Dear Friends of Tribe Athletics,
We're back! I hope you all had a great summer and you're ready for the thrilling year ahead. Let's get started!
Beginning tonight, we have a full slate of our fall sports in action this weekend. Click the photo below to see a complete listing, break out your Tribe gear, and prepare for some memorable moments!
Patriot League Debut
Tribe Football begins a new era on Friday evening as we travel to Villanova for our first Patriot League matchup. The game will kick off at 6 p.m., and if you can't make the trip, you can catch all the action on ESPN+. It's the first of the Tribe's 10 games that will appear on the streaming service. If you simply can't wait until tomorrow night for more W&M football, click the image below to listen to Head Coach Mike London on Tribe Unscripted, the official podcast of Tribe Athletics.
Prime Time for the Tribe
While our football games have moved over to ESPN+, our fans will now have another opportunity to catch other W&M sports on Prime Video, thanks to a new agreement between the CAA's streaming partner FloSports and Prime Video. Dozens of CAA games will stream for free on the FloSports Channel on Prime Video, in addition to the robust schedule of CAA live games already available through FloCollege. Check out the weekly schedule on CAASports.com so that you don't miss an opportunity to watch the Green & Gold, whether on Prime Video or on FloSports.
Notable
- Tribe athletes once again performed at a championship level in the classroom last spring. 344 student-athletes were named to the CAA Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll for the spring semester; each had a minimum 3.0 GPA.
- Men's Soccer freshman forward Brown Huffard is the CAA Rookie of the Week after recording a goal and an assist in the Tribe's 4-1 win over Radford. Aidan Gatchell also had his first collegiate goal, and Alex Garrison scored twice.
- Josie Mae Gruendel was named to the Preseason All-CAA Field Hockey team as an honorable mention selection.
- Katherine Arnason was named to the Preseason All-CAA Volleyball Team, and Avery Horejsi earned preseason honorable mention recognition.
- Thor Sigurjonsson of Men's Soccer earned Preseason All-CAA honorable mention recognition, while W&M was picked fifth in the CAA South Division preseason poll.
- In Women's Soccer, Mia Abbey, pictured below, was named to the Preseason All-CAA Team, while W&M was selected third in the CAA South Division preseason poll. (The team's home opener is tonight against Virginia Tech at 6 p.m., see you there!)
- Four Football standouts garnered Patriot League preseason all-conference honors—tight end Sean McElwain, defensive lineman Davin Dzidzienyo, defensive back Bryce Barnes and special teams non-specialist Stephon Hicks. Davin was also nominated for the 2026 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.
- Reagan Garnsey of Women's Golf was named to the 2025-26 Women's Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar Team.
Tribute to a Legend
Former Tribe football coach Lou Holtz will be honored during football's home opener vs. Delaware State on Sept. 5. William & Mary was Coach Holtz's first head coaching stop in his decorated career. He led the program here from 1969-71 following a stint as an assistant for the Tribe from 1961-63. Additional successful stops at NC State, Arkansas, Minnesota, Notre Dame and South Carolina cemented his election to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2020.
There will be an on-field presentation, during which Lou's son, Skip, and his wife, Jennifer, will join former Head Coach Jimmye Laycock and me. The first 1,000 W&M students through the gates will receive a free green Lou Holtz T-shirt, while the team will wear special helmet decals commemorating the legendary head coach.
A Golden Read
Our great friend and colleague, Jim Golden G '24, Brigadier General, U.S. Army (Ret.), has written a new book. It's called "Lessons from the Beautiful Game" and if the recent World Cup gave you a new appreciation for soccer, you need to check it out. As Jim explains it, "The book is about soccer, but really it's about how the skill that separates good teams from great ones — seeing, using and creating space — turns out to be the same skill that makes great teachers, strategists, military leaders, and innovators. I've tried to use the idea of seeing the spaces throughout my career, and I hope that perspective will help others as well." The book is waiting for you on Amazon!
Decades of Support
I would be remiss not to give a shoutout to two of the most loyal W&M fans around, Shelby Smith Hawthorne '67, M.A.Ed. '75 and Randy Hawthorne '67, J.D. '70, M.L.T. '71. When Shelby and Randy first stepped on campus in 1963, it was the beginning of two beautiful relationships. They met as freshmen in a biology lab and were married a week after they graduated. In addition to their love and commitment to each other, Shelby and Randy have, over the years, continued their tremendous support for their alma mater, including our track & field and cross country programs. Randy was a member of those programs during his college years, and the duo has continued a close association with the coaches and student-athletes. Shelby and Randy are members of the Honorable Robert Boyle Legacy Society, which recognizes individuals who have provided for the University in their estate plans. Click the photo below to read a recent article from the Boyle Legacy Society about their dedication to W&M.
We are so appreciative to the hundreds of readers of the
Mannuscriptwho took part in our annual survey and provided us with some great feedback. It was very gratifying to hear that you think the
Mannuscripthelps you feel closer to W&M Athletics and that you take the time both to read it and then let us know your thoughts. It seems that most of you would like to see more photos and videos, and we will try our best to accommodate that in the weeks to come. Also your suggestions about the type of news you like best, such as team accomplishments, student-athlete stories and achievements, and Athletics news and leadership changes, gives us great guidance as we prepare each issue. Thank you again to everyone who participated!
More Good Stuff
I know this first
Mannuscript of the new academic and athletics year has a ton of news, but there are a few more articles that may interest you. Please click on the photos if you'd like to learn more about each story:
Adam Smith, who is W&M's new Director of Track & Field and Cross Country, has added two accomplished coaches with championship-level experience to his Tribe staff. Chris Fox joins the program as assistant coach — distance, while Shannon Malone will serve as assistant coach and director of operations. Chris won an NCAA cross country national championship at Syracuse and was named the National Coach of the Year. His runners there won multiple individual national titles and All-American honors. Shannon arrives in Williamsburg with experience as a coach and professional athlete, including stops at Boston College, Syracuse and the Reebok Boston Track Club.
Men's Soccer player Evan Rabush has changed positions from striker to defender, fought back from injury and returned to a starting role after having his playing time curtailed, all while winning academic honors and learning about dinosaurs.
After establishing herself among the nation's top women's lacrosse coaches, assistant coach Katie Lasater has been selected for this year's IWLCA Aspire Assistant Coach Development Program. Only 14 Division I level coaches were selected for the program.
Defensive lineman Davin Dzidzienyo arrived on campus as a 17-year-old with big plans for his future. Now studying for a master's degree in marketing, Davin embraced football coach Mike London's mantra of family, faith and football as he has become one of the nation's top interior defenders.
As you can see, it's a busy time in Athletics and we are loving every minute of it! Please make plans to join us for an upcoming game, either on campus or on the road. I'll definitely look forward to saying hello to everyone in Green & Gold!
Go Tribe!
Brian D. Mann
Director of Athletics
