MEADVILLE, Pa. -- The Allegheny College Department of Athletics and Recreation benefited greatly from the campus-wide success that came on Gator Give Day 2021, shattering internal records for both money raised and donations received.

As a department, Athletics saw an increase of nearly 400 percent year-over-year in budget-enhancing dollars, raising $298,660 on Gator Give Day 2021. Additionally, this year's 1,038 donors marked an increase of more than 82 percent over 2020.

As a new twist this year, athletics programs were competing for additional funding thanks to a $10,000 match from Trustee Kevin '84 and Lisa Fiedor '84 Baird. Programs that surpassed all other teams in achieving or exceeding their Gator Give Day goals were not only awarded bragging rights, but also received additional "trophy" funds.

Baseball claimed $3,000 of that money for surpassing its dollar amount goal by 2,649 percent, while Men's and Women's Golf secured $3,000 for having the highest percentage of donors contributing over their goal at 460 percent.

Four separate $1,000 prizes were awarded as Men's and Women's Cross Country collected two, being the individual sport with the most money raised (595 percent) and most donors (368 percent) above their goals. Field Hockey earned one of the prizes for having the largest increase above goal for a team sport (863 percent), and Volleyball collected the final prize for being the team sport with the most donors contributing above goal (414 percent).

"It was a great day for Gator Athletics," said Director of Athletics and Recreation Bill Ross. "Even though the amount of money raised was an incredible accomplishment, the fact that our alumni, parents and friends of our sports came out in a huge way to show their support was the most heartwarming outcome of this year's event. Our coaches and current student-athletes did a fantastic job engaging with their alumni base and families. It was very rewarding for our student-athletes to see just how much they are supported and appreciated, and how Gators come 'Together' when called upon."
 
Visit the Gator Give Day website to learn more.