Dear Friends of Tribe Athletics,

The last time I looked at the countdown clock, it showed less than three weeks to One Tribe One Day (OTOD). That means there is plenty of time to make plans to attend an in-person event (there are 17 events from Atlanta to Tokyo) or plan a stroll on campus through the OTOD Carnival in the Sunken Garden and finish up at either AXE Republic or the Virginia Beer Company.  

OTOD is a lot of fun, giving us an opportunity to connect with classmates and teammates. The efforts also play a critical role in raising funds that support all of our programs, providing essential support for our student-athletes.  Please consider a gift to your favorite team or to the Athletics Department and give as generously as you are able. Thank you!

Remarkable Roundball 

After months of games marked by huge crowds and thrilling moments, the 2024-25 basketball season is still going!  Just a few hours ago our Women's Basketball team, powered by strong team defense and a 17-point effort from senior guard Bella Nascimento, defeated Hofstra 76-65 on the second day of the CAA Championship Tournament. Our next game is tomorrow at noon vs. No. 1 seeded North Carolina AT&T.  You can catch all the action here.
 
Our Men's Basketball team ended its season last week when Delaware's historic hot shooting helped the Blue Hens claim a 100-78 victory.  But before the last game, we learned the great news that Head Coach Brian Earl is a finalist for the  Hugh Durham National Coach of the Year, after he piloted the team to its first winning season since 2019-20. Brian's older brother Dan is the head men's basketball coach at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga, and let's just say there is a "friendly" rivalry between the two!   Check out this story, and you will see where Brian gets his competitive fire. And while you are in the mood for reading, I recommend this Tribe Scribe story (link) about Gabe Dorsey, who is second on the Tribe's career list for three-pointers.

Even though basketball may be winding down, two women's basketball student-athletes are looking overseas to continue their careers. Nascimento, who just earned All-CAA Second Team honors, has been invited to the Euro Combine, where she will showcase her skills to secure a contract with a European team. Teammate Rebekah Frisby-Smith is enrolling in a two-year master's program at Durham University in England. She will play for the school and for a professional team.
 
I can't thank everyone enough for the exceptional support for our programs!  It means so much to everyone from student-athletes to coaches to our entire department.

Swimming Kudos

Congratulations to Head Coach Nate Kellogg, the CAA Women's Swimming Coach of the Year! His team finished as runner-up at the CAA Swimming Championships and had eight individual event champions during the meet. 

Overall, the Tribe had 17 total top three finishers, with golden performances in the 200 medley relay, 400 IM, 200 freestyle, 100 breaststroke, 200 freestyle relay, 200 breaststroke, and 400 freestyle relay.

To recap the 2024-25 season for men's and women's swimming, the numbers are 212 career-best swims, 116 top 16 all-time performances, 18 podium finishes and nine NCAA b-cuts! Well done, everyone!
 
Notable

• After helping lead Lacrosse to road victories at High Point and Longwood, freshman midfielder Alexis Savage was selected the CAA Rookie of the Week.

• Men's Track & Field finished fourth in the team standings at the CAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, while the women placed fifth.
• Track and Field had numerous standout performances at the CAA Indoor Championships, capturing four individual championships and 12 total medals. Brendan DiStefano, Jacob Robinson, Luke Henkel, and Collin Walsh won the men's distance medley relay; Elizabeth Strobach won the women's pole vault; Kyra Holland, pictured below, won the women's mile; and Jonathan Kumer won the men's 800m.

• Women's Gymnastics concluded its home slate by posting its second-best score this season but fell to Penn, 195.500-193.025, at Kaplan Arena.  The Tribe recorded one of the program's best beam scores in school history, as it earned a season-high 48.700, which ties for 10th all-time at W&M. Highlighting the Tribe's performances were Madeline Frazier and Hannah Burke, who placed third on beam and floor, respectively.
• After posting tremendous performances in the Men's Gymnastics team's dual meet versus Navy, the team moved to No. 10 in the national rankings. The top 12 teams will qualify for the NCAA Championships in mid-April. Their performances at Navy landed Tribe standouts Evan Wilkins, pictured below, and Luke Tully weekly honors from the Eastern College Athletics Conference (ECAC). Evan was selected as the gymnast of the week for the second consecutive week and the third time this season, while Luke garnered rookie of the week accolades for the second time this year.

• • Men's Golf finished eighth in the 20-team field at the Babygrande Donald Ross Collegiate. The team posted scores of 295-297-287 over the three rounds at the historic Mid Pines GC in North Carolina to open up the spring portion of the season.
• • As a result of their hard work in the fall semester, 312 student-athletes were named to the CAA Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll (honoring students with 3.0 + GPAs).

Honoring Our Hall of Fame Coaches I love Saturday nights anyway, but I am especially looking forward to Saturday, May 10 when we induct three of W&M's greatest coaches into our Hall of Fame.  The program takes place at The Williamsburg Lodge and is the final ceremony honoring the Class of 2024.   John Daly (Women's Soccer), Cliff Gauthier (Men's Gymnastics) and Jimmye Laycock (Football) are Tribe legends and I hope you will join me at their induction. Tickets are still available and the evening promises to be a stroll down memory lane for some of the greatest moments in our history. Don't miss it!

 Go, Tribe!

Brian D. Mann
Director of Athletics