Dear Friends of Tribe Athletics,
 
As the spring semester marches to a close, the highlights for Tribe Athletics keep coming!
 
I can't resist giving another shoutout to Women's Tennis for their second straight CAA Championship and 28th overall. Sophomore Hedda Gurholt was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Championship!  With the victory, the team earned a trip to the NCAA's in Durham to face No. 6 Duke this Friday at 5 p.m.  If you can't be there, you can follow the action by clicking here.

Despite being in the 'off-season', I'd say football has had a couple of pretty spectacular weeks.  The Virginia Assembly honored the team for winning the CAA title, notching a school-record 11 victories and advancing to the NCAA  Quarterfinals, with a House Joint Resolution Commendation in Zable Stadium. The presentation was part of the ring ceremony during which players, coaches, trainers, and managers were awarded their fantastic championship rings.  I think you'll agree it looks pretty great on President Rowe, who sported the jewelry throughout Traditions Weekend.

A few days after the ceremony, All-American offensive lineman Colby Sorsdal heard his name called during the NFL draft when he was chosen in the fifth round by the Detroit Lions.  In just about a week, Colby reports to mini camp and starts his pro career!  Additionally, teammate Lachlan Pitts was invited to the Bears and Viking mini-camps to show off his skills.  Good luck guys, the Tribe is behind you all the way!

All this news about football gets me fired up for next season and it appears many of you feel the same way.  We've got a 96% renewal rate on football season tickets and a 126% increase in new season tickets!  If you haven't gotten yours yet, mini-plans and group packages go on sale on May 10 at tribeathletics.com/tickets.
 
There was lots more action in several of our sports in the last couple of weeks, with these high points:
·      Senior golfer Trevor Binau finished in the top 10 at the CAA Golf Championship, with the team finishing in fourth place.
·      Graduate student Sarah Houle was named to the Women's Golf All-CAA Second Team, becoming just the second three-time all-league player in program history.

·      Women's lacrosse ended its season on a high note by beating Elon 18-7 on Senior Day
·      Baseball had a 3-1 week, culminating with a criticial conference series victory over Delaware, with the third walk-off win of the season.  The team kept it rolling, with an extra inning, 6-5 win, vs. VMI on Tuesday, and will look to continue its moment through the conference series this weekend at Towson.

This weekend W&M is hosting the CAA's Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Zable Stadium, our third time hosting a CAA Championship this spring. Both of our teams warmed up for the championship with strong showings at the Penn Relays and Virginia High Performance Meet, scoring a number of personal bests across both events.

Usually, I have the chance to chat with our friends and fans at our various sporting events.  Last week I encountered some familiar faces at an event that was new to me but which is a wonderful part of every Traditions Weekend at W&M.  It was my honor to speak to the Class of 1973 50th Reunion and Coach Mike London took the podium the next day to talk to the group.  Thanks for having us!  
 
Right before the Reunion lunch, I spoke at a terrific event that is making a comeback on our annual schedule.  It's the Endowment Lunch that brings together our magnificent donors and gives them an opportunity to talk with our student-athletes, who are the recipients of their generosity.  I was joined in speaking by our men's soccer coach Chris Norris and rising senior post player Caitlin Wingertzahn from our women's basketball program.  
 
Earlier this week, the SAAC held "The Griffys," which involves all of our 500 student-athletes and is definitely one of my favorite events.  The program is led by our student-athletes leadership group, the Student-Athlete Advisory Council, and it is an evening that celebrates the outstanding accomplishments of our young men and women. The event also was where the finalists for the William & Mary Athletics Foundation (WMAF) Senior Athlete of the Year candidates were revealed; which included Christian Marsh, gymnastics; Colby Sorsdal, football; Ben Williamson, baseball, on the men's side and; Riley Casey, basketball; Katie Stevenson, swimming; and Amaya Johnson, track and field for the women. Good luck to all!

Some very good news to close with—renovations to Kaplan Arena are picking up steam!  The temporary weight room is up and running, and starting Monday, we will begin work on the interior of the building. Over the summer, we will install audio and lighting systems and the fantastic new video board. Our coaches and student-athletes are working with us every step of the way by changing their schedules and routines to ensure unfettered progress on the project, which is deeply appreciated.  The finished product is going to be amazing, and I will be updating you more frequently as work goes on.

Have a great weekend!  Go Tribe! 

Go Tribe!