Diana Cantu's contract extended through 2030 at Tennessee
Following the conclusion of the season, Tennessee vice chancellor and director of athletics Danny White announced a contract extension through 2030 for Lady Vols' head coach Diana Cantu.
"The progress of our women's golf program under Diana's leadership has been exciting to witness," White said. "The team returned to nationals for the first time since 2019, and the high-caliber student-athletes she has recruited and developed on Rocky Top position us well for continued success!"
Cantu has served as Tennessee's head coach since 2021. She played for the Lady Vols from 2006-10.
"I am honored to be part of what I believe is the premier athletics department in the nation," Cantu said. "I am especially grateful for the steadfast support and confidence shown by chancellor Donde Plowman, director of athletics Danny White, Cam Walker and Angie Boyd-Keck — both in me, my staff, and the long-term vision we share for this program. It is a privilege to continue leading the Lady Vols Golf program, and I look forward to the opportunities that lie ahead.
"As a proud LVFL, I hold immense pride in representing the University of Tennessee and contributing to its rich tradition of excellence. Since returning to Knoxville, my staff and I have worked diligently to reenergize this program and return it to national prominence. I consider it a true blessing to work alongside such talented, dedicated and competitive young women. While we are proud of the progress we have made, our journey is far from over."
More: Tennessee golf qualifies for 2025 NCAA Championships
Follow Vols Wire on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Kim Caldwell contract details revealed: Lady Vols coach's salary raised to $1 million
Lady Vols basketball coach Kim Caldwell is one of the highest-paid coaches in the nation after her first season at the helm. Caldwell agreed to a one-year contract extension on March 31 – two days after leading Tennessee to the Sweet 16 – that runs through the 2029-30 season. The extension was finalized in late June, and it raises Caldwell's annual salary to $1 million. Her original base pay was $750,000, which made her the seventh-highest paid coach in the SEC at the time. Caldwell replaced Kellie Harper, who made $1.1 million in her fifth season at Tennessee before she was fired. Caldwell's new contract makes her one of six coaches in the SEC making at least $1 million per year. Fewer than 20 women's basketball coaches across the country made $1 million annually as of March 2024, according to the USA TODAY head coach salary database. South Carolina coach Dawn Staley tops the country after her contract extension in January that set her annual salary at $4 million with an annual $250,000 escalator. Before that, LSU coach Kim Mulkey led the nation in 2024 at $3.26 million. The next highest-paid coach in the SEC is Texas' Vic Schaefer ($2.3 million), followed by Texas A&M' coach's Joni Taylor ($1.5 million) and Ole Miss' coach' Yolett McPhee-McCuin ($1,087,500). Caldwell's original contract contains a clause that will make her the highest-paid coach in the nation if she wins a national championship. Caldwell led Tennessee to a 24-10 record in her first season. The Lady Vols reached the Sweet 16, where they lost to No. 1 seed Texas in Birmingham, Alabama. Caldwell also led Tennessee to an upset of UConn, which went on to win the national championship. Kim Caldwell contract extension includes updates to family travel, private aircraft allowance The extension amended the section on travel for Caldwell's family. While her original contract included travel for her spouse and immediate family members, her extension also allows for "one pre-disclosed, documented child caregiver" to travel as well. Caldwell gave birth to her son, Conor Scott Caldwell, on Jan. 20. There's also an update to the amount of trips Caldwell can take on a private or charter aircraft "for coach's personal, non-business travel, and/or that of coach's guests and/or family." Her original contract allowed for up to three round-trip flights or six occupied legs. The extension upped that to 10 occupied legs or 15 occupied hours of flight time, whichever comes first. Caldwell was recently in Los Angeles at the Sparks game for Lady Vols legend Candace Parker's jersey retirement. She also visited with former Lady Vols Rickea Jackson, Rae Burrell and Mercedes Russell, who all play for the Sparks. Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women's athletics. Email her at and follow her on X @corahalll. If you enjoy Cora's coverage, consider a digital subscription that allows you to access all of it. This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Kim Caldwell salary: Lady Vols basketball coach to make $1 million
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Lady Vols basketball schedule 2025-26: Non-conference games in Kim Caldwell's second season
