The Commodores focus on strength and conditioning year-round with the help of Lori Alexander. Alexander enters her sixth season as the strength and conditioning coach for the lacrosse team. She schedules workouts around players' class schedules and spends a great deal of one-on-one time, which allows her to better monitor a student-athlete's progress and to watch for any potential problems or injuries.

Alexander came to Vanderbilt in 1997 from the University of California-Berkeley where she served in the similar capacity for eight years. Along with her coaching duties, she also served as chair of the Performance Enhancement Advisory Committee, which addressed concerns of Cal's student-athletes relating to performance and general well-being. Prior to Cal, she spent two years as a graduate assistant coach at Notre Dame.

"Lori has played an integral part in the growth of our program," Swezey said. "She is so knowledgeable and does a great job of developing work-outs that are lacrosse specific. The success that we had in 2002 can be greatly attributed to Lori's contribution."

A certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, Alexander earned her Bachelor of Science degree in biology and health and physical education from Bethel College in 1984. She earned a master's degree in education from Indiana University in 1989.