University of Tennessee Athletics
2022-23 Tennessee Athletics Year in Review
July 12, 2023 | General
“When Athletics Director Danny White released our Rise Glorious Strategic Plan and boldly declared our mission to lead the way in college sports, it felt like everyone associated with our athletic programs rolled up their sleeves and confidently went to work to achieve that mission. That confidence grows stronger every day. Coaches, student-athletes, support staff and administration are all aligned in our vision of comprehensive excellence. I’ve been here 22 years, and I’ve never felt the energy and excitement—across ALL sports—that currently exists at Tennessee.”Karen Weekly, Softball Head Coach
When we say everything ...
— Tennessee Athletics (@Vol_Sports) June 13, 2023
we mean everything. pic.twitter.com/mK0IfaI6dM
Tennessee in 2022-23 repeated as SEC All-Sports champion while becoming only the second school ever to sweep both the men's and women's all-sports standings.
Tennessee finished at an all-time best No. 6 in the final 2022-23 LEARFIELD Directors' Cup standings—second among SEC schools. The 1,078.75 points scored were the most in school history, with 19 different sports contributing at least 25 points. It was Tennessee's first top-10 Directors' Cup finish since 2006-07, when UT landed at its previous-best No. 7.
UT also reigned supreme in the annual CBS Sports "Best of College Sports" rankings, becoming only the second SEC school ever to earn that honor. Tennessee outscored an impressive top five that was rounded out by UCLA, Alabama, Texas and TCU.
UT also became the only school to win a New Year's Six bowl game, advance both its men's and women's basketball teams to the Sweet Sixteen and send both its softball and baseball teams to the College World Series—in the same academic year.
Academically, the Spring 2023 semester saw Tennessee's more than 550 student-athletes achieve a cumulative grade-point average of 3.38—its highest ever recorded. For the first time ever, all 16 sport programs earned a team GPA of at least a 3.0. This spring also marked the 21st consecutive semester in which the Vols and Lady Vols combined to post a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Eight teams enjoyed or matched their best spring semesters ever, while five programs (football, baseball, men's track & field, women's swimming & diving, and volleyball) tied or bested their highest GPA in any semester. For additional academic highlights, click HERE.
After Tennessee football dominated the Orange Bowl and earned a No. 6 year-end national ranking, a dozen other UT teams followed suit with national top-16 showings: men's and women's swimming & diving finished seventh and eighth at their respective NCAA Championships. Men's and women's basketball both advanced to the Sweet Sixteen. At the NCAA Track & Field Indoor Championships, the Lady Vols and Vols finished seventh and 11th, respectively. Women's and men's tennis each advanced to the NCAA Championships round of 16. The men's golf team earned a year-end ranking of No. 12. Softball swept a pair of SEC titles while storming all the way to the Women's College World Series. The Lady Vols track & field squad finished tied for 10th at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, and baseball rode an impressive late-season surge all the way to the Men's College World Series in Omaha (the program's second CWS appearance in three years).
When the football program earned the top spot in the first edition of the 2022 CFP rankings, it made Josh Heupel the sixth active head coach to guide his/her Tennessee program to a No. 1 national ranking. The others are baseball coach Tony Vitello (six polls, 2022), men’s tennis coach Chris Woodruff (ITA, 2022), men’s basketball coach Rick Barnes (AP & Coaches, 2019), men’s golf coach Brennan Webb (Golfweek, 2018) and softball coach Karen Weekly (NFCA & USA Softball, 2014, 2007).
During the 2022 calendar year, Tennessee’s ticketed men’s sports—football (7-0), men’s basketball (15-0) and baseball (38-5)—had a combined home record of 60-5 (.923), illustrating the tremendous homefield/homecourt advantage the Vols enjoy here on Rocky Top.
A total of 23 Tennessee games during the 2022-23 athletic year drew more than 1 million viewers. A total of 25 telecasts involving the Vols or Lady Vols exceeded 1 million viewers, including multiple episodes of ESPN College GameDay hosted on campus during the football season. ESPN College GameDay originated from campus four times during the athletic year, and those broadcasts drew nearly a combined 5.0 million viewers – 2.2 million (football vs. Alabama), 1.9 million (football vs. Florida), 543,000 (men’s basketball vs. Texas) and 320,000 (women’s basketball vs. UConn). Tennessee is the only school to have hosted ESPN College GameDay for football, men's basketball AND women's basketball all-time. It is also the only school to do it in the same athletic year.
