Let the festivities begin on May 5—it’s time to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, a holiday to commemorate the Mexican army’s victory over the French in 1862. In addition to partaking in traditional Mexican food and libations, enjoy the holiday with our Texas Country/Red Dirt playlist that features cinco of our favorite odes to Mexico.
“Somewhere Between Texas and Mexico” — Pat Green
“Long Way to Mexico” — Roger Creager
“New Life in Mexico” — Robert Earl Keen
“Mexico or Crazy” — Jason Boland
“Mexican Sky” — Cross Canadian Ragweed
Listen to our “Cinco de Songo” playlist on your preferred music service! Spotify – Apple Music
Vols head coach Butch Jones was a guest on SportsTalk recently, with Jimmy Hyams and Vince Ferrara, to discuss going up to the NFL Draft in Philadelphia with Derek Barnett. He reflected on Barnett’s time at UT and talked about the other Vols in the draft.
Vols coach Butch Jones / Credit: Joe Faraoni – ESPN Images
Get to know new Tennessee football cornerback, grad transfer from Louisville, Shaq Wiggins (R-Sr., 5’10, 173) in these videos and interviews below.
Wiggins, was a consensus 4-star prospect in the 2013 signing class. He played his freshman season with Georgia, sat out a year when transferring to Louisville, where he played two seasons before recently announcing his plans to transfer to Tennessee for his final year of eligibility.
Our Josh Ward interviewed Wiggins one-on-one here on Sports Radio WNML shortly after his decision. You’ll find a highlight tape and some video interviews as well below.
Let’s see if you can pick-up on a theme in many of his interviews. Enjoy!
Deon Grant knew the importance of the Tennessee-Florida game in 1998.
Both teams were ranked in the top 10, Florida No. 2 and Tennessee No. 6.
It was a game not only with SEC importance but national implications.
“We said this game was going to make our season if we were going to have the opportunity to go all the way or it was going to end right there,’’ said Grant, an All-American safety for the Vols.
“So our mentality was to pull everything out of the tank – whether you had cramps or were injured – whatever it may be. You will not miss this game and you will finish this game.’’
In the second half, Grant made one of the iconic plays in Tennessee history. As a Florida receiver streaked behind the secondary, Grant came out of nowhere to leap from behind and snare a one-handed interception.
It helped spark the Vols to a 20-17 overtime win over the Gators as a home record crowd of 107,653 rocked Neyland Stadium. UT went on to win its first national championship as recognized by AP or UPI since 1951.
“I wasn’t even supposed to be in that area,’’ said Grant, who recorded 14 interceptions during his UT career, tied for fifth all-time. “I was actually on the other side of the field, but I read the quarterback and set him up.’’
Grant said it was a “line drive’’ pass because the defensive back had been beat. “it gave me an opportunity to come over and snag the ball.’’
One-handed interceptions weren’t foreign to Grant, who made them in a routine basis in high school at Augusta, Ga.
“We did a lot of that in high school,’’ Grant said. “We used to see how many one-handed catches I could come down with. It was natural.’’
Grant will be the celebrity guest Friday at the annual Phillip Fulmer Golf Classic at Avalon. The tournament has raised over $1 million for the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley.
“I’m going to enjoy it,’’ said Grant, who led the nation with nine picks in 1999, including three in one game. “I’m going to soak up every moment like I just got drafted.’’
Is Grant a good golfer?
“I should be a great golfer, seeing as how I worked at the Masters for three or four years in high school,’’ Grant said. “But I don’t get on the golf course as much as I’d like.’’
Grant described his experience of working at the Masters as “unbelievable.’’ Grant said he was there when Tiger Woods won his first Green Jacket, 1997.
“I actually served his table,’’ Grant said.
Grant said he was around wealthy people at the Masters and wanted to make a mark financially so his mother could go to a restaurant or golf event or basketball game and not worry about how much money she was spending.
Grant was able to do that, earning millions in the NFL. He was drafted in the second round by the Carolina Panthers (2000-03) then played for Jacksonville (2004-06), Seattle (2007-09) and the New York Giants (2010-11) where he won a Super Bowl.
