In a series on the Vanderbilt Instagram account, students can get to know some of the dedicated staff who play a crucial role in creating a welcoming and supportive environment for them. This installment features Vanderbilt Lacrosse head coach Beth Hewitt and associate head coach Jill Kendall. Hewitt will be in her seventh season at the helm of the Vanderbilt lacrosse program in 2025, while Kendall enters her seventh season on Hewitt’s coaching staff and her second as associate head coach.
Stay tuned for more Q&A sessions with staff members at Vanderbilt, whose daily efforts help shape positive experiences for the entire university community.
View the rest of the staff Q&A series.
Watch Beth and Jill’s Q&A session:
What is the best part of coaching at Vandy?
Hewitt: From a coaching staff standpoint, we feel really fortunate to be on an all-female staff and work with some really strong women. More importantly, I think as we’re out there on the road and we’re recruiting, it’s a really important part of what we do—finding great families and great student-athletes. Every day, we come to work and feel really fortunate to be around such amazing human beings.
What is your favorite place on campus?
Both: Probably our field!
Hewitt: You’re kind of in the heart of our athletic campus.
Kendall: Spring game days, usually we hear the baseball lineup, tennis has a match going on, and our games in the warmups—those are just the best moments.
What is your favorite thing to do when you’re not at work?
Hewitt: Getting outdoors and sort of exploring Nashville with my kids.
Kendall: For me a lot of the time, it’s just being with my husband and my dog. I think family time is big, big part of that for our staff.
Favorite Vanderbilt Lacrosse memory?
Hewitt: We felt fortunate as a coaching staff that we’ve had some pretty big milestones. Every year, we’ve been able to kind of “check something off” that we hadn’t done in previous years. To that same point, we just want to keep making history—we want to look for the next big win.
Best place to eat in Nashville?
Hewitt: My regular stop, not even a question—Hattie B’s! Boom.
Kendall: O-Ku, probably.
What excites you most about the future of the Vanderbilt Lacrosse program?
Hewitt: Number one, I would say, starting with Candice in the athletic department—the culture of winning she has created over the last few years that she’s been here. I feel like winning is really contagious, so each sport and program kind of becomes competitive—almost with each other—to raise the bar. I really feel like people come and they visit and they see some of the things that we’ve got going on here—obviously an incredible university, an incredible city to be a part of and live in. But I think they see the way the girls interact, especially with the staff specifically, and I think we all really enjoy the time that we have together. I think it’s a really special place and an incredible opportunity to be a part of our program.
Both: Our home opener is Feb. 12 against Clemson. Come out and see us, we’d love to see you there. Anchor Down!
