University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Huge Success of 2017 Bulldog Challenge Truly Helps UNC Asheville Continue the Pursuit of Greatness
04.06.2017 | General
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The 2017 Bulldog Challenge was historic.
And that's a vast understatement as the 2017 Bulldog Challenge went 265 percent past its original goal of $40,000.
During the month of March, all former student-athletes and Bulldog fans were challenged to make a gift to UNC Asheville Athletics. Their gift directly impacts today's scholar-athlete by providing scholarships, tutoring and essential academic support that allow the Bulldogs to compete at the highest level.
The 2016 Bulldog Challenge had 237 total gifts, while the 2017 Bulldog Challenge had a total of 571 overall gifts with 442 unique donors.
An impressive over 200 alumni also gave to the 2017 Bulldog Challenge that raised over $106,000 in total.
A Special Assistant to the Director of Athletics for Advancement and Alumni Engagement, Betsy Blose is incredibly proud of Bulldogs everywhere for their tremendous support of the 2017 Bulldog Challenge.
"On behalf of the University and the athletic department, I want to thank everyone who supported the Bulldog Challenge throughout the month of March," Blose said. "We exceeded our goal by over 200 percent and that does not happen unless you have a team of folks who passionately care about this University and our student-athletes. I want to thank (Annual Giving and Communications Director) Aaron Dahlstrom in the Advancement Office for his leadership in putting the platform in place for us to support our sport teams. Go Bulldogs!"
The 2017 Bulldog Challenge featured three different categories available for UNC Asheville teams to win with men's basketball raising the most money as a program.
UNC Asheville men's basketball head coach Nick McDevitt realizes these type of efforts for his program mean a great deal.
"In order to sustain championship-level programs here at UNC Asheville there has to be support from a lot of different areas and having our student-athlete and fans step up with their financial contributions only enhances the student-athlete experience here at UNC Asheville," McDevitt said. "Betsy Blose has led the charge for the Bulldog Challenge for several years and to see the amount of money raised eclipse the $100,000 mark is a testament to all of her hard work."
The men's soccer program had the most total donations with 116 in total, and head coach Mathes Mennell is thrilled with the efforts toward his program.
"This my third Bulldog Challenge and it's such a great event and it's crucial to what we're trying to do here as an opportunity to augment our enhancement augments," Mennell said. "I don't think that any coach or student-athlete would have thought in their wildest dreams that we would have gotten over $100,000 across the board with the Bulldog Challenge. For men's soccer to have the most alumni gifts and to have the most gifts and finish a close second in overall money, it's something that we're really proud of. Probably what makes me proudest is not only our community support, but our alumni support.
"It's awesome and very humbling and something we take very seriously. Just to be a part of such a monumental effort that in 2017 saw us get over $100,000 is a great credit to our alumni, to our fans and to our University. I would be remiss if I did not mention Betsy Blose, who did such a fantastic job of spearheading this effort. It's really quite remarkable. We have definitely set the bar very high, but that's definitely a great standard for us all to set our minds to for next year," Mennell continued.
The women's swimming program at UNC Asheville took home the top honors for most alumni participation at 100 percent. Head Coach Elizabeth Lykins is very thankful for the efforts of her young alumni.
"The swimming program is excited to be recognized as a category winner in the 2017 Bulldog Challenge," Lykins said. "Although we have a small alumni base, getting the support of every single alumnae is an incredible feat. With 100 percent alumni participation, the ladies set a strong example for future program graduates to follow. Along with every alumni donating, we are also proud of the number of those who gave. With such a young program, we are excited to see the interest in our program growing. 32 people donated to the program with a strong push in the final days of the campaign. Our staff would like to thank Betsy Blose and (General Manager for Sponsorship and Fundraising) Kelly Schukart for their unwavering efforts to fundraise and enhance the experiences of all UNC Asheville student-athletes. Their work is greatly appreciated and does not go unnoticed."