Not many players can claim both a national championship and a Super Bowl title.
“The national championship was unbelievable because I know how had it is and you don’t have that many chances to get to the national championship,’’ Grant said.
Beating a power like Florida State with an explosive player like Peter Warrick made the title all the more satisfying, Grant said.
“But you know the Super Bowl, that’s something you work hard for and you finally get that reward that a lot of people just don’t experience,’’ Grant said.
How would Grant compare UT fans to Giants’ fans?
“I love my Giants,’’ he said, “but to be honest with you, there is no comparison. There’s no comparison when you’re talking about 100,000-plus in a stadium versus 67,000 … I don’t even know how much New York fits. It’s no comparison.
“When I finally got drafted by Carolina and played my first game, I was excited to be in an NFL uniform. But I was like, `Is this it?’ because I was so spoiled from college. But the experience of playing in a market like New York, it was unbelievable also.’’
Grant keeps his national championship and Super Bowl rings in a safe place, wearing them only when he makes certain public appearances.
With the NFL draft recently completed, Grant remembered what it was like for him back in 2000.
“It was nail biting because I was projected to go high first-round,’’ Grant said.
“When I was finally called in that second round, I was excited and just ready to get to camp and prove to them that they missed out by waiting until the second round.’’
I am writing this update during a (hopefully!) short flight delay as I connect in Charlotte on my way back from Jacksonville and my first SEC AD’s meeting. Over the last two days, Commissioner Sankey led us in robust discussions about lots of “routine” topics including, but certainly not limited to athletic and academic performance of our teams, fan experience, officiating and future football schedules.
It was great to be able to walk into the room as your new Tennessee athletics director and already have longtime relationships with most of the SEC staff and my fellow ADs, although, interestingly, five of our 14 institutions have a different AD than last year.
As members of the leading conference in intercollegiate athletics, we all recognize the honor of representing both our institutions and this league – and we understand the importance of close collaboration and collegiality to ensure the continued excellence and development of the Southeastern Conference. I’m looking forward to hearing that S-E-C chant at our football opener in Atlanta vs. Georgia Tech September 4th!
Before we move on to the rest of today’s updates, let’s flash back to two clutch, grand-slam moments from Tennessee baseball and softball this past weekend.
First, on Saturday at Vanderbilt, our baseball team was trailing 3-1 in the eighth inning until senior Jordan Rodgers delivered a go-ahead grand slam to put the Vols on top, 5-3. We tacked on four more runs in the ninth to bring the final score to 9-3 and even the series 1-1. I watched it live on the SEC Network with some good friends in Knoxville and was proud of the repeated TV crowd shots of the many loud and proud Big Orange fans supporting the Vols in Nashville.
Then on Sunday, it was fun to be among a sun-baked Sherri Parker Lee Stadium record crowd of 2,239. Tennessee faced a 1-0 deficit to No. 1-ranked Florida in the bottom of the fifth inning when senior outfielder Megan Geer blasted a grand slam that sent the stadium into a frenzy and put us on top for good as we went on to defeat the Gators, 5-1. Last weekend’s Florida softball series also marked the debut of our new section of ADA-compliant bleachers in right-centerfield—which enabled us to set a three-game series school record with a total attendance of 6,670—and I encourage fans to take advantage of that space during next week’s SEC Tournament (and a potential home NCAA Regional as well). Good luck to Tennessee softball in College Station this weekend as we faced the sixth-ranked Aggies.
CONGRATS TO COACH OJEDA AND OUR WOMEN’S TENNIS TEAM
First-year women’s tennis head coach and VFL Alison Ojeda and her team gathered last night for an NCAA Selection Show party and were excited to see Tennessee pop up on the screen as having earned a berth in the 2017 NCAA Women’s Tennis Championships. Led by All-SEC senior Brittany Lindl, Tennessee will open play Friday, May 12, against Big South Conference champion Winthrop at Duke. Congratulations to Coach Ojeda for leading our Tennessee women back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014!