Tennessee also made history as the only school in the country to have both a softball and women’s basketball game aired on ABC in the same year.
Director of Athletics/Vice Chancellor Danny White in May was selected as one of six national finalists for the Sports Business Journal Athletic Director of the Year Award.
The Big Orange excelled when it came to helping Vols and Lady Vols take the next steps in their careers athletically, as UT had student-athletes selected in professional leagues in football, men's and women's basketball, baseball and softball. A combined 16 (number through second day of MLB draft) Vols and Lady Vols were drafted in 2023, including first rounders Chase Dollander (No. 9 / Colorado Rockies / MLB), Jordan Horston (No. 9 / Seattle Storm / WNBA), Darnell Wright (No. 10 / Chicago Bears / NFL) and Ashley Rogers (No. 3 / Smash It Sports Vipers / WPF). Tennessee was the only school in the country to produce top-10 picks in the 2023 NFL Draft, 2023 WNBA Draft and 2023 MLB Draft.
Football saw five individuals selected in the NFL Draft, with all of them going in the first three rounds, marking the second-most picks of any team during that span. Women’s basketball produced a first-round pick for the third year in a row under Kellie Harper. This feat was achieved once before in program history under Pat Summitt, making Tennessee the only women's program to have two different coaches accomplish that feat. A total of eight Vols were selected in the MLB Draft—highlighted by Dollander being the highest-drafted pitcher straight out of college in program history. The eight were the second-most in a single draft in program history. And the Volunteers have now had 28 baseball players picked since the 2020 draft—the most of any school during that span. After men’s basketball one-and-done wing Julian Phillips went 35th overall to the Chicago Bulls in the 2023 NBA Draft, seven Vols have now heard their names called in the last five NBA Drafts—the most picks over a five-year span in program history. Tennessee's seven picks over that span are tied for fourth-most among all schools nationwide.
Two years ago today - A ?????? ?????? of Tennessee Football#GBO ?? pic.twitter.com/vW4JlFCpQS
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) January 27, 2023
The highest scoring offense last season belongs to @Vol_Football ??
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) January 20, 2023
Who do you predict will have the highest scoring offense in 2023????? pic.twitter.com/qR8qMJf1Rs
UNFORGETTABLE FOOTBALL RESURGENCE
Tennessee football culminated its first 11-win season since 2001 with an emphatic 31-14 victory over No. 7 Clemson in the Capital One Orange Bowl. The 14 points tied for the fewest scored by Clemson all season. The Vols won 11 overall games and six SEC contests while playing the nation’s fourth-toughest schedule (.645 opponent winning percentage). UT defeated three out of the last four national champions in the process.
The Volunteers finished ranked No. 6 in the Associated Press and AFCA Coaches polls, their highest finish since 2001, and it happened in Josh Heupel’s second season.
Tennessee tied a school record with six victories over top-25 opponents at the time of the meeting, matching the 1998 national championship team.
Tennessee shattered 13 team single-season offensive records in 2022, including total points (599), points per game (46.1), total offense (6,832), total offense per game (525.5), yards per play (7.2), total touchdowns (79), passing touchdowns (38), rushing touchdowns (40), completion percentage (68.7), passing efficiency (181.4), passing yards (4,239), fewest interceptions (3) and first downs (330).
Tennessee started the year 8-0 for the first time since 1998 and rose to No. 1 in the season’s initial College Football Playoff rankings. The Vols became just the seventh program in the playoff era to hold the No. 1 ranking. It was the first No. 1 ranking for the program since UT finished the 1998 campaign as national champions.
For the first time in program history, Tennessee led the nation in scoring offense (46.1), total offense (525.5) and passing efficiency (181.4).
No program in the nation was more explosive offensively than Tennessee. The Vols amassed 36 plays of 40+ yards from scrimmage—eight better than the next closest team (TCU). The 36 were the most by an FBS program since Oklahoma had 37 in 2017.
