Vanderbilt Star Continues to Win Awards: The Anchor, April 23, 2025
To say Vanderbilt freshman Mikayla Blakes has won every award possible, wouldn’t be that much of an overstatement.
She was named U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) Tamika Catchings National Freshman of the Year, 2024-25 SEC Freshman of the Year by the SEC coaches, SEC Newcomer of the Year by USA Today, an All-American by six different publications and was an All-SEC first-team selection by coaches and USA Today.
Blakes continues to rack up the awards with the most recent being named the Tennessee Sports Writers Association Women’s College Basketball Player of the Year. She’s the second Vanderbilt player to earn the award, joining Chantelle Anderson in 2002.
Head Coach @SheaRalph reflects on the great players she's played with and coached, as she decides which former player @mikaylablakes reminds her of most. 🤔#AnchorDown pic.twitter.com/tyqjBODO95
— Vanderbilt WBB (@VandyWBB) April 22, 2025
Blakes’ 23.3 points per game average was the eighth-best scoring average in NCAA Division I this season, while it led all freshmen nationally. The guard ranked in the top 20 nationally in six categories and is the only freshman placed inside the top 40 nationally in scoring (8th; 23.3), free throws made (7th; 193) and steals (40th; 78). Blakes also ranked inside the top 10 nationally among freshmen in 12 different stat categories.
Today’s Commodores Schedule
Lacrosse: Xavier at Vanderbilt, Noon, SECN+
Men’s Golf: SEC Championships, 7 a.m., Sea Island Golf Club, St. Simons Island, Ga.
Yesterday’s Commodores Results
Baseball: Middle Tennessee 5, No. 9 Vanderbilt 3
Did You Notice?
𝘽𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨
— Vanderbilt Lacrosse (@VandyLacrosse) April 22, 2025
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Countdown to Vanderbilt’s 2025 Football Season Opener
129 days
Commodores Quote of the Day
[On Vanderbilt giving up five runs in the ninth inning to Arkansas in 2019, the year Vanderbilt won its second national championship:] “I should be fired.”
- Tim Corbin (who was not fired)
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Taylor Hodges is a staff writer for Vanderbilt Commodores On SI covering all-things Vanderbilt. Taylor brings more than a decade’s worth of award-winning sports writing, photography and video experience covering every level of sports — from Little League baseball to professional sports and other sports like hunting and fishing. Taylor is fueled by his lifelong passion for sports that began the same day Kirk Gibson hit his legendary World Series walk-off home run, Arkansas beat Texas in Austin and No. 4 Notre Dame beat No. 1 Miami in the Catholics vs. Convicts game.