From an individual standpoint, Lindl qualified to compete in the NCAA Women’s Singles Championships in Athens, Ga. On the men’s side, sophomore Timo Stodder earned a berth in the NCAA Singles Championship in Athens as well. Both 64-player draws will be announced May 23. This marks the national championships debut for both Brittany and Timo!
PAVON LEADS WOMEN’S GOLF TEAM TO 18th STRAIGHT NCAA BERTH
Achieving NCAA postseason play should never be taken for granted, but for 18 years—every season in her career at Tennessee—that’s exactly where women’s head golf coach Judi Pavon has led her squad! We wish our team the best of luck as it embarks to Athens, Ga., for the NCAA Regionals May 8-10.
WORLD-CLASS SPEED
National acclaim is mounting for our junior sprinter Christian Coleman. In case you missed it on Sportscenter Monday night, or on Twitter—where it elicited responses from personalities such as DeAngelo Hall, Lolo Jones and ESPN broadcaster Mark Jones—you should check out this video of Christian running a laser-timed 40-yard dash. I won’t give a spoiler with his time, but trust me… it’s worth watching. Just don’t blink. Hats off to Link Hudson and our talented VFL Films team for helping tell Christian’s story in a cool way.
Christian is a candidate to become Tennessee’s first winner of the prestigious Bowerman Award, which is presented by the USTFCCCA and has been described as the track & field equivalent of the Heisman Trophy. If you’d had the pleasure of meeting Christian, he’s an easy guy to cheer for. I’m proud of the way he carries himself and represents the University of Tennessee.
Our track & field teams will be in action all day this Saturday, hosting the Tennessee Challenge at Tom Black Track, before traveling to South Carolina for the SEC Championships May 11-13.
DECLARATION DAY AS HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS PICK UT
This past Monday, future UT freshmen experienced extraordinary collaboration between multiple campus units (admissions, alumni affairs and university communications) and athletics, as the Ray & Lucy Hand Digital Studio hosted a compelling and unique “Declaration Day,” live stream. It was very much like a National Signing Day show for students (not student-athletes) who have chosen to attend the University of Tennessee.
The first-of-its-kind Declaration Day video stream lasted for one hour and is archived and viewable online. That hour was filled with inspiring stories and also featured guest appearances by football players Joshua Dobbs, Trey Smith and men’s basketball player Kyle Alexander.
As Chancellor Davenport prepares to welcome her first class of new Tennessee Volunteers, we salute Associate Provost for Enrollment Management Kari Alldredge and staff for securing one of the deepest and most academically gifted classes in UT history!
MERCEDES-BENZ STADIUM UPDATE
With the 2017 football season approaching, a number of fans have asked us about the media reports of construction delays at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, site of our season-opener against Georgia Tech in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game Monday night, Sept 4.
Gary Stokan, the president and CEO of Peach Bowl, Inc., which is based in Atlanta and is producing the game, checks in regularly and assures me that the stadium will absolutely be ready to host not just our game but and the Alabama-Florida State game two days prior, as well as an Atlanta Falcons exhibition game in late August. I can’t wait to join the Big Orange faithful to watch the Vols play in what projects to be one of the finest stadiums in the world. Stay tuned for more updates as warranted.
Our allotment includes 25,000 tickets. Tennessee season-ticket holders may visit AllVols.com to request tickets from May 16-31. Following that request period, any remaining tickets available from the UT allotment will go on sale to the public starting June 15.
BASEBALL AT HOME STARTING THURSDAY
Thursday night, I invite you to join me at Lindsey Nelson Stadium as our baseball Vols host 14th-ranked Arkansas in the first of a three-game series. After last night’s 9-2 win over ETSU, Coach Serrano’s team has now won four of its last five games, a stretch that began on Sunday, April 23, with a big win at 20th-ranked Texas A&M. Game times this week vs. the Razorbacks are 7 p.m.Thursday, 6 p.m.Friday and 1 p.m.Saturday. Thursday and Saturday’s games will be televised nationally on the SEC Network, with Friday’s game streamed on SEC Network+ via WatchESPN.