Quarterback Hendon Hooker secured the highest Heisman Trophy voting finish by a Tennessee player in 25 years with fifth place. Hooker, who was a finalist for the Maxwell Award, swept the SEC Offensive Player of the Year awards as selected by the coaches and Associated Press. Hooker compiled 3,565 yards of total offense and 32 total touchdowns, while finishing second in the nation in passing efficiency (175.51).
Jalin Hyatt won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top receiver, becoming the first in Tennessee history to do so. Hyatt earned the honor of becoming the 13th unanimous first-team All-American in school history (selected first team by every organization). Hyatt is the 78th overall first-team All-American in school history. Hyatt won the SEC receiving triple crown, leading the league in receptions (67), receiving yards (1,267) and receiving touchdowns (15). Hyatt shattered the school record for receiving touchdowns with 15, which led all Power Five players.
Tennessee’s Rocky Top Rowdies student section was tabbed as the “best student section in college football,” earning the Taco Bell Live Más Student Section of the Year Award during ESPN’s annual college football awards show. UT’s Rocky Top Rowdies beat out UCF’s Knightmare, Ohio State’s Block O and Washington’s Dawg Pack for the award.
For a comprehensive breakdown of Tennessee football's numerous noteworthy achievements last Fall, click HERE.
DISTANCE/CROSS COUNTRY
The men’s cross country team won the 2022 NCAA South Regional in Huntsville, Alabama, on Nov. 11. Yaseen Abdalla and Dylan Jacobs finished second and third, respectively.
The men’s cross country team finished second at the SEC Championships in its first appearance under new head coach Sean Carlson, marking the program’s best finish since 1999. Dylan Jacobs and Yaseen Abdalla finished in second and third place, respectively.
Tennessee head coach/director of cross country Sean Carlson was named the USTFCCCA South Region Men’s Coach of the Year, while graduate student Dylan Jacobs was selected as the USTFCCCA South Region Men’s Athlete of the Year.
Sean Carlson’s debut season culminated with a pair of athletes earning All-America acclaim as Dylan Jacobs and Yaseen Abdalla placed fourth and 33rd at the national meet, respectively. The Vols took 20th place at the championship event for the highest finish of any South Region squad and the best placement for the Vols since 1995.
In October—and for the first time in program history—the Tennessee men’s cross country team was ranked No. 1 in the USTFCCA South Region. The team ascended to a high of No. 14 in the national rankings.
SOCCER
In head coach Joe Kirt's first year at the helm, the Lady Vols soccer program claimed its third straight SEC Eastern Division Championship and advanced to the NCAA Championships.
Tennessee soccer rose to a high of No. 11 in the United Soccer Coaches national rankings. The Lady Vols posted a 7-2-1 regular-season SEC record and shut out six of seven league opponents prior to the SEC Tournament. For the first time in program history, Tennessee went undefeated on the road in SEC matches, giving up just two goals over five contests.
Soccer player Jaida Thomas earned first-team All-SEC honors after scoring a team-high 13 goals on the season, moving her career total to 38 to pull within five goals of tying the program record of 43.
VOLLEYBALL
The Tennessee volleyball team persevered through injuries and adversity to advance to its 17th all-time NCAA Tournament. As key players returned from injuries late in the season, the Lady Vols closed the season by going 7-2 to clinch another NCAA berth.
Senior Morgahn Fingall finished the season with a career-high 483 kills—the second-most in Tennessee history during the 25-point rally-scoring era—and was named to the All-SEC Team for the first time in her career. Fingall also was tabbed the league's scholar-athlete of the year before ultimately earning AVCA second-team All-America acclaim.
MEN'S & WOMEN'S GOLF (FALL)
The men’s golf team won the SEC Fall Match Play title on Sept. 27, defeating No. 1 Vanderbilt in the event’s match-play final, 3-2, at Old Overton Club in Vestavia Hills, Alabama. The Vols qualified to face Vanderbilt in the event’s match play championship after finishing second out of 14 teams in the three-round stroke play portion of the event.
