Margaret Cuninggim Wo'"en/s VU Women's Center Volume XV/1:4 December 1994 Vanderbilt University - - - - - - Women 's sports at Vanderbilt They're not just playing catch-up any1nore by Fm11 M. Hoogestmnf, academic CO l/li­ The budget now tops $2 million, out crowds, women's sports are still se/or for Vnllderbi/1 Atltletics n11d doctoral having risen $1 million in the last four grouped with the other "non-rev­ cnlldidnte i11 t!te Depnrfmellf of Educn­ years alone. Moreover, all but one of enue" men's teams in Stewart's tiollnl Lenders/tip these sports is now "fully scholar­ purview: soccer, baseball, golf, tennis shipped" - meaning they a'vvard the and cross country. For men's sports at Vanderbilt, maximum number of scholarships But even that detail of nomencla­ 1976 was a pretty good year. The "F allowed by the National Collegiate hlre has changed. With the support of Troop"- three star basketball players Athletic Association (NCAA). The sin­ Athletic Director Paul Hoolahan, whose names all began ,.. , ith the letter gle exception is track - and its deci­ Stewart recently had her title revised "F" - led the Commodores to a 16-11 sion to award fewer than the 16 allow­ to "associate athetic director fo r future season. Vandy baseball, under coach able scholarships is entirely strategic. revenue sports." Larry Schmittou (now owner of the Nashville Sounds) won 27 of its 50 The 1994-95 Lineup games. Even football, despite its lack­ S £!~.' :C CAN ..Do Basketball. Women's basketball luster 2-9 season, continued to draw J""I-I~M ALl-! has Jed the growth in Vanderbilt the biggest crowds of any sport. women's sports, first reaching an But in 1976, the most ta lented NCAA national tournament in 1986, female athlete at Vanderbilt did not and advancing to the elite "Final compete in a single intercollegiate Four" national tournament in Atlanta contest. Apart from intramural and in 1993. Even though megastar Heidi club tea ms, there were no women's Gillingham has graduated, many of sports at Vanderbilt 18 years ago. her teammates are still in action, It would be another year before including senior guard Rhonda women's athletics were established at Blades, \·vho is joined by tlu·ee new Vanderbilt. Yet in that one year - Kodak high school AU-Americans. As 1977 - the university fi elded four the team enters the 1994-95 season, women's teams: basketball, tennis, Vandy is ranked anywhere from 5th to track and swimming. The budget was 16th in the pre-season polls. just $30,000 for all four sports, includ­ Though women's basketball con­ ing one (partial) scholarship. But tinues to be the highest-visibility according to Associate Athletic Direc­ women's team, having earned #1 tor June Stewart, the funding was sec­ ra nkings in season's polls for two ondary. The chief thing was that years, its past successes and future women's sports at Vanderbilt had For a school whose women's sports prospects are echoed throughout the been born. program is younger than most of its \VOmen's sports program. Today, there are seven women's students, this is a promising record, Soccer. Added to the roster in 1985, sports at Vanderbilt - basketball, soc­ and one which continues to narro\v \vomen's soccer has consistently cer, tennis, golf, and the three the gap (real or perceived) between deli vered on its early promise. After "branches" of track: cross country, men's and women's sports. Although posting an 11-8 season in 1993, the indoor track and outdoor track. the university does not reveal specific team \·vent on not only to win the first (Swimming was discontinued in 1992 figures, the current budget for men's Southeastern Conference (SEC) cham­ due to insufficient members to field a teams still outpaces that for women, pionship that year, but to see Ken Division I team.) Next year, there wi ll with 85 scholarships in football alone. McDonald named SEC Coach of the be a total of eight teams, as lacrosse is And even though Vlomen's basketball Year. This season the team not only added to the list. in particular occasionally plays to sell- repeated as SEC champs, but earned --collfillued 011 page 2 its first at-large berth in the NCAA petitor this fall in the Riviera All­ meters with a time of 4.22.49. Also last national tournament. Captain Chris­ American in Los Angeles. Also on the year, Beth Tallent qualified for the tine Watson and her tean1mates won a teatn is freshman Sarah Brown, the NCAA Championship in the 3000 first-round match on Nov. 9 and country's reigning national 18-and­ meters with a 9.29.1, and in July, advanced to the final 16, posting an under indoor chatnpion. Nicole Underwood represented the 18-5 