On the Mark The AD Report

Welcome to the start of the new school year at UCSB. Our fall sports are well underway, and as you can tell from the nearly 14,000 people who showed-up at Harder Stadium Friday night, Soccer Heaven is still alive and well.

I also welcome you to the third edition of DARE Magazine, which highlights our 400 student-athletes and those who lead them. I am excited that in this issue, we will introduce you to two new head coaches and their vision for their programs.

The first is women basketball's new leader, Carlene Mitchell. Carlene has assembled an incredible staff, most of who are disciples of legendary Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer C. Vivian Stringer. They all bring toughness, drive, and the experience of playing deep into NCAA's, which is something our program has tasted and desires to repeat.

Our second recent addition is new baseball skipper Andrew Checketts. We are extremely encouraged by the outreach from alums, players, and the infamous Hammerheads, who have pledged support to build our program since Andrew's hiring. 

The “Campaign for Gaucho Park” is the first step in a series of

game-changing improvements Coach Checketts is mandating while also creating a new support group within the Gaucho Fund, which he is calling the “Gaucho9.” Nine doesn't represent the number of supporters, but will symbolically reference the entire team effort needed to win and compete at the highest level, which many feel our program can. The Big West Conference is committed to sending teams to Omaha and, through the support of the Gaucho9, we will aim to be one of them.

Grab everyone who wants to be inspired! And to grab your copy of DARE magazine, click here!

I'm optimistic that we can continue on the current trajectory of growth and success that we are experiencing in UCSB Athletics. Our success will be a direct result of how we grow the Gaucho Fund ranks.

Those who want to be inspired simply need to back these magnificent young men and women as a donor. Witness this investment in someone who wants nothing more than the ability to compete against the best. And not just compete, but win! To move UCSB forward, we need everyone. It's you in the stands; it's you following your Gauchos from afar; it's you who takes pride in telling your co-workers we're playing in the NCAA's…again.

It's you who flies the flag for your university. The Gauchos play for you and they need you to achieve at the highest level.

Today, no one can argue the University's place among the best academically. No one can ever claim that this is not the most unique and special place to spend your college days. And, please now, who will waste their breath and tell you living in Santa Barbara isn't anything but a pure slice of heaven (Soccer Heaven and more of course)?

Support, financially and emotionally, is the game within the game. Most of the national and local competition we face is in it to win. So, our donors, alums, parents, and the community must out-support them to win the games, retain and recruit the best coaches, and improve the facilities, which directly effects recruiting the best students and athletes. It's a health dose of us versus them. It's what a top-notch university does across campus: fighting for the nation's best faculty, valuable research funding, and the best students. It's what UCSB does.

Competing at the highest level opens a door to a dream these young men, women, and coaches had when they said, “yes” to being a Gaucho. We are a destination for the best students, faculty and, with your help, student-athletes in the nation. Thank you for supporting our courageous spirit.

Your support inspires us!