AD Newsletter with Bryan Felt - April 2021 - Seton Hall University Athletics
April 2021
shupirates.com
Dear Pirates Nation,
We are in the home stretch of our semester here at The Hall; there are less than two weeks of classes remaining, final exams loom and our student-athletes are either still competing for championships this season or already beginning preparations for the 2021-22 campaign.
It's an exciting time to be a Pirate, and we're excited about what is ahead of us!
Congratulations to the BIG EAST Champion Men's Soccer Team!
The phrase "first time since" was used a lot during the BIG EAST Men's Soccer Championship down at Georgetown, and it was used to describe the turnaround that our men's soccer program has engineered this spring. The Pirates first qualified for their first BIG EAST Tournament since 2012, then reached their first tournament final since 2004 and then won the whole thing for the first time since 1991 with a thrilling 2-1 victory over Georgetown!
The pure joy I saw in our student-athletes' faces when the final buzzer sounded was incredible. This has not been an easy journey; the team, which is mostly made up of international students, had to deal with issues of getting back into the U.S. during the pandemic, deal with the postponement of their traditional fall season, endure multiple COVID pauses, and all the while still take classes and train for an uncertain spring.
We are so proud of our men's soccer athletes, Coach Lindberg and his staff for what they've accomplished, and the work has just begun. The Pirates are the No. 6 national seed in the NCAA Tournament and will face Air Force in the second round this Sunday at 8 p.m. The winner moves on to the third round on Thursday, May 6. You can catch the games live on NCAA.com.
Thank You for Your Support on Donor Matching Day!
In the past we have stressed the importance of Donor Matching Day, and this year was especially important. I have said in the past that this pandemic has led to financial issues, such as lost ticket revenue and added COVID related expenses, and for us to continue to develop our student-athletes, give them the tools they need to succeed, keep them safe and provide a first-class experience, we needed Pirate Blue Nation to help.
And Pirate Blue Nation has once again risen to the occasion. This year's Donor Matching Day raised over $200,000 from over 450 donors that will go towards ensuring that our student-athletes are maximizing their potential. It's an incredible outpour of support from those who bleed blue, and we greatly appreciate every single gift.
Our student-athletes, who collectively have a grade point average above 3.4, compete at the highest level of intercollegiate athletics and go on to become outstanding professionals, are an investment worth making. If you are interested in supporting Seton Hall Athletics and Pirate Blue and haven't done so already, you can make a gift any day of the year online.
Congratulations to Our Men's & Women's Basketball All-Met Award Winners!
One of the great benefits of Seton Hall University and its location is its proximity to New York City and all that the city offers. We are proud to be in the Metropolitan New York region, and our two basketball programs have rich history in recruiting and developing Metro area student-athletes and competing against other Metro area schools.
That makes it extra special that for the fifth time in six years, the Haggerty Award, which is given to the Metropolitan Men's Div. I Player of the Year, will reside here at Seton Hall. Congratulations to Sandro Mamukelashvili, who capped the awards season by earning the area's top honor. While he may be from the Republic of Georgia, he was born in New York City, and I know he takes special pride in receiving this prestigious award.
Congratulations also to four Pirates who earned All-Met honors as well. Jared Rhoden on the men's side and Andra Espinoza-Hunter and Lauren Park-Lane on the women's side were all first-team selections, and women's senior Desiree Elmore was a second-team selection. We're very proud of what they accomplished this year!
