Dear Friends of William & Mary Athletics,
 
Many of you have done so much for Tribe Athletics - and we've had so much to celebrate lately, especially the Athletics Complex groundbreaking earlier this month, that it's difficult to write to you about an issue that is not as upbeat.  
 
Help Us Finish Strong!
To quickly summarize, we are fast approaching the end of the fiscal year and we are far behind in our fundraising for individual sports and for the department overall.
 
We have a lot of ground to make up in the five weeks until the close of our fiscal year on June 30.  Our Athletics' FY22 fundraising goal is $5.2 million.  The total amount raised as of earlier this week is $4.5 million.  
 
When it comes to fundraising for our individual sports, several have reached their goals and a couple are nearing the finish line.  Our remaining teams have some work to do as you can see from the chart below.  Some sports will have an opportunity to draw from existing funds in Tribe Athletic Foundation accounts to cover some, or all shortfalls, but doing so may deplete their reserves.   
   

Beyond our gaps in fundraising, the downturn in the economy is having an effect, as are the two years of dealing with COVID.  Each factor has contributed to us being in a tight spot financially.
 
Unfortunately, failing to meet our goals will have consequences that will have the most impact on the support we are able to provide to our student-athletes.  Having seen firsthand the love for the Tribe, I continue to believe that we are not done yet and that we will be able to make significant progress in the next few weeks.  If you can, please consider a gift to the Tribe today.
 
Now, we do have good news to share, with several honors coming our way.
 
Awards Season
There was much love (and not in the usual bad tennis way) for women's tennis at the end of their season.  Head Coach Jessica Giuggioli was named Colonial Athletics Association Coach of the Year after leading the Tribe to the conference championship.  Graduating senior Mila Saric joined in the awards parade when she was named the CAA Player of the Year for the second consecutive season and received an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship.  Freshman Hedda Gurholt was named Co-Rookie of the Year and fellow freshman Ine Stange was named the most outstanding performer in the conference championship.  
 
 
Our own Dr. Virginia Wells, who serves as the Tribe's Team Physician and Director of Sports Medicine, was awarded a coveted Plumeri Award for Athletics Leadership.  "Doc" Wells received the prize, named for Joseph J. Plumeri '66, D.P.S. '11, for her work to achieve excellence in overseeing the care of our 500 Tribe student-athletes.  We also recognized two past winners since we were unable to do so previously because of COVID restrictions.  Congratulations to Al Albert, associate athletics director for Athletics advancement, and Brendan Bourdage of men's soccer, who were the 2021 and 2020 recipients, respectively.  Well done everyone!  As a fitting end to an eventful weekend, Dr. Wells received her Plumeri Award on Friday afternoon, then displayed her versatility by delivering a strike while throwing out the ceremonial first pitch on the following Sunday's baseball game (which wound up being a Tribe series sweep!).
 
 
The Most Wonderful Day!
And of course, the grandest event on the university calendar—Commencement 2022, was held over the weekend.  Graduation is the culmination of years of hard work as well as the fulfillment of our commitment to our student-athletes.  I was able to spot many of our 113 student-athlete graduates (they wore special Athletics stoles with their regalia) and I was glad my regalia was loose-fitting as I was bursting with pride!  Being able to watch these young women and men finish one chapter and ready themselves for the next, and knowing we all have been a part of the process, confirms that we have the best jobs in the world!  
 
 
Baseball at the CAA Tournament
Baseball didn't get the start they wanted when they met 5-seed Northeastern in the first game of the CAA tournament yesterday.  The Tribe dropped a close one 3-2, and they met Elon this morning in an elimination game and again came up short 6-3. The complete game recap will be available on TribeAthletics.com and I know Coach Mike McRae is already planning for a memorable next season.
 
Track and Field at the NCAA East Regional
Closing out our spring athletics season, Tribe track and field sent both Chris Arias and Kristen Herr to the NCAA East Regional in Bloomington, Ind., this week to compete in the javelin. While neither, unfortunately, advanced, they both enjoyed great seasons and represented the Tribe well. Chris was the CAA Field Athlete of the Year after winning the javelin. Kristen placed second at the CAA Championships earlier this year and had one of the top throws in W&M history. Congrats to Coach Heacock and his staff, the future is bright for both of those programs.

Looking Ahead
I hope that our good news signals that we remain optimistic about our future and the many positive things ahead. As always, we are counting on you as our partners in making it all come together.  Thank you for going on the ride with us, bumps and all.
 
Go Tribe!
 
Brian D. Mann
Director of Athletics