Amy Folan's Maroon & Gold Memo: Ending the Year on a High Note

This time of year is always full of celebration. During the past month, we've honored student-athletes, coaches and teams at our Maroon and Gold Gala and cheered on student-athletes who finished their degree programs and officially became CMU alumni.

We've also celebrated other exciting announcements, including the:

Appointment of CMU alum Ben Bennett as our next head wrestling coach.
Launch of Maroon & Gold BOLD — the most ambitious fundraising campaign in Central Michigan Athletics history. It will support the experience and well-being of more than 400 student-athletes a year, elevate all 17 CMU Chippewa varsity sports, and enhance Central's fan experiences.
Recognition of a generous gift to CMU Athletics from alums Tim and Sherry Magnusson, which will fund the enhancement of student-athlete health and well-being.
Establishment of the Student Spirit and Traditions Endowment Fund, thanks to a legacy gift from CMU alums and retirees Tony and Kim Voisin. The fund will provide opportunities for CMU students to be more involved in athletics. Listen to one of my recent podcasts where I talked with the Voisins about their gift and legacy.

A maroon and gold sendoff
Throughout the year, I have the pleasure of watching our student-athletes compete in their respective sports and excel academically. It all culminates this time of year when many don maroon caps and gowns and receive their diplomas. This is truly why we're here.

This past weekend, 58 of our student-athletes, representing 12 sports, graduated from CMU. Here are some highlights of these graduates:

Five of them earned graduate degrees and the remaining 53 earned bachelor's degrees.
35 graduated with honors, meaning they had GPAs of 3.5 or above.
Three of them are going to law school and 12 others are headed into the health care field.

Games on Saturday kept nearly 30 baseball, softball and lacrosse student-athletes from participating in their graduation ceremonies, so we celebrated them at a special ceremony in the Chippewa Champions Center Sunday morning.

I'm incredibly proud of our newest alumni and know they will excel in their careers, personal lives and communities.

Awarding achievements
The annual Maroon and Gold Gala is a special time when we honor student-athletes for their hard work on and off the field and court. We celebrate our teams, coaches and exciting times in our program.

Alex Cramer of the wrestling team received the Male Athlete of the Year Award and Emily Paupore of the cross country/track and field teams received the Female Athlete of the Year Award.

This year's recipients of the Pat Podoll Outstanding Academic Achievement Award were Robi Stuart, football; Sarah Daniel, track and field; Linea Willer, volleyball; and Abbey Tolmie, softball.

Robi Stuart also received an Athletic Director's Leadership Award, as did Abigail Lair from the lacrosse team.

See photo galleries or watch the livestream of the event on our website.

Winning business ventures
Speaking of awards, two of our student-athletes — football player Lawai'a Brown and baseball player AJ Kostic — showed off their entrepreneurial ventures in CMU's annual, high-stakes New Venture Challenge, both bringing home awards and prize money.

Brown won the top high growth award and the overall award with his venture, Dominator Cleats, earning $20,000 to invest in his company. Kostic won in the high growth category for his soap and lotion business, Buff Co., which earned him $5,000. These two have bright futures ahead! Hear more about their experience and business ventures in my podcast with them.

Congratulations to all our student-athletes, coaches and teams for their achievements this past year!

Fire Up Chips!

Amy Folan's Maroon & Gold Memo: Ending the Year on a High Note

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