Dear Friends of W&M Athletics,

Final exams finished on Tuesday and the campus has shifted from study mode into anticipation as our graduating students get ready for the crowning moment of their university careers — commencement. I will be at the university's main ceremony tomorrow and as usual, my emotions will run the gamut from pride to gratitude for all our student-athletes have given to the Green & Gold.  Congratulations everyone!
  Golden Moments

The William & Mary Track and Field programs tallied a total of 11 podium finishes and two gold medals in the CAA Outdoor Championships.  Leading the way for the Tribe were Jason Nwosu, who won the gold medal in the shot put and the silver medal in the discus, and Chris Arias who won the CAA title in the men's javelin for the second time in three seasons.  Well done!

Record Haul!
Our women's tennis team reaped the rewards of its recent three-peat as CAA Champions with the largest haul of league awards Jessica Giuggioli was named the CAA Coach of the Year for the third straight season, while junior Hedda Gurholt was selected as the CAA Player of the Year for the second consecutive campaign.  In total, the Tribe took home a league-high five All-CAA awards between singles and doubles, and six W&M student-athletes were recognized.
Notable

• Oliver Hague, pictured below, of Men's Tennis was named the CAA Rookie of the Year.

• Also in Men's Tennis, Alexandre Leblanc was named to the All-CAA Second Team in singles and Oliver Hague and Satchel Benn were named to the All-CAA Second Team in doubles, while Bill Duo and Konstantinos Raptis garnered third team honors.
• Junior outfielder Christian Rush, pictured below, accomplished one of the rarest feats in baseball when he hit for the cycle in the Tribe's 20-1 win vs. Elon. He also stole home!  No Tribe player had hit for the cycle since 2007 when future W&M Athletic Hall of Famer Greg Sexton accomplished it.

What a Night!
Last Friday, the Tribe welcomed Joseph J. Plumeri '66, D.P.S. '11, the namesake of William & Mary baseball's beautiful home stadium, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the dedication of Plumeri Park.  In addition to thanking the Plumeri family, we scored a conference victory vs. Towson.  Plus, the team eclipsed the single-season strikeout record of 475 by getting to 487 (and counting!), thanks to the combined 16 K's by Nate Knowles and Carter Lovasz.  On the strength of this effort, Knowles snared his THIRD CAA Pitcher of the Week honor.  His ERA is 1.86 and he has crafted 97 strikeouts in just 67.2 innings pitched!
 
Kicking it Around
Our Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and The Arc of Greater Williamsburg joined forces for a kickball game at Busch Field.  Everyone had a great time and we are looking forward to the next match! 
SAAC Photo.
 
 Don't Miss Our Night at the Nats!
Mark your calendars for June 7, when the Tribe will take over Nationals Park. Buy your tickets here and get a Nationals-William & Mary co-branded jersey. There will be pregame festivities from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Royal Sands Social Club, which is located directly across from the ballpark. Hosted by William & Mary Athletics Foundation and the William & Mary Alumni Association, registrants will receive one drink ticket and some snacks. You need to register for the party separately and you can do it here. Stick around after the game for a concert by GRAMMY nominee Flo Rida, as the National Postgame Summer Concert Series begins. Whew!  Is there such a thing as too much fun?  
 
Our Fundraising
As we move closer to the end of the fiscal year on June 30, we are deeply grateful for the generous support from our donors.  But we have more work to do! We have raised 68% of our annual goal and there are still plenty of opportunities to support our teams and student-athletes. Thank you for considering a new gift, renewing your gift, (or both :)) before June 30.  If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Todd McFarlane, Senior Associate Athletics Director for Advancement at temcfarlane@wm.edu.
 
Farewell to a Friend
We are mourning the recent loss of W&M Athletic Hall of Famer Joe Agee '52, M.Ed. '56, P '78, P '79.  Joe was a former athlete and coach who spent nearly 70 years working at, or supporting, W&M Athletics.   After earning his degree, he turned down an offer to play professional baseball to accept a commission in the Marine Corps and serve in Korea. After his military career, Joe returned to campus and began his coaching career, ultimately piloting baseball, basketball, soccer, football and ultimately golf for 35 years.  A Celebration of Life for Joe will take place at Colonial Heritage on Sunday, May 19, from 3-7 p.m. To learn more about the remarkable life of our friend Joe, click here.

A Crucial Series
W&M Baseball will prepare for its final regular season weekend series as it takes on Campbell tonight through Saturday for the first time as CAA opponents.  Each game carries a lot of weight in the final standings in the lead-up to the conference championship.  Follow the action here!
 
Go, Tribe!

Brian D. Mann
Director of Athletics