The men’s golf team won its second tournament title in as many tries when it followed its SEC Fall Match Play crown with the team championship at the Purdue Fall Invitational. With a three-round score of 208 (-8), the Volunteers outpaced runner-up LSU by 12 strokes. Redshirt junior Bryce Lewis completed the sweep for the Vols, capturing the individual title by four full strokes, shooting 8-under for the tournament.
Playing in his first career collegiate tournament, true freshman Caleb Surratt captured the individual title at the Maui Jim Intercollegiate in Scottsdale, Arizona, with an 18-under performance—the best 54-hole score in relation to par in program history.
Women’s golf sophomore Bailey Davis shot an incredible 63 during the second round of the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate at Knoxville’s Cherokee Country Club on Sept. 19. Davis finished the event tied for second with the second-lowest 54-hole score in the tournament’s 25-year history at 203 (-10).
I will forever be indebted to this place for what it has done for me. It has made me a better person. The people I've been around have just invested in me, and you can't help but give it your all when people are so invested in your career and your development. So, it's a two-way street. There's just so many people that have your back, and you can't not want to go to war with them every single day, and that's just how I approach every single day. Our coaches work tirelessly to give us everything that we need, so the way I'm wired is, why would I not give everything I have?Natalie Hayward, Volleyball Senior
SWIMMING & DIVING
For the first time in program history, both programs earned top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships during the 2022-23 campaign. The Vols finished seventh at the NCAA Championships, marking the program’s best finish since 2016, and placed third at SECs. The Lady Vols took second at the SEC Championships followed by an 8th-place finish at NCAAs, marking the sixth year in a row in which the group ended the season inside the top 10 nationally.
The men’s team was led by the duo of SEC Swimmer of the Year Jordan Crooks and SEC Diver of the Year Bryden Hattie. Crooks etched his name into history this year by winning the 50 free title at the NCAA Championships, SEC Championships and Short Course World Championships. During SECs, he threw down the second-fastest time in NCAA history at 17.93 effort, becoming only the second swimmer ever to swim under 18 seconds in the 50 free. The sophomore earned SEC Swimmer of the Meet and was a Co-Commissioner’s Trophy winner after taking four gold medals at the conference championships and hauling in first team All-American recognition in seven different events at NCAAs. Hattie, who won SEC Diver of the Meet and was also a Co-Commissioner’s Trophy winner, earned All-America First Team recognition on 3-meter and platform. Thanks to a list that included four dives scoring for 80-plus points, the junior was the national runner-up on tower. During the SEC Championships, he enjoyed a monster week on the boards, bringing home a pair of gold medals on platform and 3-meter and winning silver on 1-meter. Nick Stone won SEC Freshman Diver of the Year honors after scoring in all three events at SECs and earning All-America Second Team honors on platform.
Leading the Lady Vols, junior Mona McSharry and sophomore Brooklyn Douthwright both won SEC titles and finished as national runner-ups in an event at the 2023 NCAA Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships, which were held at Tennessee’s Allan Jones Aquatic Center. McSharry swept the breaststroke events and took home silver in the 50 free at SECs, and she followed that performance up by placing second overall in the 100 breast and fourth in the 200 breast at NCAAs. Enjoying an impressive sophomore campaign, Douthwright was the SEC Champion and national runner-up in the 200 free. She was also a member of two Lady Vol relays that earned First Team All-America recognition. Fellow sophomore Josephine Fuller earned SwimSwam Breakout Swimmer of the Year honors after earning First Team All-America honors in the backstrokes and winning silver medals in three individual events at SECs.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
The men’s basketball team (25-11, 11-7 SEC) defeated Butler, USC and No. 3 Kansas in the Bahamas in November to capture the 2022 Battle 4 Atlantis championship. In the title game, the Vols held the defending national champion Jayhawks to their lowest point total (50) since November of 2014. That win also snapped Kansas’ 17-game win streak dating to the previous season.
Overall on the season, the men’s basketball team defeated three top-10 opponents, toppling No. 1 Alabama, No. 3 Kansas and No. 10 Texas. The Volunteers went 5-1 vs. top-15 foes, including an NCAA Tournament victory over No. 12 Duke to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.
