Dear Friends of William & Mary Athletics,

Heartfelt thanks to all of you who made your way to campus last weekend for Homecoming and Reunion Weekend! Skies were sunny, there was a hint of fall in the air and there was wall to wall Green & Gold, including a record-breaking crowd of 13,713, including approximately 2,500 students, at our football game vs. Towson.
 
 It was a weekend for reuniting with old friends and teammates, forging new relationships and joining in the camaraderie of rooting for the Tribe. The picture below of our volleyball alumnae in town for Homecoming is just one great example. 
 
Tribe Wins!
Inspired by the enthusiasm of the weekend, women's swimming dominated previously undefeated Towson to remain unbeaten, and standout sophomore Sophia Heilen snagged CAA Swimmer of the Week honors. Field hockey, with CAA's Player of the Week Lauren Curran, and women's soccer, both earned their way into the CAA tournament field. 

At the beginning of the weekend, our great friend and loyal alumna Jen Mackesy received a framed jersey to thank her for her years of service as chair of the Athletics subcommittee of the W&M Foundation.  The #13 jersey is what she wore as a member of our women's soccer team, and we remain incredibly grateful for all the wonderful ways that she has impacted our department. 
 
Of Note

• Volleyball coach Ryan Adams hit a career milestone in the team's 3-1 on Thursday over North Carolina A&T when he notched his 50th career win and his squad got its fifth straight home win.

 

• Men's golfer Charlie Bundy paced William & Mary at the Furman Intercollegiate with a 1-over 214 total, finishing T-20.  The Tribe will round out their fall season at UNCG's event this weekend in Browns Summit, N.C.
• Women's golf finished the fall portion of their 2023-24 schedule on Saturday and Sunday at the Lady Blue Hen Invitational hosted by Delaware, finishing eighth in the 11-team field.
• Football's kicker Caden Bonoffski, who has become "Bonomatic," and Sheridan Brummett of women's soccer, who packs a glucometer and an insulin pump in her equipment bag, are featured in recent TRIBE SCRIBE articles.

World Series Appetizer
For those of you who can't wait for tomorrow's first game of the MLB World Series, W&M has a tasty offering planned for earlier in the day. A who's who of baseball stars will be on campus for a symposium titled "150 Years of U.S.-Japan Baseball Diplomacy." The event is open to the public and will feature former Major League player, manager and broadcaster Bobby Valentine, Senior Vice President of Major League Baseball-International Jim Small and Masanori "Mashi" Murakami, the first Japanese-born player in the big-leagues. The program is one of the many events the university is hosting for Family Weekend. 

Thanks to You
Those of you who were recently inside Kaplan Arena (perhaps at Homecoming) were treated to its fantastic new features, anchored by our beautiful state-of-the art video board and the stunning new sound system.  These necessary improvements are phase one of a comprehensive facilities upgrades and we have been able to implement them due to the generosity of the people like yourselves, who are passionate about our Tribe. Just last week we re-opened the newly refurbished Montgomery weight room, which will be available to every Tribe student-athlete. We are tremendously appreciative for all your support and ask that you consider an additional gift to help us reach the $1.35 million we need to complete the first phase of our project.
 
We are also closing in on the finish line for the All In campaign and our goal of $55 million.  With a little over two months to go, we do have some ground to cover, about $7.5 million. As usual, some sports are doing better than others, but all of them could use your help. Please consider making a gift to support your favorite team by Dec. 31 by clicking here. 
 
Don't Miss It!

• Today at 7 p.m. women's soccer plays Northeastern in the CAA quarterfinals, follow along with the following links:  Live Stats / Watch Live
• Tomorrow (Friday morning), men's and women's cross country are at the CAA Championships and men's soccer hosts Stony Brook, with a starting kick of 7 p.m. at Albert-Daly Field. 
• Field hockey is also home tomorrow, as it will host its senior day while hosting Queens College; cheer them on at Busch Field as they prep for the CAA tourney.
• Football will be one of the featured events during Family Weekend as it will host Monmouth on Saturday with a 1 p.m. kick.

Last weekend was incredibly rewarding for all of us who love the Tribe. This is the third Homecoming and Reunion Weekend I have been privileged to attend, and I'm blown away each year by the support you show for our student-athletes and our university. Thank you again for making this such a special place.
 
Go Tribe!

 Brian D. Mann
Director of Athletics