Dear Friends of William & Mary Athletics,

When the clock struck midnight on Dec. 31, 2023, Tribe Athletics scored a tremendous victory, due in large part to your magnificent support.  As the calendar turned over to 2024, our All In campaign officially ended triumphantly!

We are still adding up the donations and pledges, but already know that we exceeded our $55-million goal (and counting)!  And that's not all of the good news! We are also on track to raise more money during the first six months of this fiscal year (FY24) than in the entirety of FY23. Stay tuned for more details and the announcement about the success of our All In campaign in the coming days.
 
On behalf of every member of our Athletics Department, including our more than 500 student-athletes, we thank you! As we neared the finish line, you heeded the call to help us reach our goal, and your response was terrific. Yes, we have more to do, including continuing to raise funds to support the individual sports you love, but it's the perfect time to pause and celebrate!  

Atop the National Rankings
For the 18th time in the last 19 years, the Tribe has the highest Federal Graduation Rate (FGR) among all Division I public institutions. The Tribe's 88% FGR was significantly ahead of the 69% national average for all student-athlete.
  The NCAA also calculates a separate graduation metric called the Graduation Success Rate (GSR), which includes students who transfer into an institution and remove those who transfer out. W&M had 12 teams report a 100% GSR:  men's and women's gymnastics, men's and women's tennis, men's golf, women's soccer, men's basketball, women's lacrosse, women's swimming, women's tennis, field hockey and women's basketball.  Well done, everyone!

New Year, New Look
I'm sure many of you have already had a chance to check out our new website but if you haven't, please take a look around. In addition to better navigation and easier access to information, the slider at the top of the page highlights upcoming events, such as the free clinic that will take place before our women's basketball game on January 28. It will be staffed by our women's teams as we observe National Girls and Women in Sports Day. You can learn more about the event - and register your youngster HERE!
 
 Also, in case you missed it, there is a terrific story about our alum Jen Mackesy '91 as she witnessed her Gotham FC team win the National Women's Soccer League championship just a year after finishing last.

Mark Your Calendars
Our football schedule was released yesterday. We will be playing 12 games, and we start the season in Zable with a game vs. VMI! It's not too early to think about buying your season tickets.

Speaking of football, how cool is it that two of our great football alums are meeting on the gridiron this weekend as part of the NFL's Super Wildcard Weekend? Coach Mike Tomlin's Pittsburgh Steelers take on Coach Sean McDermott's Buffalo Bills on what we are calling Green & Gold Sunday! Besides the two head coaches, there is a significant Tribe presence on both staffs and beyond!
 
Our baseball program's annual First Pitch Dinner is at 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27, in Alan B. Miller Hall. It's a great opportunity to meet this year's team and staff as they get ready for the season's first pitch on Feb. 16.  Registration information can be found here.
 
Meanwhile, men's basketball plays Hampton at 7 p.m. today and women's hoops, which has started 2-0 in CAA play, is on deck tomorrow vs. North Carolina A&T. Our gymnastics teams will be in action tomorrow, with the women at Clemson and the men at the West Point Open. Please take a look at our composite calendar, which has links to all the action!

Lord Botetourt Affair
Tickets are now on sale for the premier fundraising event for W&M Athletics. The 35th Annual Lord Botetourt Affair will be held at 6 p.m., Feb. 3, at the W&M Alumni House and will include a celebration of the successful close of the All In campaign. The day will begin at 10 a.m. in the McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center, with a men's tennis match vs. JMU, followed by women's tennis vs. Longwood.  And there's more--men's basketball will play its annual Gold Rush Game at 2 p.m. vs. Charleston, and women's basketball will play their Gold Rush game vs. Drexel the next day at 1 p.m.  Get your tickets nowas we expect demand to be high!
Worth Repeating
Today's Mannuscript began with the good news about the successful completion of our All In campaign and I'd like to end with another thank you to the W&M community of alumni, friends, fans and parents, including President Katherine Rowe, who came together at this critical juncture to help us maintain our momentum. Our shared aspiration is to win championships, be financially sound, have first-class facilities and provide our student-athletes with the best possible opportunities at our great university. With your help, we are well on our way! 

Go Tribe!

Brian D. Mann
Director of Athletics