Dear Friends of Tribe Athletics,

I am happy to share that I ended 2024 on a very high note, which I think will be appreciated by all Tribe fans. Check out the video at the end of this Mannuscript to see my December adventure atop the construction crane overlooking Kaplan Arena and the Mackesy Sports Performance Center. It was a breathtaking experience, but the perspective was terrific, and it has me fired up for the future of Tribe Athletics! 
 
A Reason to Celebrate!
If I've learned anything about William & Mary during my time here, it's that most of our supporters' passion for the Athletics Department runs deeper than wins and losses. Our tradition is to strive for athletic excellence while pursuing a world-class education. The grades for the fall semester have been posted, and I'm proud to say this tradition continues. We had an overall departmental GPA of 3.28, and 22 of the Tribe's 23 programs achieved a semester GPA above 3.0. This continues a string of six consecutive semesters where we have compiled a cumulative departmental GPA of 3.25 or higher.

A deeper look at the numbers will show that 410 Tribe student-athletes recorded a GPA of 3.0 or above, with an additional 242 turning in a 3.5 or better! 

Notable

• Sophomore center Jana "Tika" Sallman turned in an impressive 20 points, 17 rebound performance in her first career start for the Tribe women. The Memphis University transfer also added three blocked shots in the program's CAA-opening 71-52 home win vs Hampton.
• Graduate student Keller Boothby knocked down a 35-foot 3-pointer at the buzzer to deliver an 81-78 victory over N.C. A&T, helping our men to its fourth consecutive league win and the top spot in the CAA standings as the league's lone unbeaten team. It is the program's best start since the 2019-20 season, and their next game is this evening - just down the road at Hampton University.  The game will tip at 7 pm, and you can watch it on  FloSports or listen via our broadcast partner,  Tide Radio.

 

• Winston October is football's new offensive coordinator. Previously an assistant on W&M's staff from 2014-17, he returned to Williamsburg after building an impressive coaching resumé with multiple organizations in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and most recently as offensive coordinator at the University of Richmond.
• Junior tight end Sean McElwain was selected to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team as a finalist for Academic All-America.
• Kendall George joined the Tribe as an assistant coach in Women's Gymnastics and will work primarily with the vault and beam lineups and coordinate recruiting.
• Women's Gymnastics opened its season this week at the MLK Invitational at Fisk University with a second-place finish.
• Men's Gymnast Zachary Patrick placed fourth on parallel bars to lead a quartet of men into their individual event finals at West Point.  
• Returning to action for the first time in over a month, the Swimming program scored three wins at the Tribe Quad Meet at the Hampton Aquaplex, defeating Old Dominion 143-119 on the men's side and 212-49 on the women's side. The Tribe women also secured a 205-90 victory over Central Connecticut State while falling to East Carolina. W&M had a combined 11 event winners during the event.
• Some more academic achievements to celebrate include graduate student and starting center Ryan McKenna, who was selected for the 2024 FCS Athletics Directors Association (ADA) Academic All-Star Team.

Hurray for Jay!
The voice of the Tribe broadcasts for more than five decades, Jay Colley, is being inducted into the Hampton Roads Sports Media Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2025. Jay has done play-by-play for W&M Athletics since 1982, and generations of our fans have grown up listening to his calls. He was selected as an honorary alumnus of W&M in 2003, and in 2012, he received the Tribe men's basketball program's Sixth Man Award for his hard work and dedication to the program. Last season, the department named the broadcast booth in Zable Stadium in his honor, as well. Congratulations, Jay, on this well-deserved recognition!
   
The Tribe in the NFL
If you watched the NFL during the 17-game regular season and now the playoffs, often you saw one of our former players and coaches. You might be surprised by when you see this list to see how well-represented W&M is in the NFL's coaching and administrative ranks. It's a testament to the knowledge and leadership skills they acquired here and a terrific endorsement of our program. Plus, there's always that pride when our name is mentioned on national television!

Roundball, Baseball and More
Our annual Gold Rush Weekend is right around the corner for both the men's and women's Basketball programs. Our men host Monmouth at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 25, and we are excited to welcome back former head coach Tony Shaver and his family. Tony will be recognized during the game for his record-setting tenure with the program – and I know the Tribe faithful will be proud to have him back in Kaplan. 
 The excitement continues Sunday (26^th), as our women host Towson (1 p.m.) for its Gold Rush game. Fans will receive free t-shirts at both contests, with the first 1,000 receiving the gear at Saturday's game and the first 500 on Sunday (shirt design below).  Please join us, as our teams love to hear it get loud in Kaplan!
 
Baseball will host its First Pitch Dinner on Saturday, Feb. 1, in the Chesapeake Room of the Sadler Center. The night will celebrate the past, present, and future of W&M Baseball, bringing together alumni, friends, fans, and current members of the program. Head Coach Rob McCoy will be a featured speaker. For tickets, click here.

Track, Gymnastics, and Swimming also have events this month. It's a good time to look at our composite calendar so you don't miss an opportunity to cheer on the Green & Gold in person or virtually!

And one more thing–our annual Lord Botetourt Auction is set for Feb. 15, and you can purchase your tickets now . If you want to include some travel in 2025, the auction will feature an African safari and a San Francisco getaway. There are also fantastic golf packages, enticing bourbon and wine gift baskets, and for all our NFL fans, a football signed by Washington Commanders star wide receiver Terry McLaurin. We always rely on the auction for a solid financial boost, so please bid early and often!



Go, Tribe!

Brian D. Mann
Director of Athletics