Photo by: Carlos Puma
From The Desk Of The Athletics Director: January 2017
1/6/2017 12:58:00 PM | UC Riverside Athletics Association
Happy 2017 Highlanders Fans!
I trust that you enjoyed the holidays with family and friends, and have your resolutions all in order. Although we are fully embracing the New Year, we had some unfinished business to attend to in January, as we present our Women's Basketball and Men's and Women's Golf Teams with their championship rings from 2015-16.
The Women were honored at halftime of the Thursday, January 12 Men's Basketball game against UC Davis, while the golf teams took their turn in the spotlight on Saturday, January 21 at halftime of the second game of our Men's and Women's Basketball double header.
Also on the hardwood front, Head Women's Basketball Coach John Margaritis recently won his 300th game as a head coach, and he is fast approaching his 200th victory at the helm of the Highlanders.
In order to build upon our recent run of success, I hope that you will take the time to show your support by making a gift to the UC Riverside Athletics Association as we ring in the New Year.
I also hope that you have already marked your calendar for the 2017 UC Riverside Athletics Hall of Fame celebration scheduled for Saturday, April 15 of this year. The Mission Inn's Grand Parisian Ballroom plays host to the evening, with a pre-event cocktail hour in the Glenwood Tavern getting things started at 5 pm PT.
Hall of Fame membership will swell by six that day, as Regina Carbajal Legates (Women's Volleyball), Deanna Dresmann (Softball), Troy Percival (Baseball), Brendan Steele (Men's Golf), Doug Smith (Baseball) and Dr. Aaron Rubin (Team Physician) enter the Hall as the Class of 2017.
Cost for individuals to attend is $150. For additional information, or to inquire about purchasing a discounted table or becoming a corporate partner for the event, please contact UC Riverside Special Events Coordinator Arturo Cabrera at 951-827-5432.
Speaking of Hall of Famers, the Men's Basketball Team honored long-time head coach, and 2011 Hall of Fame inductee, John Masi as part of its Bring Back The Past series on Saturday, January 28 at halftime of the team's game against CSUN.
Conference play is underway for both of our basketball teams, which also means that spring sports can't be far behind. The Baseball season began on Saturday, January 28 with the annual Alumni Game at noon, and the Softball season begins 2017 by traveling to a pair of tournaments before hosting its first game of the season on Wednesday, February 22 vs. Siena.
Track & Field began its first season in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation by traveling to Flagstaff, Arizona on Saturday, January 21 for the Lumberjack Team Challenge.
Our Men's and Women's Golf programs began defense of their conference titles in the fall, but head back to the links following the winter break over the next four to six weeks. The Women make their way to Fullerton for the Folino Invitational beginning Monday, January 28, and the Men host The Battle At The Rock at Oak Quarry Golf Club on Monday, February 13 and Tuesday, February 14. Â
Meanwhile, our tennis programs battled the elements in early January, but finally got their seasons underway when the rains cleared.
Of course, you can check out all of our schedules, and keep up with each of our 17 intercollegiate teams by logging on to gohighlanders.com.
Since I arrived in Riverside, I have preached the importance of my 3 Ps: Presence, Promotion, and Partnership. It is always exciting to see a packed house at our home events, and even more enjoyable when I get the chance to interact with fans and hear their stories. So, be sure to introduce yourself to me at a game and bring a friend as well. If you can't make it to a game, send someone in your place.
Also, pictures and videos at our events and posting them on social media with our hashtags. It only takes a few extra seconds to like our pages and posts. Taking these steps helps us form the partnerships we need to. Thank you for what you do to help us make that happen.
Thank you, as well, to those who have provided financial support to UC Riverside Athletics over the years. For the second consecutive year, our total amount of financial support has increased. We could not achieve that without you, however, there is still much more fundraising work to be done. If you have yet to make a gift this fiscal year (ending June 30), there are more than forty funds to which you can give online (by clicking here) that directly support UC Riverside Athletics. This includes support for our Athletics Hall of Fame, 99 for Title IX, and the Bear's Den Locker Room Project.
Â
Speaking of the locker rooms, we began this project last January by removing the 1950's era lockers. In October, an architect was selected to design this project for us. This January, we received our first major gift commitment for this project. What happens next is up to you! We still need fifty-nine more major gift commitments just like the one we just received to complete the Bear's Den Locker Room Project. If you haven't seen the space, I am more than happy to give you a tour and share the vision for what we hope to accomplish with the final project.
Â
To move the process for the locker rooms along, we are looking for ten more highly-passionate Highlanders fans and/or alums to become Bear's Den Volunteer Team Captains. These individuals will work with our department staff to assist in outreach for bringing in new gifts to this project. Captains will host informative and fun salons to inspire others to support this project, as well as encourage others to visit campus and take a tour of the locker room space. If you have any questions about touring or supporting the Bear's Den Locker Room Project, please contact Director of Development Krysta Plato."
