Dear Friends of Tribe Athletics,

It's not one of our official sports, but I spent a lot of time juggling last week! Winter Storm Kingston made its presence known, but thanks to our outstanding campus leadership, the university weathered it well, as I hope you did. You can imagine, though, the quick changes in direction we had to make with some of our teams, with some starting road trips early and others having games canceled or postponed. Hats off to our staff for making the adjustments as seamlessly as possible.
 
The Tribe Decides

W&M plans to opt in to the House vs. NCAA settlement a year from now on March 1, 2026. Those of you who follow intercollegiate athletics know this settlement has been in the works for a while. The NCAA asked each Division 1 institution to make their decision for this year by tomorrow (March 1). Since the final court-approved settlement, which will address back pay for student-athletes, revenue sharing and roster limits, won't be available until April 7 at the earliest, the Tribe is delaying joining for a year until we know all the details.  If you'd like my thoughts on the state of intercollegiate athletics,  check out the podcast I did with my friends at the Mason School of Business.
 
Notable

• Women's Gymnastics posted one of its best performances of the season en route to winning a quad meet hosted by Ursinus. Michelle Ngo won the floor title and tied for third on the beam.  Caroline Blatchford had the meet's top mark on bars. Earlier in the month, the team recorded its best score of the season, earning an impressive 193.325-189.950 victory against West Chester on Senior Day, with Hannah Burke, pictured below, winning vault and Sarah Wozniak claiming the bar title.

• Connor Barrow of Men's Gymnastics was selected the National Specialist of the Week by the College Gymnastics Association (CGA) and the NCAA following his tremendous performance in the Tribe's impressive victory at Springfield. He won the vault and placed third on the floor. Additionally, he garnered Rookie of the Week and Routine of the Week accolades from the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC).
• Other Men's Gymnasts stacking honors were Evan Wilkins, who won titles on floor and rings at the Springfield meet and was named the ECAC's Gymnast of the Week and Zachary Patrick, who tied for 12th on parallel bars at the prestigious Winter Cup, and was named the ECAC Gymnast of the Week.
• Top doubles pair Oliver Hague and Gur Trakhtenberg of Men's Tennis garnered CAA Team of the Week honors for the second straight week after a win over Hampton in their CAA opener.
• Alessandra Anghel, pictured below on left, of Women's Tennis was the CAA Player of the Week. She won both her singles matches during the week in straight sets to lead the Tribe to victories over George Washington and UNCW.

• Field Hockey's Pyper Friedman was named a 2024 NFHCA Division I Scholar of Distinction for the fourth time in her career. The honor recognizes student-athletes who have achieved a cumulative grade-point average of 3.9 or higher through the first semester of the 2024-25 academic year.
• Jacob Robinson, Emily Ervin, Austin Rice, and Kyra Holland all set school records in sprint and distance events to lead the Track and field teams at the Darius Dixon Invitational. The Tribe had nine performances that placed in the program's all-time top 10 marks, with three first-place finishes. In addition, Avery Glidden notched a freshman record in the women's 300m.
• Track & Field scored a pair of top 10s at the Navy Select in the final indoor meet of the regular season. Melissa Cunningham had the day's top performance, posting the Tribe's second-fastest clocking in school history in the women's 60m, tying her with teammate Lauren Jones.
• Cheers for our great friend Kathryn Litten '83 P'11, former chair of the Tribe Club and pictured below, who was honored at the men's basketball game vs. Hofstra when she was presented with the Director's Chair in recognition of her tireless efforts on behalf of the Tribe!

A Presidential Friend

Earlier this month, about 13 William & Mary current and former administrators traveled to Lakeland, Florida, to the inauguration of Florida Southern's 18th president, Jeremy Martin, Ph.D. '12, M.B.A. '17. President Katherine Rowe and Honorary Chancellor Taylor Reveley III were there, along with other members of W&M's administration. 

I met Jeremy when he helped recruit me to the Tribe, where he served as our interim athletics director. We hit it off immediately, and his guidance helped me settle in quickly and easily. I still miss him, but after seeing him enjoy his tenure at Florida Southern, I couldn't be happier for him and his family. Congratulations, my friend! 
 
Great Gatherings

Thanks to everyone who participated in and worked on the Lord Botetourt Auction last week. It's one of my favorite events and this year was no exception. I had the opportunity to say hello to many friends and Tribe supporters, which always makes my day! My Ma, Debbie, was my "date" for the night and helped herself to my paddle number as she bid on and won a beautiful quilt made from jerseys from each of our varsity sports that President Rowe handpicked. Anything for you, Ma!
 
Another event that brings our community together is just around the corner on April 2. That's when One Tribe One Day kicks off. Whether our alumni are in Williamsburg or halfway around the globe, it's a day when many of our friends and alumni make plans to gather in cities worldwide for a show of camaraderie and Tribe Pride.  This year there will be even more giving challenges that will multiply the impact of your gift. More details coming soon. Please plan to join us!


Go, Tribe!

Brian D. Mann
Director of Athletics