A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff
Rod Wood, former men’s basketball coach and current Director of Athletic Facilities, will serve as the program’s head coach. Augustine Golf Club in Stafford County will be the home course for the Eagles and Raspberry Golf Management will become the newest partner of UMW Athletics.
“UMW is in a prime location for golf,” said UMW Director of Athletics Ken Tyler. “We’re very pleased to add men’s golf to our varsity athletic program and look forward to the many benefits it will bring to our athletic department, the university, and our community. Rod Wood is a proven coach and recruiter with a great deal of experience and connections in the sport of golf, and he will be an excellent leader for our program.”
The school will spend the next year and a half recruiting talented student-athletes and planning for the first tee shot in August 2016. The program will be immediately eligible for CAC and NCAA championships.
“It’s exciting to start a program from scratch,” said Wood. “Golf has always been a passion of mine, and I look forward to working with the students we plan to recruit.” Wood’s first coaching job was with the golf team at Robert E. Lee High School, where he coached PGA Tour Professional Kris Blanks.
The University is also looking to add women’s golf in either the fall of 2016 or 2017.Approximately 3,000 alumni, students and guests converged on the Fredericksburg campus on Saturday, Oct. 25 for the University of Mary Washington’s 2014 Homecoming Weekend celebration.
Festivities included UMW’s second annual tailgating event that hosted more than 450 fans who gathered at the Battleground Athletic Complex for an afternoon of sports competition. The UMW Eagles enjoyed three wins, including women’s soccer that took a 3-1 victory against Penn State Harrisburg, and women’s volleyball that scored 3-0 in two games against Penn State Harrisburg and Virginia Wesleyan College. The men’s soccer team lost 3-2 in overtime against Wesley College.
Homecoming also served as a reunion for UMW’s alumni, with graduates from classes ranging from 1969 to 2014 represented at the tailgate. The weekend was the fifth year reunion of UMW’s Class of 2009. Forty alumni from 2009 celebrated their anniversary with a class party at J. Brian’s Irish Pub and Restaurant in downtown Fredericksburg that evening. The Alumni Association’s Washington, D.C. Network also hosted a brunch at the Sunken Well that brought in 35 alumni.
This year’s Homecoming concert, which will feature DEV, will take place Thursday, Nov. 22, at 7 p.m. in the Anderson Center. For more information, please contact the Office of Student Activities at (540) 654-1061.
The University of Mary Washington will hold its second annual Eagle Nation Day on Saturday, Sept. 6.
The daylong event begins at 10 a.m. at the Battleground Athletic Complex off Hanover Street and features a host of activities, including an interactive exhibit by the Children’s Museum, water balloon games, moon bounces, horse and pony rides and a screening of the children’s movie “Brave.” The day ends with UMW Women’s Soccer and Field Hockey NCAA Competitions.
The event is co-sponsored by Fredericksburg Field House, B101.5, Paragon Village and Splitsville, Children’s Museum of Richmond-Fredericksburg, and SweetFrog. For more information call (540)654-1153.
Green will be joined by special guests DeAngelo Hall and Pierre Garçon of the Washington Redskins.
“The gala will allow us to showcase our department,” said Philip Pierce, director of athletic development and promotions, noting UMW’s emphasis on student athletes’ academic and athletic excellence.
The gala will feature a silent auction and live music at 6 p.m., followed by dinner and guest speakers at 7 p.m. Tickets are $125 for single tickets, or $1,000 for a table of 10. A portion of ticket purchases are tax deductible.
With an initial fundraising goal of $20,000, Pierce hopes the gala will become an annual event at UMW.
“[It will] provide a platform for us to share our story and raise resources that play a crucial role in our support for more than 400 student athletes,” said Pierce.
The University of Mary Washington Dining Services by Sodexo is the Gala’s exclusive title sponsor, while Virginia Lottery has claimed the first of three additional sponsorship opportunities. The Eagles’ Athletic Department is still looking for two other patrons.
To purchase tickets or for more information, visit umweagles.com/gala, or contact Pierce at (540) 654-1153
(540) 654-1153 or ppierce@umw.edu.
Hewson, who received a master’s degree in education from UMW in 2005, and runner-up Ronald May, a sophomore business major, contributed the lyrics to “Soar, Eagles, Soar,” a composition by Paul Murtha, a world-class composer and arranger for the United States Army Band. Murtha has long been associated with UMW as a member of the UMW Faculty Brass Quintet and an arranger for the UMW Philharmonic Orchestra.
Philip Pierce, director of athletic development and promotions, Jim Ford, director of the UMW Pep Band, and Kevin Bartram, maestro of the UMW Philharmonic Orchestra, reviewed each anonymous submission and voted on their top choice. Freshman Hannah Morgan, an English and computer science double major, received third place and Garrett O’Brien, a sophomore economics and anthropology double major, received an honorable mention.
The fight song will be heard at university athletic and student events.
“We want the song to last and be a part of the UMW culture and tradition,” said Vice President for Student Affairs Doug Searcy.