Dear Friends of William & Mary Athletics,
 
Earlier this month our university celebrated its 330^th birthday on Charter Day (Feb. 10) and the same week the Board of Visitors convened its first meeting of 2023. I am so proud of the involvement and recognition of our Athletics department, which was an integral part of the entire weekend, highlighted by President Katherine A. Rowe's comments that "Athletics furthers the mission of the university." Plus:

• Our All In campaign was highlighted throughout the weekend
• The four individuals recognized with the prestigious Alumni Medallion award all have connections to our athletics department, plus our great friend Bobbie Ukrop received an honorary degree  and
• A speech by football student-athlete Zaquan Bessant stole the show!

All in all, it was an excellent week for Tribe Athletics as it underscored our deep and critically important relationship with our university leadership. 

I had the privilege of speaking to the William & Mary Foundation Board at its lunch meeting on Feb. 10 and focused on three main areas:
·      The many accomplishments of our student-athletes

·      Our fundraising efforts and where we stand

·      The fantastic upcoming renovations of Kaplan Arena
 
I know the images of Kaplan will whet your appetite for more details.  Stay tuned as we are planning a video in the  near future about all of the amenities that will make this facility the magnificent centerpiece of Tribe Athletics!

Congratulations are in order for Barb Ramsey '75, Tom Watkins III '74, Stew Sell '56 and Cindy Jarboe '77 as they are the 2023 Alumni Medallion recipients! Barb is a longtime friend and benefactor of the Tribe; she is on the W&M Athletics Foundation Board and is co-chair of the Lord Botetourt Affair. Tom is a former member of the Board of Visitors and he and his family have created several endowed funds to benefit the university, including the Watkins Family Athletic Endowment. Stew was the captain of the W&M swim team and is a 1985 inductee into the W&M Athletics Hall of Fame. Cindy has served as the president of the W&M Alumni Association board and as treasurer of the W&M Foundation Board, and is a consistent supporter of Tribe Athletics. I know the Tribe nation joins me in thanking all of you for your incredible passion and generosity to Athletics!

Since we are talking honors, kudos to Forest Braden, head cross country coach.  He is the 2022 W&M Alumni Association Coach of the Year.  Our own Jason Simms was honored by the CAA when they made him a subject of their Black History Month Spotlight.  Finally, Sean McDermott, who went from football walk-on to head coach of the Buffalo Bills, will return to campus to be inducted into our Athletics Hall of Fame during a special event on March 10.  Tickets are limited and on sale now!

Those fans lucky enough to be on campus last Sunday, witnessed a historic gymnastics meet.  W&M hosted Fisk University, a new NCAA team and the first HBCU to have women's gymnastics.  Our women's gymnastics head coach Kelsey Hinton worked tirelessly to bring the event here.  Coach Hinton is one of only four Black head coaches in NCAA Women's Gymnastics and on Sunday, two were in Kaplan!  It was an enormously proud moment for our university and for Athletics. Many, many thanks Coach Hinton!

Earlier this month, 356 Tribe student-athletes were named to the CAA Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll for the fall semester (CAA and CAA Football).  In order to achieve this distinction, each must have participated in a CAA-sponsored sport, attained a minimum grade point average of 3.0 during the designated academic term and been enrolled as a full-time student. Well done, everyone!
 
A quick reminder of the important dates that are fast approaching. We'd love to see you there:
·      All In Weekend begins, Feb. 24
·      Lord Botetourt Affair, Feb. 25
·      One Tribe One Day, April 18
 
Plus, there are plenty of spring sports in action. Check out when you can catch the fun on our composite calendar. If you can't be here in person, the calendar has links to live stats, video and audio. The CAA Track and Field Championships finished yesterday, while the CAA's Swimming Championships conclude on Saturday.  For tennis buffs, Ine Stange and Sofiya Kuzina are ranked #35 in the ITA Doubles Rankings and beat Hampton yesterday! These are just a few examples of everything going on, so please take look! 

Go Tribe!