Donors Deliver for Coyote Athletics
The eighth annual Unite for USD giving day has passed, and Coyote athletics brought in over $349,000 with 626 donations and 961 gifts. The giving started at noon on Feb. 18 and ended 24 hours later. Staff, fans, alumni and others could donate any amount under their name or anonymously.
Each team had different goals in mind to raise money for a specific cause. Fans could read the cause for each team and decide where they wanted to donate and how much they wanted to donate based on the cause.
Along with each Coyote team, the Sound of USD, Spirit Teams and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) also accepted donations with the athletic department. All donations outside of the Sound of USD and Spirit Teams go directly to the Yote Fund membership.
The Champions Fund will go towards changes in the athletic department at the choice of the Athletic Director. People can also make a single payment with instructions on how to use the funds over the years.
Volleyball earned the most with over $100,000 from 170 donors and 180 gifts. Swimming and Diving followed with $42,081, and then Track and Field/Cross Country with $26,080.
Some of the top individual donors were Dennis Hagele, with $12,000, given across two sports. Lanny and Vicki Walker gave $4,000 across four sports, and Keith and Deb Thomas donated $3,000 across three sports. Someone also anonymously donated $7,500 to the Swimming and Diving team.
Kevin and Melissa Gary donated $5,000 to the Women’s Golf team. Jim Ahrendt, Tyler and Katie Brown each donated $5,000 to the Volleyball team, while Mike VerWay and Alicia Collura donated $10,000.
