Fom the desk of the Director of the Director of Athletics...

Dear Wildcat Family,

As we begin the 2019-20 academic year, excitement may be at an all-time high for us at Daemen Athletics. We have over 70 new student-athletes joining our family this year. Our teams have invested hours in the classroom, on the field and in the weight room in preparation for this new season. We have much to be proud of and many reasons to expect a great academic year ahead. Going forward, we have a responsibility to our student-athletes, coaches and alumni to continue to grow our department on every level.  

I want to say a quick "Thank You" to all who donated, sponsored or participated in our Wildcat Golf Classic in August.  For the second straight year, we raised nearly $40,000. Your giving has a direct impact on our student-athletes. These dollars were invested in custom, handmade lockers to complete the outfitting and branding of locker room spaces inside Lumsden Gym.  

As we begin this new academic year, we expect to build on last year's successes. Our women's volleyball team has been picked first in the ECC preseason poll. Our women's soccer team is off to the first 3-0 start in program history. The sustained success of our men's basketball program has earned them a spot in the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic in November, and an invitation to be part of a doubleheader at KeyBank Center in downtown Buffalo with our Division I neighbors Canisius and St. Bonaventure. Tickets for our game that day (Saturday, Nov. 23) against Wilmington University went on sale earlier this week. A special reserve ticket block is avaialable for Daemen fans by visiting daemenwildcats.com/KeyBankTix. Use the password "WILDCATS" to access the reserve ticket block with seats located at center court and behind our team bench. 

Another opportunity to show off Daemen will be in January when our men's volleyball team hosts Pepperdine, UCLA, and Harvard right here in our own Lumsden Gym.

With all that is happening, it's hard not to feel the upward momentum that Daemen Athletics has built over time. We're appreciative of everyone that has played a part along the way, be it as a fan, staff member, student-athlete or alumni. We look forward to seeing you throughout the year supporting our Wildcats.

Traci Murphy
Director of Athletics