Dear Furman Athletics Family,

Happy New Year!! I hope you and your families had a wonderful holiday and that 2023 brings you only health and happiness.

It was great to see so many of you on and off campus in 2022 and I am truly grateful for your enthusiastic support. As you know, last year was a special one for the Paladins as we continued to make significant progress with our goals, aspirations and, most importantly, our student-athlete opportunities and achievements. And the support that we receive from our donors, alumni, families and fans, makes our success possible, so thank you!

Since you are such a big part of what we do, I want to share some of the notable highlights and accomplishments from 2022.
 
Furman Athletics: The Year in Review

At the start of the year, Furman Athletics unveiled "INSPIRING GREATNESS", a new five-year strategic plan to enhance the success and sustainability of Paladins Athletics.

Furman won four SoCon Championships in 2022, led by men's and women's cross country, women's tennis and women's golf, with football advancing to the FCS Playoffs and men's basketball, women's basketball and volleyball advancing to their respective conference championship games.

The Paladins produced nine All-Americans, and for the first time in our school's history, Furman student-athletes were honored as both the SoCon Male and Female Athletes of the Year, with Cameron Ponder representing men's cross country and track and field and Anna Morgan representing women's golf.

Our student-athletes continued to demonstrate their commitment to academic excellence by posting a 94% Graduation Success Rate (GSR), with nine teams earning a perfect score of 100%. Sixty-eight percent of Paladin student-athletes earned recognition on the SoCon Academic Honor Roll and fifty earned the Commissioners Medal with a 3.8 Grade Point Average (GPA) or higher.

Furman Athletics celebrated 50 years of Title IX honoring the commitment, contributions, and historic success of Paladin women's athletic programs, including 116 SoCon Championships, 69 NCAA Tournament appearances, 45 female All-Americans and a SoCon record 17 Germann Cups.

Alums Frank Selvy '54, Clint Dempsey '05 and Walker Zimmerman '15 represented Furman on the national and international stages, with Selvy being inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, Dempsey being inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame, and Zimmerman playing for the United States Men's National Soccer Team during the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

The Furman Athletics Fund achieved another record-breaking fundraising year with $13.5 million in commitments in support of capital projects, endowments and the Paladin Scholarship Fund, in addition to an impressive Dins Day effort with participation from more than 1,000 donors.

We served as a co-host for the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament First and Second Round at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena and will host the NCAA Women's Basketball Regional in 2023 as a part of our strategic commitment to the city of Greenville.

These were just some of the incredible achievements in 2022 and I know that 2023 will bring even more great memories and accomplishments. It is truly a privilege to work with outstanding student-athletes, talented coaches and incredible staff. The success of our programs is built upon a commitment to excellence by our university administration, faculty and staff, and that commitment is supported by the generosity of our donors, alumni, parents, season-ticket holders and fans. For that, and for so many other reasons, our athletics department is grateful and honored to serve you and our student-athletes each and every day.
 
In the weeks ahead, we will have more exciting information to share and if you are able, please join us on Saturday, February 4^th for our men's and women's basketball doubleheader versus the Wofford Terriers at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Tickets for the event can be purchased here.

I wish you all the best and look forward to seeing you soon!

Go Paladins!!!
 
Sincerely,

Jason Donnelly
Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics