The 2025 season for Vanderbilt Lacrosse ended with the Commodores holding a 9-9 record and falling in the AAC playoffs to eventual conference champion, James Madison University. While the season didn’t see head coach Beth Hewett’s team surge to incredible heights, it continued the consistency that began in the 2024 season, where Vanderbilt went 9-8.
With talent like Kemper Robinson and Jaime Biskup leaving the program, there will be plenty of shoes to fill for the Commodores this season. Yet, between a stellar incoming class of freshmen and a strong core of returning players, Vanderbilt may possess a team prepared to shock the AAC this season.
Leading the charge offensively will be midfielder Brooke Baker and attacker Nancy Halleron. Both were named to the Preseason All-Conference Team and will undoubtedly be relied on to produce scoring opportunities.
Baker, a graduate student, had a stellar 2025 season in which she scored the second-most points on the team with 41 goals and 8 assists. Defensively, she caused 9 turnovers and secured 29 ground balls, displaying her efficiency on both ends of the field. While Baker was an All-AAC First Team selection in 2025, this year will present a new challenge as she will be the true leader of the midfield without Robinson alongside her.
Halleron will play her second straight season after missing all of 2024 with an injury. In 2025, Halleron logged 44 goals and went on stretches of pure dominance, including a three-game stint against East Carolina, Lindenwood and Xavier University, where she scored four goals in each game. With the team’s former leading goal scorer, Biskup, gone, Halleron will take over as the go-to goal scorer for the Commodores, so there may be a sharp rise in the number of shots she’ll be taking. With her 2025 campaign ending in All-AAC Second Team honors, there is no real ceiling on how well she will play this year.
The other Commodore joining Baker and Halleron on the Preseason All-AAC team is junior defender Alex Gladding. Gladding has been a consistent starter since her freshman year at Vanderbilt and has been a complete star. She has acted as the anchor for this defense, especially coming off a 2025 season where she accounted for 38 ground balls and forced 21 turnovers, leading to an All-AAC Second Team selection.
The rest of the roster is stocked full of players eager to make an impact. Contributors like Anna Taraboletti and Amiyah Turner will look to step up, alongside the fantastic sophomore class that includes Bailey Lower, Anna Szporn and Shea Panzik, who will aim to improve after their solid freshman seasons.
Vanderbilt also welcomes a freshman class of nine players to its roster, headlined by midfielder Gabby Putman from Cicero, New York. Putman was listed at No. 38 on the Nike Lacrosse/InsideLacrosse Women’s Power 100 Freshman Rankings, recognized as one of the freshmen prepared to make an immediate impact nationally. Putman was also a USA All-American and was the Large Schools Girls Lacrosse Player of the Year twice in central New York.
Vanderbilt’s biggest challenge this year will be its schedule, especially when it comes to non-conference matchups. The Commodores will play some teams they are familiar with from last season — including No. 10 Clemson, Denver, and Ohio State — all of whom were also ranked in the top 25 last year. The rest of the non-conference slate will include interesting matchups with Xavier, Coastal Carolina, Louisville, and others.
On Mar. 21, Vanderbilt will start conference play when it travels to take on Old Dominion. The Commodores will also play defending conference champions James Madison and Temple on the road, while they will welcome Charlotte, East Carolina and South Florida to Nashville for conference games.
Vanderbilt will begin its 2026 campaign this Saturday, Feb. 7, as it travels to play No. 10 Clemson at 11 a.m. CST at Clemson Lacrosse Complex.
