Dear Friends of Tribe Athletics,

A significant portion of what we do in Athletics revolves around setting records. Just a few days ago, news of another record landed on my desk, and this one demonstrates the formidable, collective strength of our 500-plus student-athletes. 

For the first time, every Tribe program completed the year with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher!  Additionally, as a department, W&M student-athletes achieved a GPA of 3.45 during the spring semester, marking the seventh consecutive semester with a GPA over 3.25. For the first time, all 23 programs achieved a semester GPA above 3.1.  Congratulations to all!
 
The Green & Gold Community
One key reason for our student-athletes' classroom success is the tremendous support we receive from our friends, fans and alumni. As we near the end of our fiscal year on June 30, we are also closing in on this year's fundraising goal of $6 million, with $5.15 million currently raised.  
The good news is there's still time to make a meaningful impact on W&M Athletics through a gift to the Athletics Impact Fund or to the sport that matters most to you.  Your support pays for many things, from equipment to sports medicine to travel to food and other items for each team.  Every gift will make a difference and all of us in Athletics thank you for being as generous as possible.

Athletics' Operations
Next season, the CAA will implement changes to how schedules are constructed and how teams are determined to participate in the conference championships.  The changes will apply to men's and women's soccer, baseball and softball (W&M does not sponsor varsity softball).  Each sport will have two divisions, a North and South, with the Tribe in the South.  For more information on the makeup of each division and upcoming opponents, click here.
 
I'm sure most of you saw the news about the House vs. NCAA settlement last week when the judge signed off on all terms of the agreement.  We are pleased that the settlement acknowledges challenges surrounding the roster reductions and allows for a more thoughtful path to the limits.  We are considering the implications of this for W&M and will provide a more comprehensive update soon.  If you want to remind yourself about our decision to opt into the settlement in 2026, here is the statement we released in February.

Notable

• Baseball's Ben Parker was named to the ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Division I Atlantic All-Region First Team. Ben put together a historic offensive campaign in 2025, batting a team-high .407 with 70 runs, 94 hits, 23 doubles, 11 home runs, and 50 RBI.
• Ben snared another honor, along with Ryan Feczko, Derek Holmes, Nick Lottchea and Anthony Greco, when all were named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team.
• Women's Tennis earned ITA Atlantic Region Rankings as a team and Hedda Gurholt and Alessandra Anghel, pictured below, garnered spots in the regional top 20 in singles.

• Women's Tennis also had Emma Fernald, Hedda Gurholt, Ine Stange and Sia Chaudry selected to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team.
• Sean Joseph, Albert Hansen and Nikita Bortnichek of Men's Tennis were selected to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team.
• Track & Field's Catherine Garrison concluded her 2025 season with a 17th-place finish in the 3,000m steeplechase at the NCAA East Regional at Visit Jax Track at Hodges Stadium.  Teammates Arianna DeBoer (10,000m) and Elizabeth Strobach (pole vault) also finished their seasons in the NCAA East Regional Preliminaries at Visit Jax Track.

• Graceann Bennett is joining the Women's Basketball staff as an assistant coach following a successful college career at Georgetown and one year playing professionally overseas.
• Justyce Barber played for the Philippines Women's Lacrosse Team, which recorded a top 5 finish in the Heritage Cup in Boston.

Senior Athlete of the Year Nominees
Every year, our Senior Leadership Team selects a male and female Senior Athlete of the Year. Final voting has yet to take place among a group of very qualified student-athletes.

For the men, it's between Football's Charles Grant, Baseball's Ben Parker and Basketball's Gabe Dorsey.  Charles was both a consensus All-American and a third-round draft pick of the Las Vegas Raiders as an offensive lineman.  Ben was the Co-Player of the Year for the Coastal Athletic Association and earned American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings Atlantic All-Region First Team honors (see above).  Gabe, pictured below, was a Second-Team All-CAA selection and finished his career with 1,164 points in three seasons at W&M, 27th in program history.  In 2024-25, he ranked sixth nationally in 3-point field goal percentage (44.8%) and 19th in 3-pointers made per game (3.22).
 
On the women's side, it will come down to Tennis' Hedda Gurholt, Basketball's Bella Nascimento, and Swimming's Ellie Scherer, pictured below.  Hedda graduated as a two-time CAA Player of the Year honoree and a six-time All-CAA selection, including first team singles honors in the last three seasons.  Bella was named the Most Outstanding Player of the CAA Tournament and played a significant role in helping the Tribe win its first CAA Basketball Championship and earn an NCAA appearance. She finished the year as an All-CAA selection and was the league's leading scorer in CAA play, averaging 17.8 ppg.  Ellie was a four-time All-CAA individual event champion, winning the 100 breast three times and the 200 IM in 2025.  She was also a part of four gold medal-winning CAA Championship relays and graduated with the school records in three individual events and two relay records.
          
Like I said, it will be a tough decision! Stay tuned!
 
Hitting a High Note!
Despite the calendar indicating we are right in the middle of the year, the competition year is over for Tribe Athletics, and we made some great memories!  Check out this highlight video for a jolt of Green & Gold pride. Plus, it's a great appetizer for what I predict will be a great 2025-26 year! 



Go, Tribe!

Brian D. Mann
Director of Athletics