And Congratulations to junior pitcher Eric Freeman, who was selected this week as the male recipient of the 2016-17 Brad Davis SEC Community Service Leader of the Year award by a committee of faculty athletics representatives from around the league. The Kinesiology major will receive a $10,000 post-graduate scholarship, provided by the SEC.
ROWING CHAMPIONSHIPS RETURN TO OAK RIDGE
Please join me in wishing best of luck to Tennessee Rowing, as we host the Big 12 Championships on beautiful Melton Hill Lake May 13-14. You can click here to read more about the event and how Tennessee and fellow SEC school Alabama compete alongside five Big 12 teams as well as Old Dominion for the title and automatic qualifying spot in the NCAA Championships.
Finally, UT students and student-athletes are right in the middle of exams, so let’s all wish them the best of luck and salute our outstanding faculty who will spend their nights and weekend compiling final grades in time for graduation.
Thanks for the role you play in making Tennessee such a special place and for positively impacting the experiences of our incredible student-athletes. Remember I appreciate all the comments or ideas you’d like to share with me, which you can submit thought our “Hey John” portal here.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado — University of Tennessee women’s basketball signee Evina Westbrook is among 33 of the nation’s top players vying for a spot on the roster of the U.S. U19 FIBA World Cup for Women team.
Westbrook and the others have accepted invitations to attend the 2017 USA Basketball Women’s U19 World Cup Team trials May 18-21 at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Invitations were issued by the USA Basketball Women’s Junior National Team Committee. Athletes eligible for this team must be 19 years old or younger (born on or after Jan. 1, 1998) and U.S. citizens.
“These athletes represent the top talent our country has to offer at this age level,” said George Washington University head coach Jennifer Rizzotti, chair of the selection committee. “This is a very versatile group that will give the coaching staff a lot of options. They are all tough competitors, and it is not going to be easy for us to pare it down to the final 12-member team. The committee feels we will be able to select from this group a team that will represent the USA well on and off the court, and these athletes have what it takes to win a seventh-straight gold medal at the FIBA U19 World Cup.”
University of Pittsburgh head coach Suzie McConnell-Serio, who led the 2016 USA U18 National Team to gold, will lead the USA U19 World Cup Team and will again be assisted by collegiate head coaches Kamie Ethridge from the University of Northern Colorado and Charlotte Smith from Elon University. Additionally, Georgetown University head coach Natasha Adair and Drake University head coach Jennie Baranczyk will serve as court coaches during the trials.
Six-time defending U19 gold medalists, the United States will look to make it seven gold medals in a row at the July 22-30 event in Cividale del Friuli and Udine, Italy.
Including the nine athletes from the 2016 USA U18 National Team, a total of 24 athletes on the trials roster boast of USA Basketball experience. Among them is Westbrook, who was a member of that gold medal-winning squad in 2016.
Westbrook, who was generally viewed as the No. 2-ranked prep recruit in 2017, averaged 24.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.4 blocks per game as a senior at South Salem High School in Salem, Oregon. The 6-foot guard was named the 2017 Morgan Wootten National Player of the Year as well as garnering All-America accolades from McDonald’s, WBCA, USA TODAY, Naismith and MaxPreps among others.
FIBA U19 World Cup for Women
Originally known as the FIBA Junior World Championship, FIBA changed the names of its age-based world championships in 2005 to reflect the age of eligibility, and recently updated the names of all of its world championships to world cups. The tournament was held every four years starting in 1985. FIBA in 2005 modified its calendar and now conducts the U19 World Cup every other year. USA women’s teams are 73-12 in U19/Junior World Cups, capturing a sixth-consecutive gold in 2015 with a 7-0 record.
The draw to determine the preliminary round was held Feb. 1. The USA was placed in Group A and will open against Mali on July 22, face China on July 23 and cap the preliminary round against host Italy on July 25.