The basketball Vols spent the entire season ranked in the AP Top 25, ascending as high as No. 2 on Jan. 30. During Rick Barnes’ eight-year tenure on Rocky Top, the Vols have spent the entire season ranked in the AP Top 25 three times, earned a seed of No. 4 or better in the NCAA Tournament four times and have won at least 25 games four times.
Men’s basketball players Santiago Vescovi, Zakai Zeigler and Julian Phillips earned postseason honors from the SEC head coaches. Vescovi repeated as a first-team All-SEC selection, while Zeigler garnered second-team All-SEC acclaim. Zeigler also landed on the coaches’ SEC All-Defensive Team for the second time in as many years. Phillips’ selection to the SEC All-Freshman Team gave the Vols at least one selection on that team for the third straight season.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
The Lady Vols basketball team (25-12, 13-3 SEC) advanced to the Sweet Sixteen round of the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season. The program has now appeared in all 41 NCAA Tournaments and in 36 of 41 Sweet Sixteens.
Head coach Kellie Harper guided the Lady Vols to 25 wins for the second straight season. It was her fourth-25-win season as a head coach.
Lady Vols senior Rickea Jackson finished the regular season as the SEC’s third-leading scorer with an average of 18.9 points per game. Because of her play, she was a top-five finalist for the Cheryl Miller Award and an AP, WBCA and USBWA All-America honorable mention choice.
The SEC women’s basketball coaches selected Lady Vols Jordan Horston and Rickea Jackson to their All-SEC first team. Tennessee was one of three schools to put a pair of players on the first unit, and Horston became only the fourth Lady Vol since 2012 to earn All-SEC first-team acclaim in back-to-back seasons.
Tennessee was one of only four schools nationally that saw both its men’s and women’s basketball teams advance to the Sweet Sixteen, joining Miami (Fla.), UCLA and UConn.
INDOOR TRACK & FIELD
The Duane Ross era began with the 2022-23 indoor season, and the first-year head coach led UT to a pair of top-five finishes (women third, men fifth) at the SEC Indoor Championships for the first time since 2009. Two weeks later, the Lady Vols took seventh at the NCAA Indoor Championships while the men finished 11th at the national meet in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Graduate student Dylan Jacobs was recognized as the 2023 USTFCCCA National Indoor Track Athlete of the Year after a spectacular debut season for the Vols. The distance specialist from Orland Park, Illinois, set Southeastern Conference records and all-time top five collegiate marks in the 3,000-meter (7:36.89) and 5,000-meter (13:11.01) during the regular season, won a pair of SEC titles in the DMR and 3k and rounded out his campaign winning Tennessee’s first indoor 5k national title in program history. His time of 13:37.59 at the NCAA Championships set a new all-time high-altitude collegiate record, lowering the previous standard by more than nine seconds.
On the women’s side, graduate student Charisma Taylor was Tennessee’s top scorer at the SEC and NCAA Championships after showcasing her versatility in the 60-meter hurdles, long jump and triple jump. Placing third, fifth and second in those events, respectively, at the national meet, the Nassau, Bahamas, native became one of 13 athletes in collegiate history to score in three events at the NCAA Division I Championships. Her most notable performance came with a leap of 14.88 meters (48-10) in the triple jump in Albuquerque, establishing herself as the No. 2 performer in collegiate history and No. 2 performer on the 2023 world list.
Lady Vol speedster Jacious Sears also stood out individually, claiming the SEC 60-meter title with a school record time of 7.11 and becoming the second fastest performer in collegiate history with a sprint of 7.04 seconds in prelims at the NCAA Championships. The Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, native finished third in the national 60-meter final with a time of 7.10, and her personal-best time of 7.04 stands as the fifth-fastest in the world in 2023.
During the indoor track & field season, the Vols and Lady Vols tallied nine school records, 10 SEC medals and 16 All-America certificates.
