As events go, the William & Mary Athletics Department's signature fundraising event rarely disappoints, and the 33^rd edition of the Lord Botetourt Affair was no exception. The evening's "Auction for a Noble Cause" raised more than $370,000 of critical funding for Tribe student-athletes and served as the fitting capstone event for a weekend long celebration for the entire campus community.
 
There can be no doubt that William & Mary was All In for the three days stretching between February 18 – 20.  Starting with the kick-off reception on Friday evening prior to the women's basketball game, there were no less than 13 events that allowed the Tribe faithful to gather and celebrate all that makes W&M Athletics special.
 
"As I experience 'firsts' as a member of this great community, I continue to be inspired by the amount of passion and support that exists for our student-athletes," said William & Mary's Director of Athletics, Brian Mann.  "I entered the weekend with high expectations – and they were exceeded at nearly every level. Spending three days around so many people who are committed to the success of our department clearly underscores what I heard coming into this job – that William & Mary is truly a special place. We have a lot of hard work ahead of us to achieve our goals, but weekends such as this assure me they will be realized if we continue to move forward together."
 
As the signature event for the weekend's activities, the Lord Botetourt Affair, played host to over 150 donors and included student-athletes from many of the Tribe's programs.  The combination of the live and silent auctions, supplemented by "virtual attendees" the past two years, has helped the William & Mary Athletics Foundation, the fundraising arm for athletics, raise nearly $3 million in the last 8 years alone. It is the eighth consecutive year the event has raised $300,000, or more.
 
As Co-Chair Barb Ramsey commented:  "The success of the entire All In weekend and particularly the Lord Botetourt Auction is owed to the exceptional efforts of all those who worked months organizing the events:  fellow co-chairs Kelley Crisci and Patti Dwyer, the committee comprised of community volunteers, Peter Travis, Director of Special Events and Aleyha Johnson, Manager of Athletics Donor Relations and especially auctioneer extraordinaire Bobby Dwyer.  Particular gratitude is owed to our 20 patrons, including 4 Presenting Patrons, who provided the foundation for success accounting for nearly 50% of the total proceeds." 
 
While the event was held for the first time in the beautifully renovated Alumni House on campus, the evening continued its signature tradition of pairing black tie apparel with sneakers.
 
Every year the live portion of the Lord Botetourt Auction features unique offerings and the 2022 edition was no different, although this year some of the biggest ticket items centered on food.  Highlights included a pair of dinners hosted by President Katherine A. Rowe and 1^st Gentleman Bruce Jacobson and the renowned "Clam Bake" hosted by long-time William & Mary alumnus and supporter Don Beck.

As has become a recent tradition, an individual area within athletics was highlighted for the Noble Cause Challenge, a special fundraising aspect of the auction.  This year over $50,000 was raised for the Tribe's Athletics Complex.  This facility will benefit student athletes from all 23 varsity sports and provide a place for them to train, practice, study, compete and excel. 

All proceeds from the Botetourt Affair go directly to the William & Mary Athletics Foundation.  The Tribe depends on its many alumni, friends and corporate partners to provide our student-athletes with the resources to pursue excellence in the classroom and championships in competitions.