For more information on UNC Asheville athletics, please visit www.uncabulldogs.com.
And that's a vast understatement as the 2017 Bulldog Challenge went 265 percent past its original goal of $40,000.
During the month of March, all former student-athletes and Bulldog fans were challenged to make a gift to UNC Asheville Athletics. Their gift directly impacts today's scholar-athlete by providing scholarships, tutoring and essential academic support that allow the Bulldogs to compete at the highest level.
The 2016 Bulldog Challenge had 237 total gifts, while the 2017 Bulldog Challenge had a total of 571 overall gifts with 442 unique donors.
An impressive over 200 alumni also gave to the 2017 Bulldog Challenge that raised over $106,000 in total.
A Special Assistant to the Director of Athletics for Advancement and Alumni Engagement, Betsy Blose is incredibly proud of Bulldogs everywhere for their tremendous support of the 2017 Bulldog Challenge.
"On behalf of the University and the athletic department, I want to thank everyone who supported the Bulldog Challenge throughout the month of March," Blose said. "We exceeded our goal by over 200 percent and that does not happen unless you have a team of folks who passionately care about this University and our student-athletes. I want to thank (Annual Giving and Communications Director) Aaron Dahlstrom in the Advancement Office for his leadership in putting the platform in place for us to support our sport teams. Go Bulldogs!"
The 2017 Bulldog Challenge featured three different categories available for UNC Asheville teams to win with men's basketball raising the most money as a program.
UNC Asheville men's basketball head coach Nick McDevitt realizes these type of efforts for his program mean a great deal.
"In order to sustain championship-level programs here at UNC Asheville there has to be support from a lot of different areas and having our student-athlete and fans step up with their financial contributions only enhances the student-athlete experience here at UNC Asheville," McDevitt said. "Betsy Blose has led the charge for the Bulldog Challenge for several years and to see the amount of money raised eclipse the $100,000 mark is a testament to all of her hard work."
The men's soccer program had the most total donations with 116 in total, and head coach Mathes Mennell is thrilled with the efforts toward his program.
"This my third Bulldog Challenge and it's such a great event and it's crucial to what we're trying to do here as an opportunity to augment our enhancement augments," Mennell said. "I don't think that any coach or student-athlete would have thought in their wildest dreams that we would have gotten over $100,000 across the board with the Bulldog Challenge. For men's soccer to have the most alumni gifts and to have the most gifts and finish a close second in overall money, it's something that we're really proud of. Probably what makes me proudest is not only our community support, but our alumni support.
"It's awesome and very humbling and something we take very seriously. Just to be a part of such a monumental effort that in 2017 saw us get over $100,000 is a great credit to our alumni, to our fans and to our University. I would be remiss if I did not mention Betsy Blose, who did such a fantastic job of spearheading this effort. It's really quite remarkable. We have definitely set the bar very high, but that's definitely a great standard for us all to set our minds to for next year," Mennell continued.
The women's swimming program at UNC Asheville took home the top honors for most alumni participation at 100 percent. Head Coach Elizabeth Lykins is very thankful for the efforts of her young alumni.
"The swimming program is excited to be recognized as a category winner in the 2017 Bulldog Challenge," Lykins said. "Although we have a small alumni base, getting the support of every single alumnae is an incredible feat. With 100 percent alumni participation, the ladies set a strong example for future program graduates to follow. Along with every alumni donating, we are also proud of the number of those who gave. With such a young program, we are excited to see the interest in our program growing. 32 people donated to the program with a strong push in the final days of the campaign. Our staff would like to thank Betsy Blose and (General Manager for Sponsorship and Fundraising) Kelly Schukart for their unwavering efforts to fundraise and enhance the experiences of all UNC Asheville student-athletes. Their work is greatly appreciated and does not go unnoticed."
For more information on UNC Asheville athletics, please visit www.uncabulldogs.com.
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