Lady Vols basketball announced its nonconference schedule for the 2025-26 season on Aug. 1, which only includes five home games. Tennessee will play five nonconference games on the road and two at neutral sites. Including SEC play, the Lady Vols will 14 games against teams that made the 2025 NCAA Tournament. That also includes every team from the Final Four – Tennessee will play UCLA, UConn and South Carolina on the road and host Texas. "Including our conference opponents, our schedule includes the top six teams and 10 of the top 20-ranked programs in the early preseason polls," Lady Vols coach Kim Caldwell said in a school release. "We have our work cut out for us, but I believe our challenging non-conference opponents will better prepare us for what we're going to see in the Southeastern Conference. "We're a little out of balance in terms of home and away ranked opponents, and that's something that takes some time to even out. We'll continue to work on it going forward, but I think this year it will allow us to really test our players and get them ready for conference play." The nonconference slate took a step up in strength of schedule from Caldwell's first season. Tennessee only faced three power conference opponents during the 2024-25 nonconference schedule, and it will face five during the 2025-26 season. UT also only played one true nonconference road game last season. The Lady Vols will open the season Nov. 4 against NC State in Greensboro, North Carolina. They will also make their return to the Women's Champions Classic in Brooklyn, New York, on Dec. 20 where they'll face Louisville. UT's fifth power conference opponent in nonconference play is at Stanford on Dec. 3 as part of the ACC/SEC Challenge. Tennessee has 10 matchups with teams in ESPN's Top 25 including SEC play. South Carolina is the highest-ranked team in ESPN's projected rankings at No. 1 and UConn is the highest-ranked nonconference opponent at No. 2. The nonconference slate includes four matchups with in-state opponents. The Lady Vols will face MTSU and UT Martin on the road and Belmont and ETSU at home. Tennessee will travel to Belmont next season and host MTSU in the final game of a four-game series. LADY VOLS: Tennessee women's basketball's 2025-26 roster is set. What to know about Kim Caldwell's Lady Vols Former Lady Vols guard and Knoxville native Avery Strickland transferred to Belmont this offseason. She played for Tennessee for two seasons and spending her freshman season at Pitt. Strickland, who graduated from Farragut, graduated from UT in May. Tennessee Lady Vols basketball 2025-26 nonconference schedule Oct. 29: Columbus State (exhibition) Nov. 4: vs. NC State in Greensboro Nov. 7: vs. ETSU Nov. 9: at UT Martin Nov. 13: vs. Belmont Nov. 20: at MTSU Nov. 23: vs. Coppin State Nov. 30: at UCLA Dec. 3: at Stanford Dec. 14: vs. Winthrop Dec. 20: vs. Louisville (Women's Champions Classic) Dec. 22: vs. Southern Indiana Feb. 1: at UConn Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women's athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: X: @corahalll; Bluesky: @ Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks: This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee women's basketball schedule 2025-26 non-conference games
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
UConn announces date, location for matchup with Lady Vols basketball in Connecticut
A date has been set for Lady Vols basketball's road matchup with UConn, its longtime rival and the reigning national champion. Tennessee will travel to face the Huskies on Feb. 1, 2026 at PeoplesBank Arena, which was formerly known as the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut. The last time the Lady Vols played at UConn, they played in the same arena. The road matchup is the second of a two-game home-and-home series with UConn. Tennessee beat the Huskies 80-76 last season in Knoxville, notching its first win over UConn since 2007 in Lady Vols coach Kim Caldwell's first season. That would be the Huskies last loss of the season, though, going on to win the program's 12th NCAA title. UConn lost three players to graduation. That included star guard Paige Bueckers, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft. UConn also lost Aubrey Griffin and Kaitlyn Chen, who is also playing in the WNBA. The Huskies return senior star Azzi Fudd, who won Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four, and freshman phenom Sarah Strong. They also brought in Wisconsin transfer forward Serah Williams, who was one of the most coveted players in the transfer portal this offseason. UConn leads the series 17-10, winning the first four matchups after the historic rivalry was renewed ahead of the 2019-20 season. The teams did not face off during the 2023-24 season due to scheduling conflicts. Before the series was renewed, the two teams hadn't played since 2007. Tennessee won the final three matchups of the series before legendary Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt canceled it. LADY VOLS: Tennessee women's basketball's 2025-26 roster is set. What to know about Kim Caldwell's Lady Vols The matchup with UConn is the sixth nonconference game on the schedule for the 2025-26 season. The Lady Vols will open the season against NC State on Nov. 4 in Greensboro, North Carolina and travel to Murfreesboro on Nov. 20 to play MTSU. Tennessee also has a trip to the West Coast with a game at UCLA on Nov. 30 and a game at Stanford on Dec. 3 in the ACC/SEC Challenge. UT will then return to the Women's Champions Classic in Brooklyn, New York, where it will face Louisville on Dec. 20. Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women's athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: X: @corahalll; Bluesky: @ Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks: This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Lady Vols basketball schedule: UConn announces date for road matchup