Drawn into Group B were Egypt, Puerto Rico, Russia and Spain; Group C includes Canada, France, Latvia and South Korea; while Group D features Australia, Hungary, Japan and a nation from the Americas to be determined by FIBA at a later date. Brazil claimed bronze at the 2016 FIBA Americas U18 Championship to qualify for this summer’s U19 tournament. However, the Brazil Basketball Federation has since been suspended by FIBA.
Following the preliminary round, teams will be seeded according to group play, and all participating teams will advance to the July 26 round of 16. Winners will advance to the July 28 medal quarterfinals, while the remaining teams will continue playing out for classification. The medal semifinals will be held July 29, and the gold and bronze medal games are slated for July 30.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — No. 9 Tennessee hits the road to close out the regular season with a trip to College Station, Texas to take on No. 6 Texas A&M this Friday–Sunday at the Aggie Softball Complex.
Media & Broadcast Info
The entire series will be streamed online on SEC Network +/WatchESPN with Matt Simon (PxP) and Casey Richardson (Analyst) on the call. Friday’s game will be part of the SEC Network’s “Bases Loaded” coverage as well, with whip around coverage of all games involving SEC teams.
Radio coverage for the entire series will be available on Sports Radio WNML (FM 99.1/AM 990) and UTSports.com. Live stats will be available on the softball schedule page at UTSports.com HERE.
View the full series schedule below:
Friday
Game 1 | 7 p.m. ET | SEC Network +/SEC Network “Bases Loaded” | WNML (AM 990)/UTSports.com
Saturday
Game 2 | 2 p.m. ET | SEC Network +/WatchESPN | WNML (AM 990)/UTSports.com
Sunday
Game 3 | 1 p.m. ET | SEC Network +/WatchESPN | WNML (FM 99.1 & AM 990)/UTSports.com
Need to Know
The Vols will be facing their second straight top-10 opponent in the Aggies this weekend after hosting top-ranked Florida last week. Tennessee is 4-2 against teams ranked in the top-10 this season with wins over No. 4 Oklahoma, No. 9 Alabama (two) and No. 1 Florida.
Weekend Lookback
The Big Orange dropped their first series since the middle of March last week after losing two of three to No. 1 Florida. The Vols were shut out in the first two games of the series before winning the series finale, 5-1, on Sunday afternoon. Megan Geer’s grand slam in the fifth inning provided all the offense UT would need as Caylan Arnold was phenomenal in the circle, tossing five scoring innings in relief to earn her 19th win of the season.
Geer is the Queen of Clutch
Since joining the program as a freshman in 2014, Megan Geer has been one of the most consistent and clutch performers for the Volunteers. This season has been no different as the senior has four game-winning home runs for UT, including a grand slam in Sunday’s 5-1 win over the top-ranked Gators. Geer also has game-winning homers against South Carolina, Ole Miss and NC State this season.
Giant Killer
Vols’ freshman pitcher Caylan Arnold has shown a propensity for saving her best performances for the biggest games. The Maryville, Tenn., native has recorded eight victories over ranked teams this season. Among those victories are wins over Oklahoma, Alabama and Florida, who have combined to win the past five Women’s College World Series titles. Arnold has the most wins (19) and strikeouts (134) by a UT freshman since Ellen Renfroe had 26 victories and 259 strikeouts in 2011.
Scouting Report
Texas A&M Aggies (41-7, 15-5 SEC)
The Aggies are 6-4 in their past 10 games and are coming off their first SEC series loss of the year after dropping two of three at Kentucky last week. Texas A&M currently sits in second in the SEC standings, one game ahead of the Vols.
A&M features a high-powered offense that ranks in the top-five of the SEC in 11 categories. Sophomore Riley Sartain leads the attack with a .382 batting average, 11 home runs, 41 RBIs, a .702 slugging percentage and a .468 on-base percentage. The pitching staff boasts three players with 11 or more wins, led by Samantha Show’s 17. All three also have ERA’s of 1.58 or lower.
UT’s All-Time Record vs. Texas A&M: 10-1
Tennessee has dominated the all-time series with Texas A&M, winning 10 of the 11 meetings between the two programs, including a series sweep in Knoxville last season. This will be UT’s second trip to College Station after taking two of three games from the Aggies there in 2014.
What’s Next?
Tennessee will host the SEC Tournament next week from Wednesday, May 10 through Saturday, May 13
The Vols have secured a first-round bye and will play their first game of the tournament on Thursday. The complete bracket will be available on Sunday night and will include game times and matchups. Stay locked to UTSports.com and follow @Vol_Softball on Twitter for that information.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee Baseball continues Southeastern Conference play this weekend, hosting the No. 14-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks for a three-game set from Thursday, May 4 – Saturday, May 6 at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
The weekend marks the first trip to Rocky Top for Arkansas (34-12, 13-8 SEC) since 2012, as well as the first matchup between the Razorbacks and Volunteers (23-18, 6-14 SEC) since the 2015 SEC Tournament, when Arkansas took a 2-1 win in Hoover, Ala.
The Vols enter Thursday’s series opener having claimed four of their last five games, including a 9-3, come-from-behind victory at Vanderbilt last Saturday. Arkansas dropped their last three-game conference series vs. Ole Miss, splitting a Fridaydoubleheader at Baum Stadium.
On the season, the Volunteers are playing 15 of their 55 regular season games against five 2016 NCAA postseason participants.
Weekend Rotation
Thur. May 4 at 7 p.m. ET– RHP Hunter Martin (4-5, 3.07 ERA) vs. RHP Blaine Knight (6-3, 3.48 ERA)
Fri. May 5 at 6 p.m. ET– RHP Garrett Stallings (3-1, 2.83 ERA) vs. RHP Trevor Stephan (4-3, 3.54 ERA)
Sat. May 6 at 1 p.m. ET– LHP Zach Warren (2-4, 5.09 ERA) vs. TBA
Tennessee vs. Arkansas
All-time vs. Arkansas: Arkansas leads, 32-26
In Knoxville: Tennessee leads, 13-12
In Fayetteville: Arkansas leads, 17-12
Last 10 Games: Arkansas leads, 8-2
Last Series: Tied, 1-1, in Fayetteville
Last Meeting: Arkansas won, 2-1, in 2015 SEC Tournament (May 19, 2015)
Tennessee and Arkansas are looking to play the first, full three-game series between the programs since 2013, when the Hogs took two of three in Fayetteville. In 2015, the programs split a rain-shortened series, 1-1, at Baum Stadium.
Checking on the Hogs
Arkansas heads to Knoxville looking to claim its first SEC series since April 13-15, when the Hogs took three straight games vs. Georgia.
At 13-8 in league play, Arkansas sits in third place in the SEC West Division and pulled a No. 14-overall national ranking from the NCBWA this week (May 1).
Series opener starter Blaine Knight was one of 40 players across the nation named to the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List.
Jax Biggers (.329), Chad Spanberger (.311) and Luke Bonfield (.309) lead the Razorbacks’ offense, while Spanberger also owns a team-best 46 RBI.
As a team, the Razorbacks continue to lead the SEC with 58 home runs and 452 batters struck out.
Walk This Way: With two walks in last Saturday’s game at Vanderbilt, Pete Derkay extended his team-leading count to 31. The outing marked his first game with multiple walks since April 4 against MTSU.
Rodger(s) That: Senior Jordan Rodgers’ 8th-inning grand slam on Saturday at Vanderbilt marked the first for a Vol since VFL Vincent Jackson did so vs. Tennessee Tech (March 22, 2016).
More on Martin…: Senior Hunter Martin ranks tied for third in the SEC with 27 batters stuck out looking as well as second with 73.1 innings pitched on the year. With his complete game effort last Friday at Vanderbilt, Martin boasts three complete games on the year. He is the first UT pitcher to record multiple complete games in a single season since Zack Godley did so in 2013 (6).
The Vols have combined for 105 extra-base hits this year, including 25 home runs (surpassing 2016’s complete season total).
The Vols’ 2017 roster boasts 17 newcomers including 14 true freshmen, two JUCO transfers and one graduate transfer.
Despite losing seven positional starters from the 2016 season, UT returns 18 lettermen including six true seniors.
Freeman: SEC Community Service Honors
Eric Freeman has been named one of the 2016-17 Brad Davis Southeastern Conference Community Service Leaders of the Year, Commissioner Greg Sankey and the league office announced Wednesday.
Freeman was chosen by a committee of faculty athletics representatives from SEC universities and will receive a $10,000 post-graduate scholarship, provided by the SEC.
Tuesday’s Gone
Using a two-run homer by redshirt senior Jeff Moberg and a five-run eighth frame, the Tennessee Volunteers drove past ETSU, 9-2, on Tuesday night.
With the win, Tennessee finishes its overall three-game series with the Bucs at 2-1 this season.
With a two-run homer in the third inning, Jeff Moberg now shares the team lead with Jordan Rodgers at seven on the year.
Righty Will Neely entered in the third in relief of Zach Warren and dealt 5.0 innings en route to earning his third win of the year.
Designated hitter Will Heflin recorded his first career extra-base hit (double) as well as his first career multi-hit game for UT.
On Deck for the Vols
Tennessee plays back-to-back midweek contests next week, hosting Belmont on Tuesday, May 9 before traveling to Eastern Kentucky on Wednesday, May 10.
The Vols then continue on to Lexington for a three-game set visiting SEC opponent Kentucky Wildcats (Friday, May 12 – Sunday, May 14).
Holly Warlick (M) Lady Vols coach / Credit: UT Athletics
CHATTANOOGA — Lady Vol head basketball coach Holly Warlick was honored Tuesday as the 2017 Tennessee Woman of Distinction at the 32nd Annual Chattanooga Women of Distinction Awards luncheon at the city’s convention center.
The event, which honors the area’s outstanding women, benefits the American Lung Association in Tennessee and its mission to prevent lung disease and promote lung health. Monies raised help fund medical research, advocacy and education efforts in Tennessee.
Since 1993, a Tennessee Woman of Distinction recipient has been honored for her years of distinguished leadership, volunteer activities, philanthropic work or professional accomplishments that have contributed to improving the quality of life in Tennessee.
Tennessee’s 110th General Assembly issued House Joint Resolution No. 277, recognizing Warlick for the accomplishment. She follows such previous Tennessee Women of Distinction winners as her friend and mentor Pat Summitt (1996), U.S. Congresswoman Marilyn Lloyd (1994), acclaimed opera singer and actress Mary Costa (2000), Academy Award-winning actress Patricia Neal (2001) and U.S. Olympic basketball gold medalist Venus Lacy (2002).
A 1981 UT graduate and Lady Vol point guard who was a three-time All-American and a 1980 selection for the U.S. Olympic Team, Warlick has spent 32 seasons on the staff at Tennessee, helping recruit and coach teams that won 35 combined SEC titles and eight NCAA National Championships.
Since being named head coach at Tennessee on April 18, 2012, she has compiled a 128-46 record in her first five seasons of leading the program and is one of only five coaches to guide her team to the NCAA Elite Eight or higher three times in the past five seasons. The others are Geno Auriemma (UConn), Kim Mulkey (Baylor), Muffet McGraw (Notre Dame) and Tara VanDerveer (Stanford).
Under her leadership, Tennessee is one of only nine Power Five schools to claim multiple conference titles over the past five years. With two of her players being selected this season, she has continued the Lady Vols’ tradition in the WNBA Draft. Eight student-athletes she mentored have been selected, running the total of UT’s WNBA picks to 39 all-time.
Off the court, Warlick has continued the program’s 100-percent graduation rate, and she remains active in the community. Among the many causes she supports, her Champions for a Cause foundation raises funding and awareness for breast cancer research, and she has been active in aiding the Pat Summitt Foundation’s efforts in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease.
Jim Casey talks with Kelsea Ballerini about how busy she has been lately, the magic of her single, “Peter Pan,” the 2-year anniversary of the release of her debut album, The First Time, being the first solo female artist in the history of the world who’s first three songs all reached No. 1, her upcoming sophomore album, playing beer pong, planning a wedding and more.
