University of Tennessee Athletics
From The Desk of Mike Hamilton
March 1, 2004
The spring sports are off and running and from what we've seen already, we're expecting great things this year.
March Madness is setting in, and we hope to be cheering for our Lady Vols basketball team in New Orleans next month.
We've heard great reviews on the changes in Lindsey Nelson Stadium, and we should have an additional 500 seats in place before the SEC schedule begins. The baseball team had an impressive start against Morehead State, with a combined score in the three game series of 54-1.
The Lady Vols softball team is off to a great start, jumping seven spots in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 poll after their 11-1 start in the Paradise Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii, last month and an additional six spots after their 7-1 run in the New Mexico Kick-off Invitational.
Football will be kicking off spring practice March 19, with the much-anticipated Orange and White game scheduled April 17 at 3 p.m. Our congratulations go out to Bill Webb, who was named the 2003 National Track and Field Coach of the Year by the United States Olympic Committee. He was selected from a national pool of collegiate and professional coaches from all levels.
We wrapped up our 13-city tour with the Big Orange Fan Receptions, and we're gearing up for the Big Orange Caravan in April and May. This year, we want to get out in the communities more through mall visits with autograph sessions with our coaches and some of our former student-athletes. Check out the calendar of events in next month's issue of Volunteers Magazine.
We also concluded our first capital campaign, STEP UP - The Campaign for UT Athletic Facilities. Thanks to the generosity of more than 870 individuals, we will be able to renovate, expand, and build eight different athletic facilities that will enable the University of Tennessee to continue to compete for SEC and NCAA championships.
We appreciate your continued support of Tennessee athletics. If you have any ideas for the athletics department, feel free to e-mail me at askmike@utk.edu.
Expect to win!
