Dear SMU Alumni and Friends of Saints Athletics,
As we head into the heart of summer, I wanted to congratulate our teams and individual student-athletes on all of their achievements from this past year. Highlighting just a few of them, from freshman dominance across multiple programs (Alauna Carstens – women's cross-country, Huey Nguyen – indoor track, Ashley Bruland – women's golf, Brady Bean – baseball, Haley Agena – softball), to GNAC team titles (men's basketball), to conference athletic and academic accolades and the university's highest academic honor (Kathryn Crimp- women's golf/SMU 2023 Valedictorian), our student-athletes made us proud to call them Saints!
I also wanted to express our collective gratitude and recognize the positive impact that private support has had on our current student-athletes' experience and the foundation it is laying for future competitive success. Much of the philanthropic activity coincided with SMU's record setting 3.21GIVE day of giving. Between the creation of the Oczkewicz Family Endowment for Athletics, the growth of the Grisham Legacy Fund and the introduction of the Saints Athletic Excellence Fund, the Saint Martin's community demonstrated their generosity and commitment to our student-athletes and our athletic programs. In the case of the Saints Athletic Excellence Fund, those unrestricted contributions have already enabled the department to fund a fall welcome-back BBQ for all student-athletes (last year), "Student-Athlete" stoles for each graduating student-athlete, host a GNAC Championship, provide unique competition opportunities, such as baseball playing at the Rainier's Cheney Stadium or softball competing against a Top 10 Division I program, support SAAC's annual Student-Athlete Awards banquet, and host alumni engagement events here and at away destinations.
Thank you to everyone who comprises the Saints Athletics family, and for your continued commitment to this community. I wish you and your family a restful summer and we look forward to seeing you when programming resumes in August, with the Saints Golf Tournament (Lacey, WA, August 4th- Register HERE), the Saints Baseball Golf Tournament (Honolulu, HI, August 11th – Register HERE), 2023-2024 Sports Kick-Off Reception at O'Blarney's Irish Pub – Date TBD, and a full complement of fall sports!
Go Saints!
Steve
