From Alumni to Athletes: Passing the Baton

Dear Track and Field Alumni,

Happy holidays! As 2024 draws to a close, we reflect on the last 12 months of accomplishments as a track and field program. We swept men’s and women’s conference titles in indoor track, outdoor track, and cross country, made national appearances in all three seasons, and broke __ school records. (In fact, 5 school records were broken this past Saturday in our first indoor meet of the season!). All this is the culmination of a legacy you helped create during your time here.

I invite you to look back and remember your time as an athlete at Western. Moments in the weight room, walking across the track, cheering on your teammates or bantering with your coaches. You might remember brilliant wins; you might want to forget painful losses. And likely, you might remember selling calendars, selling baked goods in Red Square, or calling loved ones to fundraise.

Something we are proud of but also hope to change, is the reality of being successful performers in a tight-waisted program. We are so grateful that, despite short funds, you had a meaningful and positive experience at Western; we also hope to improve the reality of our funding situation for our current student athletes. We believe that you, the historical foundation to our success, can help improve conditions and opportunities for our student athletes in the present.

Funds will go toward generational improvements for our team including:

• Travel opportunities for more members of the team;
• Facility and equipment upgrades;
• Hiring coaching staff to expand the capacity of our program.

We are looking for 20 alumni to donate $500, 40 to donate $250, and 100 to donate $100. Please pause and consider: can this donor be me? Will you rise to the occasion and donate $500, $250, or whatever amount is in your means? We appreciate your financial support just as much as we appreciate your volunteering at our home meets, cheering at competitions, and the countless hours of training you invested in our program when you were a student athlete.

Our fundraiser is only open until the end of the year, so don’t wait! We would be so honored and grateful to be part of your end-of-year giving.

Thank you for continuing to contribute to our team even after your college competition days. Once a Viking, always a Viking!