NASHVILLE, TN — Vanderbilt Vice Chancellor for Athletics and University Affairs and Athletic Director Candace Story Lee has become the school’s first athletics administrator to be honored as “Tennessean of the Year” by the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame. The award is presented to someone who “has made significant contributions to society through sports or other methods.” It’s been awarded annually since 1982.
It’s one of three awards earned by Vanderbilt athletes or administrators. Women’s head coach Shea Ralph and the team were recognized as Female Amateur Team of the Year. Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia was selected Male Amateur Athlete of the Year.
All the winners will receive their awards July 11 at a ceremony held at the Omni Nashville. That same night, former Vanderbilt star pitcher David Price, the 2012 American League Cy Young winner, will be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
The past year was a phenomenal one for Vanderbilt sports. The women’s team had its first 20-win season, and Ralph was SEC Coach of the Year. The football team had its first 10-win season, and head coach Clark Lea was winner of the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award. The men’s basketball team had its best record in 33 years, and head coach Mark Byington became the first Vanderbilt men’s coach to win 20 games in his first two years.
The baseball team won the 2025 SEC Tournament for the fourth time under head coach Tim Corbin and earned the top seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. The soccer team won the 2025 SEC Tournament title for the second time under head coach Darren Ambrose.
Overall, under Lee’s leadership, the school is enjoying unprecedented success in 16 varsity sports, and she has been a back-to-back finalist for the Sports Business Journal’s Athletic Director of the Year Award.
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