IN PHOTOS: Memorial Magic in full swing

With the football season officially ending, Vanderbilt athletics shifts to games in Memorial Gymnasium.

Jason Rivera-Torres celebrates as Ezra Manjon scores a dunk, as photographed on Dec. 2, 2023. (Hustler Multimedia/Ophelia Lu)

By Ophelia Lu, Deputy Photography Director

December 20, 2023

With football officially closing its season, Commodores started playing more games in the Memorial Gymnasium, taking on opponents across the country. Get a glimpse of these exciting games through the lens of our photographers.

Football

Vanderbilt Football officially concluded its season with a final loss to Tennessee, marking the fifth straight time the Commodores fell to Tennessee. Following the 2-10 finish in conference play, quarterback Ken Seals announced his decision to enter the NCAA transfer portal, followed by Quarterback AJ Swann the next day. However, to mitigate the losses in the QB room, Vanderbilt landed a commitment from the transfer portal in former Utah quarterback Nate Johnson.

Commodores saw more changes on the team as Vanderbilt fired offensive coordinator Joey Lynch and demoted defensive coordinator Nick Howell. Tim Beck from New Mexico State has been hired to be Vanderbilt’s new offensive coordinator. Senior cornerback BJ Anderson and right tackle Bradley Ashmore declared for the NFL draft shortly after the conclusion of the season. However, Anderson was soon arrested in downtown Nashville under charges of public intoxication and assault.

Men’s Basketball

Vanderbilt Men’s Basketball has seen a season with ups and downs so far. Veterans Ezra Manjon, Evan Taylor, Collin Smith and Tyrin Lawrence are joined by new faces like Jason Rivera-Torres, JaQualon Roberts, Carter Lang and Malik Presley. The Commodores suffered home losses to Boston College 80-62 and San Francisco 73-60, but defeated Central Arkansas 75-71 and Alabama A&M 78-59. In away games, Commodores lost to both N.C. State 78-84 and Arizona State 67-82 during the Vegas Showdown and fell to Texas Tech 54-76 during the USLBM Coast to Coast Challenge. This season, the Commodores are overall 4-6 with 4-3 on home games.

Women’s Basketball

Since the beginning of the season, women’s basketball has surged past most of its contenders under Shea Ralph’s coaching, sitting almost unbeaten on 10-1 overall and 5-0 on home games. From Thanksgiving to the end of this semester, the ladies have won 77-74 against Western Kentucky, 88-42 against Alabama State, 71-63 against Louisiana Tech and 72-50 against Lipscomb at home. They also had two road wins against Iowa State and Northern Iowa for the South Point Shootout in Las Vegas.

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About the Contributors

Ophelia Lu, Deputy Photography Director

Ophelia Lu (’26) is from Los Angeles and is double majoring in biomedical and electrical engineering in the School of Engineering. She previously served as a staff photographer. When not covering events and sports games for The Hustler, you can find her listening to a lot of music, studying at Starbucks or lying on Alumni lawn. She can be reached at [email protected].

Josh Rehders, Photography Director

Josh Rehders ('24) is from Houston and is studying computer science in the School of Engineering. When he is not shooting for The Hustler, Vanderbilt Athletics or freelancing, he enjoys finding new music and good food. He can be reached at [email protected].

Barrie Barto, Senior Staff Photographer

Barrie Barto ('25) is majoring in medicine, health & society with a minor neuroscience in the College of Arts and Science. She previously served as Photography Director. Outside of The Hustler, you can find Barrie cheering on the St. Louis Blues or tracking down the best gluten-free food in Nashville. She can be reached at [email protected].

Savannah Walske, Staff Photographer

Savannah Walske (‘26) is from San Francisco and is double majoring in psychology and Spanish in the College of Arts and Science. When not shooting for The Hustler, you can find her playing guitar, photographing pretty Californian landscapes and obsessing over her dog. You can contact her at [email protected].

Kadyn Lee, Staff Photographer

Kadyn Lee ('26) is majoring in economics in the College of Arts and Science. She is from Atlanta, Georgia and loves photography, The Weeknd and spending time with friends. She can be reached at [email protected].

Vince Lin, Staff Photographer and Graphics Staffer

Vince Lin (‘27) is from Zanesville, Ohio, and is majoring in computer science. Vince is a staff photographer and plans on covering sports and concerts. Outside of school, you can find him at the gym, rowing, lifting weights, playing games with friends or sleeping. You can reach him at [email protected].

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