules that you Commencement exercises may have sig- Player of the Year by a vote can only understand if you naled the end of another academic year, but of the conference’s coaches. During regular- watch a lot. My mom’s been watching for eight Allen and her teammates still had work to do. season play, she led the Commodores in scor- years now, and she still has some trouble under- “We play the best when we’re bonding off the ing (59 points), draw controls (38) and caused standing.” field,”she says. “There’s no one else to hang turnovers (18). After high school graduation, Allen’s ren- out with other than our teammates, no more The route to lacrosse success has been a dezvous with Vanderbilt was still a year away. distractions. Being through with school is great; circuitous one for Allen.“We traveled around She spent her freshman year at Cornell.“I real- all we have to focus on is lacrosse.” 20 Summer 2004 PHOTOS BY NEIL BRAKE VMagSmr04_20-21.final 7/12/04 4:29 PM Page 21 Michelle Allen PHOTOS BY NEIL BRAKE VMagSmr04_p22-23.final 6/30/04 2:49 PM Page 22 S PORTS Sweet! Georgia. They advanced through the NCAA ball games and men’s basketball games as well It was a stellar year for Vanderbilt basketball Tournament to the quarter-final round, los- as weekly call-in shows featuring head coach- as both the men’s and women’s teams advanced ing to Stanford by two points in a heart- es Bobby Johnson and Kevin Stallings. In to the quarter-final “Sweet Sixteen” round of breaker. addition, 104.5 will carry daily “Commodore the NCAA basketball tournament and the • Senior Jenni Benningfield was drafted by Update” features throughout the year. women’s team won the SEC Tournament the WNBA’s Charlotte Sting at season’s end. “We are thrilled to be on what I think is championship. Following are some of the She and senior Hillary Hager were named the number-one sports station in town,”says season’s hoops highlights: co-recipients of the Commodore Award, Vanderbilt play-by-play announcer Joe Fish- • The women’s team won the SEC Tourna- given to the team’s most valuable player at er. “And it is exciting to be on a station with ment championship after coming back from the annual awards banquet. Benningfield some Vanderbilt guys like George Plaster an 18-point second-half deficit against averaged 13.1 points per game, and Hager (BS’81) and Willy Daunic (BA’93), hosts of averaged 12 points per game while also rank- ‘Sports Zone.’” ing near the top of every other Vanderbilt statistical category. The team finished with Wallace Jersey Retired a 26-8 overall record, 8-6 in the SEC. An enthusiastic Memorial Gymnasium crowd • The men’s team finished the season with a cheered as, high in the rafters above, Van- 23-10 overall record (8-8 SEC)—vastly derbilt jersey #25 was unveiled and official- improving on the previous season’s 11-18 ly retired. On the floor below, Perry Wallace, overall record (3-13 SEC)—and defeated the recipient of this signal honor, once again Western Michigan and North Carolina State basked in the adoration of thousands of Com- to advance to the NCAA Tournament quar- modore basketball fans. ter-final round, where they lost to the even- Commodorophiles know that Perry Wal- tual national champion, the University of lace was the first African-American athlete Connecticut. • Senior forward Matt Freije broke Vander- bilt’s all-time career scoring mark in a late- {Where AreThey Now?} season game at Ole Miss. He passed Phil Cox (1981–85; 1,724 points) by scoring 599 “You have reached the Brady foursome,” points this season for a career total of 1,883. said the voice on the answering machine. Peggy Harmon Brady, BE’72, Athletics Committee wasn’t home. She was on the golf course. Created On a crisp, clear, beautiful spring Chancellor Gordon Gee has appointed Pro- morning, Vanderbilt’s first two-time All-American fessor of Pathology Virginia Shepherd to chair women’s golfer was play- a new University Athletics Oversight Com- ing golf near her home in mittee that will serve as the principal internal central North Carolina. A advisory group for Vanderbilt’s sports pro- computer science major at grams. Shepherd is a national leader in the Vanderbilt, Brady has worked in athletics reform movement. In addition to a computer programming and management Perry Wallace back in Memorial Gym while putting together a family foursome. number of faculty and staff, the committee “Both kids are playing golf, so when they consists of alumni Walter Overton, BA’74,and to play in the Southeastern Conference, break- come home, we have a group to play Bruce Elder, BA’92, MBA’93, and three stu- ing the color barrier in the 1967–68 basket- with,” she says. She met her husband, Joe, dents to be selected after consultation with ball season. Now a professor of law at American during summer school at Purdue. They the Student Government Association. were married a year-and-a-half after grad- University in Washington, D.C., Wallace uation. Their daughter is following in her returned to campus for the retirement cer- mother’s cleats. Chris Brady is a freshman Commodores Get New emony Feb. 21. on the Vanderbilt women’s golf team. On-Air Home A prolific rebounder, Wallace led the team She’s the first freshman golfer in VU golf The Vanderbilt ISP Sports Radio Network in rebounding each year during his three- history to win two individual medalist hon- ors in a single season. Completing the has a new flagship station, WGFX 104.5 FM. season career. He is a member of the 1,000- foursome is Scott, who hits the links as a ISP Sports, the multimedia rights holder for point club with 1,010 points and led the team freshman with East Lincoln High School. Commodore athletics, reached an agreement in scoring in the 1969–70 season with a 17.7 with WGFX to broadcast all Vanderbilt foot- points-per-game average. 22 Summer 2004 VMagSmr04_p22-23.final 6/30/04 2:59 PM Page 23 {Sports Roundup} Women’s Golf: Commodores Men’s Golf: Freshman Sets Track: Schneble, Are SEC Champs School Record Hahn Claim SEC The Vanderbilt women’s golf team won its first Freshman golfer Luke List set a new Vanderbilt Titles Southeastern Conference Championship on 18-hole record in March with a 9-under-par 63 Vanderbilt track stand- April 18, and sophomore May Wood was in the second round of the Hyatt/Dorado Beach outs Erika Schneble, a crowned the individual champion after winning Intercollegiate in San Juan, Puerto Rico.