Paw Prints E-Newsletter: Volume 67

12/21/2021 12:00:00 PM

From the Desk of the Director of Athletics...

Dear Wildcat Nation,

I hope this message finds you at a time of good health and happiness as we begin to immerse ourselves in the holiday season. It's a great time to reflect back on a tremendously successful fall semester, and I'm thrilled to be able to provide you with some updates.

First and foremost, I want to send a heartfelt thank you to our past Hall of Fame inductees who were able to join us for a reunion event on campus this past Friday evening. It was humbling to meet and connect with so many former student-athletes, coaches and administrators who played such a monumental role in the history of Daemen Athletics. As I told them, it's the legacy of championships and success they established that our current student-athletes and teams strive to match each and every day.

The Hall of Fame event was more successful than even our wildest expectations and it served as a kickoff to our Hall of Fame relaunch. We have been hard at work for more than a year now to develop this initiative which has included the formation of a Hall of Fame committee and revamped criteria for consideration. Shortly into the New Year, we will announce the nomination process and open that for a planned induction ceremony during the 2022-23 academic year. The relaunch will include a new digital display inside the Athletics Complex lobby. This $12,000 project will be completely funded through external revenue sources. If you wish to contribute, you may do so by donating to the Varsity Letter Fund.

Turning to the athletic performances we saw this semester, I'd like to start by sending a big congratulations to Stephanie Albano and our women's volleyball program for the amazing season they just completed. If you missed it, these talented women won the East Coast Conference regular season and tournament championships as well as the program's first-ever East Regional title. I had the privilege of traveling with the team to Tampa for the NCAA Division II Elite Eight. Although we came up short in the national quarterfinals, this group has absolutely nothing to hang their heads about. It was incredible seeing them compete on such a stage - the third Elite Eight appearance for a Daemen team in the 2021 calendar year! And, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the impact they made on their biggest young fan. Ava Hackett joined the team through a partnership with Team IMPACT and was afforded the opportunity to travel to Tampa to watch the team play. Seeing her shed tears and share hugs with the student-athletes was something that left an impression on all of us. It's a reminder that we all have the ability to impact the lives of others in a positive way.

Success wasn't just limited to the volleyball court either. Our women's cross country team placed first in four of their first five meets and earned a runner-up finish at the ECC Championship meet thanks to the performances of five All-Conference runners. Our women's soccer team featured seven All-Conference players while finishing 9-6-1 and qualifying for the ECC tournament. We had three triathletes qualify and compete in the Women's Collegiate Triathlon National Championship in Tempe, Arizona. And our women's tennis team, under the direction of first-year head coach Richard Greco, qualified for the ECC tournament for a second straight season. When you factor in that we had very minimal interruptions caused by COVID-19 issues thanks in large part to our high vaccination rate among student-athletes, it truly was a fall season to be proud of.

Behind the scenes, we've been making progress too. I'm pleased to report that coaches, administrators and student-athletes participated in a virtual workshop conducted by RISE, a national non-profit organization that works to educate and empower the sports community on topics like racial discrimination and social justice. This programming was made possible by a grant awarded by the ECC and it comes at a time in which student-athletes across the country, including here at Daemen, are using their platforms to speak out on such topics and be agents of change.

In addition, we were able to host Olympian Samantha Livingstone for a full day on campus. We have partnered with Samantha and her program, The Whole Athlete Initiative, since 2020, but this was the first time we were able to have her here in person and in front of student-athletes. The program has been a great resource for student-athletes with a keen focus on improving and maintaining strong mental health and mindfulness.

In closing, I would like to extend the warmest holiday wishes for you and your family. I sincerely hope you're able to safely gather with loved ones this holiday season. We have home basketball games over the holiday break (Dec. 30 & Jan. 1), so I'm hopeful that you'll consider coming out to cheer on our teams. Thank you for your continued support and go Wildcats! See you in the New Year!

Sincerely,