Dear Friends of W&M Athletics,

The Tribe is finished competing for the 2023-24 athletic year, but the wins are still coming!  In recently released news from the NCAA, the Tribe ranked No. 1 nationally among all public universities in perfect multiyear Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores and NCAA Public Recognition Awards. The APR is calculated on a team basis, with scholarship student-athletes earning points for remaining eligible and staying in school or graduating.
 
Tribe programs garnered 12 Public Recognition Awards, which go to teams earning multiyear APRs in the top 10% of all squads in their sport.  The Tribe's 12 were the most in the CAA, state of Virginia and among all Division I public universities in the country! Read more about our sports and how they scored.
 
More Classroom Kudos
One of the building blocks in the NCAA's No. 1 ranking is our student-athletes getting the job done in the classroom every semester. As a department, they achieved a GPA of 3.4 during the spring and more impressively, for the second consecutive year all 23 programs had a semester GPA above 3.0! 

The Tribe also enjoyed another record-setting year with 232 student-athletes receiving the W&M Provost Award. The Provost Award program recognizes athletes who maintain a 3.5 GPA, or higher. 
 
And Two More Honors!
Tara Kerr of Women's Lacrosse and Alek Kuzmenchuk of Men's Gymnastics are recipients of prestigious Fulbright student awards. Tara, a marine biology and conservation major, will travel to James Cook University in Townsville, Australia, to study reef restoration on the Great Barrier Reef.

Alek, an international relations major and data science minor, will conduct research in New Delhi, India, and focus on the ideological undercurrents of India's history since independence. 

Notable

• Baseball players Owen Pierce, Travis Garnett, Nick Lottchea and Luca Trigiani were named to the 2023-24 Academic All-District Team by College Sports Communicators. Owen was also selected as a CSC Academic All-America finalist.
• The honors keep rolling in for junior righty Nate Knowles, who joins some elite company by becoming the eighth Tribe baseball player in school history to garner All-America recognition by being named to third-team All-American honors by the NCBWA (National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association). The news comes on the heels of Knowles being named to first-team ABCA/Rawlings Atlantic All-Region recognition, as he becomes the first W&M baseball All-American since Michael Katz in 2014.
• Men's tennis earned a #6 ITA Atlantic Region Ranking to end the 2024 season, the highest in nine seasons.
• Women's tennis earned a #9 ITA Atlantic Region Ranking, up a spot from last year.

Kaplan Update
Kaplan renovations got an important boost as W&M Athletics has signed with a new company to oversee construction and renovation, after separating from our original construction partner. The new firm, Burton Malow, gained experience on campus when it built the Smith-McGlothlin Grandstand in Zable Stadium. Construction will begin again on the remaining components of Phase 1, including the Mackesy Sports Performance Center, later this month and will be complete in the fall of 2025. 

Those of you who attended a basketball or volleyball game this year witnessed firsthand the difference in the game day experience in Kaplan due to already completed renovations — an impressive new video board, lighting and sound system.  Coupled with the new weight room and refurbished locker rooms, the changes preview what the "new" Kaplan will look like.  Thank you for your patience as we work through the challenges associated with a major project, and most of all, thank you for your support of the All In campaign, which is funding the improvements.

A Presidential Move
Many of you will remember Jeremy Martin Ph.D. '12, M.B.A. '17, as the interim director of athletics right before I arrived. Most recently he served as W&M's vice president for strategy and innovation and now Jeremy has a new title — President of Florida Southern College (FSC) 

I actually asked Alexa for a word that means happy and sad, and her answer was "bittersweet," which is exactly how I feel about Jeremy's good news and his departure from W&M. I couldn't be happier for Jeremy and his family and the wonderful opportunity ahead of them, but I'm sad at losing a friend and an amazing partner who was constantly attuned to what's best for our student-athletes.

From day one, Jeremy went out of his way to make sure my family and I felt at home in Williamsburg.  Whenever I brought him a problem, he gave it his full attention and his guidance and thoughtful advice helped me enormously. I am bursting with pride for Jeremy and I know the Tribe nation joins me in wishing him and his family the best of luck. Congratulations, Mr. President!
 
Just for Fun
Ever wished you could be someone else for a minute or two?  Our Women's Basketball and Gymnastics student-athletes took it one step further. Check out this swap video!

And talk about fun! We had a great turnout for W&M Night at Nats Park. A shout out and thanks to the more than 300 alumni, fans and friends who showed up for the pre-game party to get the evening off to a great start!

Winding Down
Just a quick reminder that our fiscal year is almost over, and we are working hard to reach this year's fundraising goals by June 30.  Please consider a gift to the Tribe to help us across the finish line.
 
Go, Tribe!

Brian D. Mann
Director of Athletics