Rare air. #GBO pic.twitter.com/ZlA3aDeqgo
— Tennessee Athletics (@Vol_Sports) March 22, 2023
What a year! ???? Congrats to our Vols & Lady Vols! Keep up the great work pic.twitter.com/BKDMzOMufX
— Tennessee Student-Athlete Development (@UTVolife) June 23, 2023
WOMEN'S TENNIS
Under the direction of seventh-year head coach Alison Ojeda, the women’s tennis team set a program record by winning 11 regular-season SEC matches. The Lady Vols finished league play with an 11-2 mark to clinch a double-bye in the SEC Tournament. For the year, the Lady Vols went 21-6, posting the 12th 20-win season in program history. UT also concluded the year No. 14 in the ITA Team Rankings, the best finish since 2010.
Women’s tennis finished 11-2 in SEC play, the highest league win total in program history, and tallied double-digit conference victories for just the second time ever. The Lady Vols went unbeaten at home, turning in an 11-0 record on Rocky Top.
Ojeda was named SEC Co-Coach of the Year, while Daria Kuczer, Rebeka Mertena and Elza Tomase each earned first-team All-SEC honors.
MEN'S TENNIS
On the men’s tennis side, Johannus Monday was named SEC Player of the Year. Monday was a first-team All-SEC selection alongside Emile Hudd, and Shunsuke Mitsui was a second-team All-SEC honoree.
Monday captured ITA Singles All-America status for a third consecutive season, recording a dual singles record of 19-3, including a stellar mark of 16-3 (9-1 SEC) at the No. 1 singles lineup position. Monday boasted a 12-3 record against ranked singles competition, including a 5-0 mark against top-10 foes.
Monday and graduate student Pat Harper also earned All-America status as a doubles pairing. The duo was ranked inside the top-eight in all but one set of ITA doubles rankings during the 2023 dual season, logging a 17-5 dual doubles record together. The pair went 7-2 in SEC action, rising to as high as No. 2 in the national ITA doubles rankings.
MEN'S GOLF (SPRING)
Men’s golf phenom Caleb Surratt was named SEC Freshman of the Year while also receiving first-team All-SEC and SEC All-Freshman Team honors. Surratt won the SEC individual championship after shooting a three-round total of 14-under to cruise past the field by six strokes at St. Simons Island in April. He became the fifth Vol in program history to win an SEC individual title and the first since David Skinns in 2005. Surratt was also the first freshman to win an SEC individual title since Alabama’s Justin Thomas in 2012.
At the conclusion of the collegiate golf season, Surratt became the first Vol in program history to earn first-team All-America honors when he was recognized on the PING All-America Team. As a true freshman, Surratt posted a program-record single-season stroke average of 69.58 over 33 rounds while setting another single-season program record in rounds of par or better with 27.
Junior Bryce Lewis was named second-team All-SEC for the second consecutive season and posted a single-season stroke average of 70.58, which ranked fourth in program history.
ROWING
The Lady Vols rowing program earned its best finish ever during the Big 12 Championship, placing second overall, as all five boats medaled during the regatta for the first time in program history. Two Lady Vols crews notched their best finishes ever at the league championship, while four rowers (Casey Chronister, Reagan Long, Kate Schildmeyer, Emma Seawright) were selected to the All-Big 12 First Team.
Throughout the season, the 2V8 crew posted an impressive 36-6 record and earned Big 12 Boat of the Week honors twice, while the 2V4 boat received the honor once. It was the first time in program history either of the boats had won the award.
At season's end, rowing head coach Lisa Glenn announced her retirement following 25 years at the helm. In the history of Tennessee Athletics, only two head coaches—Pat Summitt (38 seasons with women's basketball) and Mike Patrick (29 seasons with women's tennis)—enjoyed longer tenures than Glenn. Throughout Glenn's tenure, the Lady Vols appeared in nine NCAA Championships, won three titles (2 conference, 1 region) and finished inside the top three at conference championships 12 out of 13 times, earning her Regional/Conference Coach of the Year on five occasions.
Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White announced Kim Cupini as Tennessee rowing's new head coach on June 9. Cupini had been the head coach at SMU, where she guided the Mustangs to three American Athletic Conference titles (2021, 2022, 2023) and three consecutive NCAA Championship appearances—finishing 11th in 2021, 12th in 2022 and ninth in 2023.
OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD
In Tennessee’s first season under head coach Duane Ross, the Vols and Lady Vols totaled 15 school records, 32 All-America honors and 22 SEC medals over the course of the indoor and outdoor seasons. The campaign concluded with the Lady Vols tying for 10th place at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, representing the first time since 2009 that the women of Tennessee finished top 10 at both national meets.
