Dear Friends of Tribe Athletics,

On Friday, we had a tremendous turnout for one of my favorite events of the year, the Lord Botetourt Affair. More than 250 tickets were sold, the most in several years, making this year's celebration one to remember. It was a terrific opportunity to celebrate everything Green & Gold while showcasing the wonderful Mackesy Sports Performance Center.

Our amazing supporters came out to show love to our coaches and student-athletes. Thank you to all the attendees for your kindness and generosity. Because of you, we raised more than $82,700 for our Noble Cause: Mental Health & Sports Performance and more than $350,000 across the department.

Our gratitude goes out to our dedicated Lord Botetourt Affair Committee, who helped make the event truly memorable and were honored for their efforts at the football game this past Saturday.
 
 Colley's 500th Call 

We've been so fortunate to have one of the best voices in all of college sports calling our football games for the last 44 years. Jay Colley, the Voice of the Tribe, is in a class by himself, and we're thrilled to celebrate him this week as he calls his 500th Tribe football game Saturday at Duke.

Jay's first William & Mary football game came back in 1982 as a color analyst alongside former play-by-play man Bob Rathbun. He also fills the airwaves with his play-by-play work with the men's basketball team and emcees a wide range of events around campus for Athletics.

Jay's voice has become synonymous with Tribe Athletics for a generation of Tribe fans, and we love Jay's signature calls, especially "Touchdown, William & Mary! Touchdown, Green & Gold!" I hope to hear it many times in Durham this weekend. 

Congratulations on the milestone, Jay!
 
Grab your hoops tickets now 

Season tickets are on sale now for the Men's and Women's Basketball Teams. The home schedule is loaded, so help us fill Kaplan Arena to cheer on our teams. 

We all know Kaplan is an amazing home court, and the numbers prove it. Last season, the Women's squad led the entire CAA in home attendance, and the Tribe faithful helped lift the Men's squad to an 11-2 home mark. Let's do it again this season! 

We'd love to see our fans join us on some epic road trips, as well. The Men's team heads to Ann Arbor, Michigan to play defending national champion Michigan on November 15, and it visits JMU on November 29 and Ole Miss on December 7.

The Women's team has road non-conference matchups against Virginia on November 8, Richmond on November 15, and Old Dominion on November 19. 

Click the photo below to find the ticket plan that is right for you!
 
The Best of the Best 

William & Mary Athletics has announced its 2026 Athletics Hall of Fame class, and we are thrilled to share that the official induction celebration is now set for Friday, February 5, in Williamsburg.

The 10-member class honors eight former Tribe student-athletes representing seven programs, including Men's Basketball standout Marcus Thornton, Soccer greats Nat Baako and Mallory Schaffer, and Women's Basketball legends Angie Evans Romano and Tiffany Stone. Additional honorees include Baseball's Michael Katz, Emily Anderson Melnick of Track and Field and Cross Country, Golf's Tim Pemberton, and two iconic administrators: Steve Cole and Bobby Dwyer.

Ticket information and additional event details will be available in the coming weeks. Read more about this fantastic class of inductees by clicking the button below.
 
Notable

• Junior Molly Weithman was named CAA Women's Runner of the Week after placing 13th in the 5K at the Virginia Invitational with a personal-best time of 17:20.9. 

• Senior Hayes Trapp won his second straight CAA Men's Runner of the Week honor last week after finishing sixth in the 6K at the Virginia Invitational with a personal-best time of 17:55.2. 
• Senior midfielder Paige Seitz earned her first career CAA Offensive Player of the Week honor last week after scoring twice in the Women's Soccer team's 5-1 road triumph against American last Sunday. Her efforts were critical in helping the Tribe score five unanswered goals after falling behind 1-0. To hear more from Paige, listen to her interview on Tribe Unscripted by clicking the image below.

• A couple of freshmen had smashing debuts for the Women's Tennis team last weekend in the Tribe Invite. Nicole Lukesova went 3-0 and won the Grey Singles Draw and Med Chandana teamed up with sophomore Tilda Larsson to win the Griffin Doubles Draw.
• Speaking of freshmen, Women's Golf standout Abigail Avallone, pictured below, earned CAA Co-Women's Golfer of the Week after sharing the individual title at the Elon Invitational last weekend. She finished 3-under 210 (71-71-68) in only her second college tournament. Her performance marked the first time a Tribe women's golfer had earned league Player of the Week honors since the spring of 2024.

• Men's Golf's Whitty Richardson opened his college career with a 3-under 213 and tied for seventh place at the Bryan National Collegiate in Greensboro last weekend. Richardson carded a quartet of birdies in each of the first two rounds and finished with scores of 69-71-73. The Tribe placed third in the team competition.
• Men's Golf teammate Preston Burton shot a 2-under 211 (69-73-69) to share medalist honors at the Goat hosted by Navy this weekend but was edged out in a three-hole playoff. He helped the Tribe finish third in the 14-team tournament and was rewarded for his efforts by being named the CAA's Golfer of the Week on Wednesday.
• Career-best performances by Audrey Brcka and Cate Hatfield helped Tribe Volleyball defeat North Florida 3-1 in the Mountaineer Classic last Sunday. Brcka posted a personal high of 24 kills, and Hatfield bested her previous high with 45 assists. Hatfield set a new high with 50 helpers against Stony Brook this past weekend. 
• Congratulations to the Men's Soccer team for scoring a 2-1 road win against UMBC on Saturday night. Aidan Gatchell and Gabe Ruitenberg sealed the deal with a pair of second-half tallies

Spotlight on Student-Athletes

Field hockey defender Kate Longo has found the balance she needed here at William & Mary. The MBA student is using her story to promote mental health awareness among student-athletes.
    
William & Mary connections run deep in Gwen Doughty's family. Her mother and father competed in Tribe Athletics, as did her sister Zoe. Now Gwen is forging her own path at the Alma Mater of the Nation as a goalkeeper on the Women's Soccer team. 
 
Women's Soccer player Zeta Kromah is helping the youth in her home country of Liberia through her initiative Tribe Stars, which provides underserved young people instruction in soccer, school and leadership. This is such a great example of how our athletes are giving back. Support from many, including former Tribe men's soccer star Will Smith '14 and our friends at the Global Research Institute, have helped Zeta along the way.
 
Football tailgate at Duke

I hope to see many of you in Durham on Saturday for our football team's matchup with defending ACC champion Duke.

One of the main events of the day will be a festive pregame tailgate outside Wallace Wade Stadium that will include food, drinks, William & Mary swag and plenty of Tribe spirit. It's open to all members of the W&M community who want to connect with other fans of the Green & Gold.

Registration is required. Click the link below for more information.
 
Looking ahead 

We have a big slate of home events coming up. Women's Soccer takes on Towson on Thursday night to start a three-game homestand. Men's Soccer kicks off a weekend of events Saturday with a matchup against Campbell. Field Hockey plays five straight home contests, starting Monday night against ODU. We hope to see you at the games! 
 
Go Tribe!




Brian D. Mann
Director of Athletics