record for the year. Golf. Women's golf is breaking North team in the 1500 meters in the Tennis. The wmnen~s tennis team, records of its own, as the 1993-94 team U.S. Olympic Festival in St. Louis. ranked 28th last year under Coach set seven school records and Cindy Underwood joined Tallent, Spannuth Peggy Omohundro, is now led by Parrott was named SEC Coach of the and Kazmni Oyan1a in a 1500-nleter Vanderbilt Sports t Women athletes are making not only headlines but history at Vanderbilt. Some of the players are (from left):Rhonda Blades (basket­ ball); Christine Watson (soccer); Kim Schiff (tennis); Lesley Henderson (golf); Whitney Spannuth (cross country); and coach of the new lacrosse team, Wendy Heald Stevens. Geoff Macdonald, starting his first Year. Freshman Jamie Russell began relay temn whose time was ranked 6th Vandy season following his move the fall by placing first in two tourna­ collegiately in the U.S. last season. from Duke and his #6 nationally n1ents, and sophomore Lesley Hen­ If women's sports at Vanderbilt are ranked team there. Macdonald, who derson led the team with hvo belo,v­ growing in quality, they are also led his former Duke team to three par rounds (a first for the Vanderbilt growing in quantity: witness Vander­ conseetttive NCAA tournatnents, con­ team) at the Beacon Woods Invitation­ bilt's new lacrosse tean1. Hired to siders the SEC the best conference al in New Port Richey, Fla. The wom­ coach this team is Wendy Heald nationally for tennis. en's golf team now has its first Stevens, a former three-time All­ Joining Macdonald is Duke tennis endowed scholarship and hosts the American from Maryland and a key transfer Kim Schiff, a near qualifier for SEC Championship at Legends Golf member of Maryland's 1986 NCAA the U.S. Open last summer and a com- Course April21-23 in Franklin, Tenn. National Championship team. With Cross country, track and field. her national perspective, Stevens is Athletes in these sports are also mak­ avidly recruiting the nation's top high ing the Vanderbilt name known. Whit­ schoolers to fill out her first Vanderbilt 111'- ney Spannuth made the 1993-94 U.S. varsity team, which will enjoy its first Women's VU is published monthly September World Junior Cross Country team that intercollegiate season in Spring 1996. through June at the Margaret Cunlngglm Women's Center. Vanderbilt University, competed in Budapest, competing as 1996- 1976. What a difference 20 Nashville, Tennessee. Campus address: 316 the fastest U.S. Junior in the 1500 years makes. Ill West Side Row. Mailing address: Box 1513 Sta­ tion B, Nashville. TN 37235. Phone: (615) 322- 4843. Fox: (615) 343-G940. E-mail address: HOW TO FIND US ..• [email protected]. West End Ave. Nancy A Ransom, director Judith Tefft Heifer, oss!stont director for Towers Wesf-D D D D--Towers East programs Marjorie Davis, editor (direct dia/343-4367) B Margaret Cuningglm Women's Cenle Jennifer E. Smith, A&S '96, assistant editor D Barbara Clarke, librarian ~/I Gladys Holt, office manager ~ B2]Tolman Cindy Brown, cartoonist ~ Colre-----, This Is o copyrighted publication. Articles may D Sarratt be reproduced with permission of the editor. Memorlall-----,..,...--,-,-l:,-;=---'------ Student letfers to the editor ore welcome. Send them Gym Vanderblll Place Center (typed, signed, and with a daytime phone number, please) to the above address. I 2 Women's VU December 1994 AIDS risk held twice as high Wife's adultery means less ~NEWS m women jail for killing her? W mnen are n1ore than twice as For the tabloids, the case of Ken­ likely as men to become infected with neth Peacock, 36 - \Vho was sen­ the virus that causes AIDS during het­ tenced to 18 months in jail for killing QUOTES~ erosexual sex, a study by an Italian his wife, Sandra -is the lurid story of research group reports. a long-distance trucker who can1e The study, published in the home at the wrong tiine. ... a compilation of news excerpts from the November issue of the journal Epi­ But for many women's groups and national press. Some stories have bem demiology, provides further evidence legal experts, it is an example of a edited for clarity, consistency or brevity ... that anatomical and physiological dif­ troubling double standard in judicial ferences between the sexes make sentencing for offenses conunitted in wmnen tnore susceptible than n1en to the first heat of passion.... contracting the virus, H.I.V .... When Peacock arrived at his Mary­ Women win as often as men Among 730 couples, 24% of land hmne around tnidnight, his wife The first-ever cmnprehensive sur­ wmnen whose partners \vere infected was in bed, naked, with another man.