Lady Vol sprinter Jacious Sears was named the 2023 USTFCCCA South Region Track Athlete of the Year after an outstanding outdoor season, culminating with a team-high 11 points at the NCAA Championships in Austin, Texas. The junior placed third in the 100-meter (10.94w) and fourth in the in the 200-meter (22.04w), representing the best finish by a Lady Vol in both events since 2005.
Sears won the SEC Commissioner's Trophy as the highest individual point scorer at the 2023 SEC Outdoor Championships, totaling 20.5 points for Tennessee. The Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, native won the 100-meter dash with a school-record mark of 10.96 seconds, earned silver in the 200-meter with a lifetime-best clocking of 22.45, and ran relay legs on the 4x100- and 4x400-meter scoring efforts to finish half a point ahead of Arkansas' Britton Wilson and Florida's Jasmine Moore.
Charisma Taylor also shined for the Lady Vols in the outdoor postseason, collecting four All-America honors and scoring eight points at the NCAA Championships in the horizontal jumps after claiming silver in the triple at the SEC Outdoor Championships with a school record leap of 13.99 meters (45-10.75).
Vol graduate students Devon Brooks and Dylan Jacobs locked up outdoor conference titles in the men’s 110-meter hurdles and 5,000-meter, respectively, leading the squad to a third-place finish in the team standings with 87 points at the SEC Outdoor Championships.
At the national meet, senior Emmanuel Bynum stood out with a third-place finish in the 400-meter dash with his lifetime-best 44.49 second clocking. Adding scoring performances in the 400-meter hurdles from Rasheeme Griffith (49.17, 5th) and the 110-meter hurdles from Rasheem Brown (13.53, 8th), Tennessee finished 22nd nationally with 11 points.
After a strong debut campaign under the direction of Ross and cross country head coach Sean Carlson, the Tennessee Volunteers finished ninth overall in the 2022-23 NCAA Division I John McDonnell Men's Program of the Year Award final standings, Tennessee’s best showing since the award’s inception in 2008-09.
BASEBALL
Tennessee baseball continued its ascent to the upper echelon of college baseball in 2023, making it to the College World Series for the second time in the last three seasons and the sixth time in program history. Finishing the season 44-22, the Volunteers are the only team in the country to average 50 victories or more over the last three seasons in Division I baseball.
The Big Orange bats continued their power surge as Tennessee totaled 126 round-trippers on the season, led by graduate transfer Griffin Merritt's 18 homers. Merritt delivered some of the biggest regular-season moments for the Vols, crushing Friday-night walk-off home runs against Vanderbilt and Mississippi State in consecutive weekends during a nine-game winning streak that pushed Tennessee into prime position for the postseason.
Arguably the most memorable game of the season was a 14-inning thriller at No. 3 Clemson in NCAA Regionals. With a two-run deficit, two strikes and two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Zane Denton crushed a three-run blast out of the ballpark to flip the momentum in the crucial 1-0 game. Tennessee would go on to win the regional and the Super Regional at Southern Miss thanks to a shutdown pitching performance from Drew Beam to clinch a trip to Omaha.
SPRING FOOTBALL
The Tennessee football spring Orange & White Game drew a crowd of 58,743 to Neyland Stadium on April 15. It was the sixth-largest attendance in Orange & White Game history.
THE FINAL OUT!
— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) June 13, 2023
VOLS ARE HEADED BACK TO OMAHA! pic.twitter.com/DE0cEBUH2O
Year 1 of the Ross Era is in the books!#GBO ???https://t.co/L5KQJFjqwf
— Tennessee Track & Field (@Vol_Track) June 11, 2023
CHAMPIONSHIP SOFTBALL SEASON
Tennessee softball captured the SEC regular-season championship, leading the league wire-to-wire and winning seven of eight series while securing the league crown. It was the program’s second SEC regular-season title and its first since 2007.
Senior outfielder Kiki Milloy set the Tennessee softball single-season record for home runs, finishing with 25. She surpassed the previous record of 19 on the same day the Lady Vols clinched the SEC regular-season championship (May 6).
