Dear Friends of Tribe Athletics,

This is one of my favorite times of the year. The leaves are turning, the weather is beautiful, and many of our teams are jockeying for position as conference championship season approaches.

The Men's and Women's Cross Country teams have put up impressive finishes this season under first-year head coach Adam Smith, and they look to cap the season strong at the upcoming CAA and NCAA meets.

The CAA Championships take place tomorrow at Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, N.Y. The NCAA Southeast Regional follows on Nov. 13.

The Men's team has finished first or second in all four of its meets this season, and the Women have one win and a runner-up finish.

Hayes Trapp is having a senior season to remember. He has competed in four meets and won CAA Men's Runner of the Week after three of them. He won his most recent event against a stacked field at the Princeton Fall Classic on Oct. 16.
 
The Women's team opened the season with a win at the Spider Alumni Open and was runner-up in the Firetower Project Run on Oct. 2. For more on the squad and grad student runner Caroline Bauer, click the photo below.
 
Our Men's and Women's Soccer teams are also in the running for spots in their respective CAA Championships. We're rooting on both as they close out the regular season this weekend. The Men can clinch a spot with a home win or tie against No. 20 UNCW on Saturday, and the Women can secure a spot with a win at Hampton on Sunday. You can follow all the action on FloCollege, with the women's game kicking off at noon and the men's at 2 p.m.

SENIOR ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
In the first half of Saturday's Homecoming football game, we recognized Football's Jalen Jones and Swimming's Caroline Burgeson as Men's and Women's Senior Athletes of the Year for 2025-26.
 
In 2025, Jalen earned first-team All-America honors from Phil Steele and FCS Football Central and was a Buck Buchanan Award Finalist for FCS national defensive player of the year. He was also an AFCA Good Works Team nominee.

Caroline was pivotal in Women's Swimming's run to the CAA Championship in 2026. She was on the winning 400 freestyle relay team, marking her fifth career win at the conference meet.
She made the CAA Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll six times and was named William & Mary's Katie Grauman-Grier Most Outstanding Female Swimmer in 2025-26.

Congratulations to these exceptional student-athletes on terrific careers!

BASKETBALL SEASON IS HERE
Come pack the Kap on Friday night as the Women's Basketball team hosts Christopher Newport in an exhibition game at 7 p.m. Admission is free.
 
This is a great opportunity to see the team before it officially opens the season at home Monday against Chowan in the first half of a double-header at 4 p.m. The second half of the double-header will feature the Men's team's season-opening contest against Bridgewater at 7 p.m.

One ticket gets you entry to Kaplan for both games. Hope to see you there!

SHINING MOMENT FOR BEN WILLIAMSON
My cell phone was abuzz Wednesday morning with messages about former Tribe great Ben Williamson's clutch game-winning hit in the bottom of the 12th inning of Game 4 of the World Series.

The answer was a resounding yes! Ben was a CAA Player of the Year here at William & Mary and was a first-team All-CAA performer his final three years before making a quick ascent to the Major Leagues. We're extremely proud of all that Ben has accomplished, and we know there's more to come.

For more of Ben's big moment click the photo below.
 
AND ANOTHER ONE
It's been a banner week for Tribe alumni in the professional ranks. Nate Lynn posted his first sack in his second career NFL game Sunday. The Jets rookie and former William & Mary standout sped past the right tackle and brought down the quarterback for a critical third-quarter stop.

Nate's unbridled joy reminded me of his time here, when he would pound his chest and let out a yell after one of his 28 college sacks. Congratulations, Nate, on such a memorable moment!
 
KAPLAN HOSTS PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS
For many William & Mary students, their journey starts right here at Kaplan Arena. When Day for Admitted Students, or DFAS, comes around every spring, prospective students often come here first to start their day on campus.

The University added a second event this fall for interested students, and yet again Kaplan was a central location. The timing of this was made possible by the addition of the Mackesy Sports Performance Center, which allowed our teams to practice and train as scheduled while the arena was hosting our visitors.

I'm thrilled we can partner with the University on these important events and that Tribe Athletics can play a key role in William & Mary's mission.

A HAPPY HUNDREDTH HOMECOMING
Homecoming & Reunion Weekend is such a wonderful time here at William & Mary. It's a chance to catch up with close friends, some we haven't seen in ages, and for many to recapture the joy and magic of their college years.
This university is so captivating that many don't ever want to leave. For some of our coaches and staff here, they've made this their long-term home.
 
HALLOWEEN FUN AT THE MACK
On Monday night, the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee hosted coaches, staff members and their children for Trick or Tribe, a Halloween event at the Mack where our student-athletes handed out treats to youngsters decked out in their costumes.
Tribe Athletics is a tight-knit community, and we love bringing everyone together for fun-filled events like this. We had some incredible costumes, too. Thanks to everyone who helped make this wonderful event happen!
 
NOTABLE

• Josie Mae Gruendel posted the second multi-goal outing of her career in Field Hockey's 5-0 win at Hofstra on Friday. The Tribe scored its largest margin of victory in a CAA game since 2018 and its largest goal differential in any win since 2023. Senior goalkeeper Alexandra de Jesus earned CAA Defensive Player of the Week honors for her shutout. Callia Uviedo tallied a goal and was named CAA Rookie of the Week. Head coach Tess Ellis and senior Sam Daly were recently featured on the Tribe Unscripted podcast. Click the link below to listen.
  
• Men's Golfer Eli Felty carded a career-best 9-under 207 at the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate tournament last week, helping the squad book its third-lowest 54-hole score in school history (15-under 849). W&M finished sixth in a formidable 13-team field.

• Aidan Gatchell and Brown Huffard were recently named to TopDrawerSoccer's Men's Midseason Top 100 Freshmen list – Gatchell at No. 13 and Brown at No. 62. Entering Tuesday's game at UNC, Brown ranked first on the team with seven goals, and Gatchell was second with 16 points (five goals, six assists).
   
• Defensive back Cade Ellis was recently among the 30 freshmen named to the Jerry Rice Award Watch List. The award goes to the top freshman in the Football Championship Subdivision. Ellis is the first W&M player named to the watch list since Jalen Jones in 2022. After the regular season, a national media panel will select the winner from a group of finalists.
   
• Alexia Gonzalez-Galino and Mira Kernagis reached the round of 16 at the ITA Atlantic Region Championships.
   
• Women's Soccer goalkeeper Gwen Doughty kept unbeaten UNCW out of the net in a scoreless draw on Sunday. She logged three saves, including a penalty kick stop in the first half, to record her sixth career shutout. Click below for more on Gwen.
   
  
   

STUDENT-ATHLETE FEATURES
Here's more of the great content from by our communications staff.

• Women's Soccer standout Paige Seitz reflects on her journey from growing up in a soccer family to becoming a leader for the Tribe. 

•  Men's Soccer senior defender Evan Rabush talks about choosing W&M for its unique blend of academic and athletic excellence.

COMING UP
We have a home schedule full of exciting events coming up. Click on the link below for the full slate. As always, I hope I see you at the games!
 
Go Tribe!




Brian D. Mann
Director of Athletics