Until next month, All The Best, and Go Highlanders!
I trust that you enjoyed the holidays with family and friends, and have your resolutions all in order. Although we are fully embracing the New Year, we had some unfinished business to attend to in January, as we present our Women's Basketball and Men's and Women's Golf Teams with their championship rings from 2015-16.
The Women were honored at halftime of the Thursday, January 12 Men's Basketball game against UC Davis, while the golf teams took their turn in the spotlight on Saturday, January 21 at halftime of the second game of our Men's and Women's Basketball double header.
Also on the hardwood front, Head Women's Basketball Coach John Margaritis recently won his 300th game as a head coach, and he is fast approaching his 200th victory at the helm of the Highlanders.
In order to build upon our recent run of success, I hope that you will take the time to show your support by making a gift to the UC Riverside Athletics Association as we ring in the New Year.
I also hope that you have already marked your calendar for the 2017 UC Riverside Athletics Hall of Fame celebration scheduled for Saturday, April 15 of this year. The Mission Inn's Grand Parisian Ballroom plays host to the evening, with a pre-event cocktail hour in the Glenwood Tavern getting things started at 5 pm PT.
Hall of Fame membership will swell by six that day, as Regina Carbajal Legates (Women's Volleyball), Deanna Dresmann (Softball), Troy Percival (Baseball), Brendan Steele (Men's Golf), Doug Smith (Baseball) and Dr. Aaron Rubin (Team Physician) enter the Hall as the Class of 2017.
Cost for individuals to attend is $150. For additional information, or to inquire about purchasing a discounted table or becoming a corporate partner for the event, please contact UC Riverside Special Events Coordinator Arturo Cabrera at 951-827-5432.
Speaking of Hall of Famers, the Men's Basketball Team honored long-time head coach, and 2011 Hall of Fame inductee, John Masi as part of its Bring Back The Past series on Saturday, January 28 at halftime of the team's game against CSUN.
Conference play is underway for both of our basketball teams, which also means that spring sports can't be far behind. The Baseball season began on Saturday, January 28 with the annual Alumni Game at noon, and the Softball season begins 2017 by traveling to a pair of tournaments before hosting its first game of the season on Wednesday, February 22 vs. Siena.
Track & Field began its first season in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation by traveling to Flagstaff, Arizona on Saturday, January 21 for the Lumberjack Team Challenge.
Our Men's and Women's Golf programs began defense of their conference titles in the fall, but head back to the links following the winter break over the next four to six weeks. The Women make their way to Fullerton for the Folino Invitational beginning Monday, January 28, and the Men host The Battle At The Rock at Oak Quarry Golf Club on Monday, February 13 and Tuesday, February 14. Â
Meanwhile, our tennis programs battled the elements in early January, but finally got their seasons underway when the rains cleared.
Of course, you can check out all of our schedules, and keep up with each of our 17 intercollegiate teams by logging on to gohighlanders.com.
Since I arrived in Riverside, I have preached the importance of my 3 Ps: Presence, Promotion, and Partnership. It is always exciting to see a packed house at our home events, and even more enjoyable when I get the chance to interact with fans and hear their stories. So, be sure to introduce yourself to me at a game and bring a friend as well. If you can't make it to a game, send someone in your place.
Also, pictures and videos at our events and posting them on social media with our hashtags. It only takes a few extra seconds to like our pages and posts. Taking these steps helps us form the partnerships we need to. Thank you for what you do to help us make that happen.
Thank you, as well, to those who have provided financial support to UC Riverside Athletics over the years. For the second consecutive year, our total amount of financial support has increased. We could not achieve that without you, however, there is still much more fundraising work to be done. If you have yet to make a gift this fiscal year (ending June 30), there are more than forty funds to which you can give online (by clicking here) that directly support UC Riverside Athletics. This includes support for our Athletics Hall of Fame, 99 for Title IX, and the Bear's Den Locker Room Project.
Â
Speaking of the locker rooms, we began this project last January by removing the 1950's era lockers. In October, an architect was selected to design this project for us. This January, we received our first major gift commitment for this project. What happens next is up to you! We still need fifty-nine more major gift commitments just like the one we just received to complete the Bear's Den Locker Room Project. If you haven't seen the space, I am more than happy to give you a tour and share the vision for what we hope to accomplish with the final project.
Â
To move the process for the locker rooms along, we are looking for ten more highly-passionate Highlanders fans and/or alums to become Bear's Den Volunteer Team Captains. These individuals will work with our department staff to assist in outreach for bringing in new gifts to this project. Captains will host informative and fun salons to inspire others to support this project, as well as encourage others to visit campus and take a tour of the locker room space. If you have any questions about touring or supporting the Bear's Den Locker Room Project, please contact Director of Development Krysta Plato."
Until next month, All The Best, and Go Highlanders!
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