Dear Friends of W&M Athletics,

I have breaking news - literally. I want to share the photo below, which depicts the precise spot where Kaplan Arena will join the new Mackesy Sports Performance Center.
 
Construction on the newest part of our Athletics Complex has throttled up in the last few weeks as you can see in this video. Every day, on the way in or out of Kaplan Arena, I stop and look at this tangible example of our growth and marvel at the generosity of the members of the Tribe community who are making it possible.

Saluting Our Seniors
We just announced our Seniors of the Year for the 2023-24 athletics year –Jayden Moon of Field Hockey and Nate Lynn of Football. Moon was a biology major who helped lead our squad to the 2024 CAA Championship and was honored for both her academic and athletic prowess, being named to First Team All-CAA Honors and earning the prestigious CAA Leadership and Sport Excellence Award . Nate graduated as one of the most decorated defensive linemen in school history, earning 10 career postseason All-America honors , and was a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award (FCS National Defensive Player of the Year) two different seasons. Additionally, he was a three-time first-team All-CAA selection and set a school record with 12 forced fumbles, and was second all-time in career sacks. Congratulations to Jayden and Nate for this well-deserved honor.  We are so proud of you!
 
Time to Mark Your Calendars
In other news, we just learned The Lord Botetourt Auction will be held Feb. 15, so please put a hold on your calendar for this premier event which provides a huge financial boost to Tribe Athletics.  

Another date to remember is Friday, Sept. 20 when we will induct members of our newest Hall of Fame Class, which includes Jonathan Grimes '11, Football; Mary Pat Kurtz '86, Field Hockey/Lacrosse; Christo Landry '08, Men's XC/T&F;  Katie Radloff '10, Women's Swimming; Dr. Alex Sleeker '97, Men's Golf; Katarina Zoricic '09, Women's Tennis; and the 2009 Men's Cross Country Team. The event will take place on campus - and the registration link is now active! Additionally, to complete the class of 2024, three legendary William & Mary coaches, Jimmye Laycock '70, Football; Cliff Gauthier, Men's Gymnastics; and John Daly, Women's Soccer; will be inducted in a separate event that will take place on May 10, 2025. So save the date now for what is sure to be a very special celebration.
 
At the Starting Line
The fall semester starts on Aug. 28 and we have a host of sports that begin this month, with Women's Soccer leading the way vs. Radford on Aug. 15.  Men's Soccer, Football, Volleyball, Field Hockey and Cross Country also get going this month.

Our composite calendar is a necessary tool to keep track of all the events and our ticket office has numerous plans to fit all budgets and get you close to the action! Speaking of being close to the action, we have re-imagined the space inside of Zable Stadium that was previously called the Tailgate Terrace (located under the video board in the south end zone) into the Tribe Touchdown Club. This is now a premier gameday experience opportunity, featuring food, beer, enhanced amenities, and a fantastic atmosphere right at field level! It will require you to have a Tribe Touchdown Club ticket. Learn more about this exciting new opportunity at the following website.
 
Notable
As the 2023-24 competition year wrapped up, our student-athletes earned a slew of honors:

• Seven student-athletes were named All-Americans
• Nate Knowles was the Pitcher of the Year in the CAA. 
• Hedda Gurholt was CAA Women's Tennis Player of the Year.
• Oliver Hague was CAA Rookie of the Year in Men's Tennis.  
• Three Tribe Baseball players were taken in the first 10 rounds of the MLB draft.

Tribe Is Excel(ling)
Earlier this week I was in the audience to hear eight of our student-athletes talk about lessons learned from leadership summits around the country--The Black Student-Athlete Summit, The Athlete Ally Activism Summit and The CAA SAAC Leadership Summit. The Excel program sponsored Cole Harris and Talia Anderson from Track & Field; Sofia Istnick, Cross Country; Trenton Peazant, Men's Gymnastics; Yaelle Vaissaud, Women's Tennis; Hollis Mathis, Football; Amy Schwem, Volleyball; and Eme Schmittel, Field Hockey; to attend the programs. Each student-athlete spoke about how the Tribe can better the student-athlete experience as well as their personal reflections on what they learned. It was an outstanding presentation that gave every attendee food for thought about how to continue to build and improve the culture within Tribe Athletics.

Stay Tuned!

I'm getting fired up as I think about all the great things that are ahead for Tribe Athletics, including an amazing new gift that is under wraps for now, but which we will trumpet in the Mannuscript in the next few weeks!

Go, Tribe!

Brian D. Mann
Director of Athletics