In addition to being honored as the NFCA Pitcher of the Year, graduate softball pitcher Ashley Rogers was selected as the SEC’s Softball Scholar Athlete of the Year, while Karen Weekly garnered SEC Coach of the Year acclaim, and pitcher Karlyn Pickens was named SEC Freshman of the Year.
The softball team swept the 2023 SEC titles (the first time in program history) by winning the SEC Tournament in Fayetteville, defeating Florida, Alabama and South Carolina en route to its first SEC Tournament title since 2011.
The Lady Vols finished the softball season 51-10 – breaking the 50-win mark for the first time since 2013. After sweeping through the NCAA Knoxville Regional and Super Regional at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium, Tennessee advanced to the Women’s College World Series semifinals. It was the program’s eighth all-time appearance at the WCWS.
At the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City, Ashley Rogers was the recipient of the Elite 90 award for the 2023 NCAA Division I Softball Championship. Rogers, who in May completed her Master’s in Kinesiology, finished with a 4.0 GPA. The prestigious Elite 90 award is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA’s championships. Rogers also was spotlighted as the CSC Academic All-American of the year for Division I softball—the fourth Lady Vol softball student-athlete to earn that distinction.
Kiki Milloy and infielder Zaida Puni each were voted onto the Women’s College World Series All-Tournament Team.
Tennessee Kid. Lady Vol for Life. pic.twitter.com/20SPp3BPnI
— Tennessee Softball (@Vol_Softball) June 6, 2023
love the city, serve the city.#GBO ?? pic.twitter.com/LmKVsU1KmP
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) June 6, 2023
ACADEMIC HIGHLIGHTS
Combining the Fall and Spring commencement ceremonies, 90 total student-athletes graduated this academic year, including 19 who earned master’s degrees.
For the second year in a row, Tennessee produced a school-record number of Academic All-Americans, with 15 earning that distinction during 2022-23: Luke Brice (swimming & diving), Paxton Brooks (football), Chase Dollander (baseball), Brooklyn Douthwright (swimming & diving), Josephine Fuller (swimming & diving), McKenna Gibson (softball), Griffin Hadley (swimming & diving), Kara Holt (swimming & diving), Emile Hudd (men’s tennis), Dylan Jacobs (track & field), Mona McSharry (swimming & diving), Kiki Milloy (softball), Uchechi Nwogwugwu (track & field), Ashley Rogers (softball) and Nicole Sreenan (track & field).
This year marked the first time in Tennessee swimming & diving history that more than two Lady Vols were selected for the Academic All-America teams, and it was the first time the women’s team ever boasted multiple first-team recipients in the same year. Similarly, this was just the second time the program produced two male Academic All-Americans in the same year.
Tennessee placed a total of 288 student-athletes on the Fall (91), Winter (69) and Spring (128) SEC Academic Honor Rolls. UT also saw 114 student-athletes named to the 2022-23 First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll.
The Spring 2023 semester saw Tennessee's more than 550 student-athletes achieve a cumulative grade-point average of 3.38—its highest ever recorded. For the first time ever, all 16 sport programs earned a team GPA of at least a 3.0. This spring also marked the 21st consecutive semester in which the Vols and Lady Vols combined to post a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Eight teams enjoyed or matched their best spring semesters ever, while five programs (football, baseball, men's track & field, women's swimming & diving, and volleyball) tied or bested their highest GPA in any semester.
The football team produced a 3.17 GPA for the spring semester, representing the highest in program history. And total of 76 football student-athletes generated a 3.0 Spring semester GPA or better, with 25 of those earning Dean's List distinction.
Tennessee Athletics salutes the decades-spanning contributions of the following retiring staff members: William Barnett (Turf Management, 33 years), David Elliott (Associate AD - Event Management, 34 years), Nick Farragut (Turf Management, 13 years), Lisa Glenn (Rowing Head Coach, 25 years), Link Hudson (Assistant AD - VFL Films, 27 years), Sara Gray Mackin (Ticket Operations, 18 years), Barry Rice (Senior Director - VFL Films, 34 years)
Gallery: 2022-2023 Academic Year in Photos
