Dear Friends of William & Mary Athletics,
 
The past week has really underscored the value of community and how it has such a positive impact on Tribe Athletics. 
 
I can speak from experience about how critical it is for an Athletics Department to be an integral part of the overall university community.  On Friday our head coaches and senior administrators from Athletics joined me at the Board of Visitors luncheon as I had the opportunity to talk about the Tribe's current momentum and our dreams for the future.  It was a terrific conversation and I'm looking forward to many more!

Later that day I spoke at a special thank you dinner for the patron sponsors of the Lord Botetourt Auction, plus some other friends and donors to Athletics. We had such a lively session that I threw my notes away and let the evening's guests steer the conversation with their great questions.  In the photo from the evening below you can see Queen Anne looking on approvingly as did my wife Hilary, who accompanied me on our first date night since our son Henry was born!
 
Our student-athletes are resuming their outreach to various communities as the pandemic has waned.  The Tribe baseball team recently conducted a skills clinic with the Arc of Greater Williamsburg, which serves adults with intellectual and developmental challenges.  A week ago, our swimming program held its annual Wally Riley Memorial Cancer Swim, that was started 44 years ago by former coach Wally Riley and strives to annually raise awareness for the National Cancer Society. These are just two examples of our 500 student-athletes' outreach to our communities.
 
 You've all heard of TED Talks, but did you know that W&M has its own iteration—Mary Talks?  In 2018 the university hosted the first W&M Women's Weekend and after a hiatus, the event returned this month. Peel Hawthorne, senior associate athletics director and SWA (and a recent inductee into the Tribe's Hall of Fame) gave a Mary Talk about Title IX, which turned 50 this year. As Peel says, "Title IX and I grew up together. And we both hope to continue to live a long, productive life of positive influence."  Many of you know that Peel has worn a lot of hats at W&M, including student-athlete, administrator and coach; plus Peel continues to be one of my most trusted advisors. She is pictured below during her field hockey/lacrosse days, when a single uniform did double duty for both sports. 
 
 Interactions with our various communities don't stop with graduation, as our inaugural class of "40 Under 40" demonstrates. The program was established to recognize the outstanding achievements of young Tribe alumni. Take a look at the list of honorees and you will be amazed at the depth and breadth of what these young men and women are accomplishing in finance, law, medicine, professional sports and so many more areas.
 
Speaking of community, next weekend is a wonderful opportunity to immerse yourselves in all things W&M during Homecoming and Reunion weekend. Check out the signature events and get your Tribe gear ready!  On Saturday, please join me as part of the inaugural Green & Gold Walk, which starts at James Blair Drive and ends at the Alumni House Lawn. President Rowe will be leading the parade and along the way you can pick up All In sunglasses and footballs.  I'm fired up and looking forward to seeing many of you as we show off our W&M pride. I've checked the weather forecast and fingers crossed, it looks pretty good!  But if not, everyone has a green umbrella, right?
 
Each one of our teams is well into their conference tilts, and unbelievably CAA Championships are starting at the end of October. Make sure you check our schedule so you can cheer on the Tribe in person! You'll also probably have a chance to meet many of our student-athletes and coaches who are always present to cheer on their colleagues.

In closing, we are thinking about all those in the Tribe family and beyond who are being affected by Hurricane Ian and hope that everyone is safe.

Go Tribe!
 
Brian D. Mann
Director of Athletics