Hobart and William Smith Colleges

28 February 2025 • Alums • Athletics ADOD Continues 3 Year Tradition of Breaking $1M

It’s an Athletics Day of Donors “three-peat!” For the third year in a row, the 24-hour giving day raised more than $1 million for HWS Athletics.

With record-breaking generosity and unmatched enthusiasm, this year’s Athletics Day of Donors raised $1,011,430 for HWS Athletics.

The 24-hour fundraising competition rallied 3,230 donors, including alumni, parents and supporters, to contribute and helped HWS soar 161% past the initial goal set for the day of $625,000.

William Smith teams saw remarkable support with Soccer topping the list at $154,736, Field Hockey raising $65,893 and Rowing securing $39,242. On the Hobart side, Soccer led the charge with $127,003 raised, followed by Basketball with $101,080 and Lacrosse with $68,912.

Thanks to the generosity of Cindy Caird Gitelson L.H.D. ’12, the Caird Challenge continued to honor the legacy of her late husband, James F. Caird ’56, L.H.D. ’12. This year, $25,000 in bonus funds were awarded to the top three William Smith and Hobart teams that most exceeded their fundraising goals. This year’s recipients include the HWS Student-Athlete Excellence Fund, Hobart Volleyball and Basketball and William Smith Soccer, Ice Hockey and Volleyball.

“On behalf of our 30 intercollegiate programs, our coaches, support staff and, most importantly, our 750 students athletes, we thank every donor for their incredible generosity,” says Brian Miller, Associate Vice President and Director of Athletics and Recreation. “This level of pride and support is unique to Hobart and William Smith; it doesn’t just happen anywhere.”

“The support from our community on ADOD was nothing short of extraordinary,” says Liz Dennison, Deputy Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator. “The generosity shown will have a lasting impact on our student-athletes, providing them with the resources they need to excel in competition, in the classroom and beyond.”

A campus panel judged team videos. The winners were selected for their creativity, messaging and team spirit. Hobart’s winners were Sailing in first place, followed by Soccer and Basketball. William Smith’s winners were Ice Hockey in first place, followed by Volleyball and Field Hockey.

This year, Athletics Day of Donors also highlights the teams with the most increased participation with HWS’s Sailing team and William Smith’s Soccer team showing the most growth.

The Student-Athlete Excellence Fund raised $15,200 from 92 donors, surpassing its goal of $2,500 by more than 600%. These funds directly support the Fueling Station, Sports Medicine, and Sports Performance programs, ensuring that student-athletes, coaches and trainers have the resources needed to compete at the highest level.

Many student-athletes served as advocates, generating gifts from HWS family and friends. Top-performing student fundraisers were rewarded with hydration gift baskets filled with Owala water bottles, liquid IV, Body Armor, BUILT Puff Bars and NUUN tablets. The top advocates included Antonia Goerke ’27, Tessa Yohan ’25, Thomas Coughlin and William Redman ’27.

Complete results from the 2025 Athletics Day of Donors can be found here.