Ethan Lewandowski Assistant Director of the Chippewa Athletic Fund | LinkedIn
Ethan Lewandowski Assistant Director of the Chippewa Athletic Fund | LinkedIn
Nearly 500 Central Michigan University student-athletes from all 17 sports attended the annual CMU Athletics Welcome Back Picnic on Sunday evening at the Soccer/Lacrosse Complex. The event coincided with the start of the Fall 2024-25 semester, which begins Monday morning.
The attendees were welcomed by Central Michigan President Robert O. Davies, Zyzelewski Family Vice President/Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Amy Folan, Faculty Athletic Representative Dr. Kelly Murphy, and Student Athletic Advisory Board President and volleyball player Allie Korba.
President Davies addressed the gathering: "Watching you compete, watching you win and bring home championship rings has been the best," he said. "Just last weekend, I was cleaning out some of the things in my office—17 championship rings in the last six years, but more importantly, 372 athletes graduated. To me, that is the ultimate prize. So, keep on being amazing, keep on working hard, keep on representing this great university so well. I am proud of you and I will always be proud of you."
Folan also spoke to the crowd: "We are here to kickoff the year but also to know that we are here for you," she stated. "We are here to provide the best student-athlete experience in the Mid-American Conference. The first two things we focus on is nutrition and mental health... Make sure you take care of each other... We get into academics and leadership development... The last thing is your athletic experience. We want you to win championships after you get those degrees."
Dinner featured barbecue fare including macaroni and cheese, coleslaw, icies, and water. Post-dinner activities included games such as Spike ball, cornhole competitions, Kan Jam games, a large Connect Four board, bouncy house games among others set up across the field for entertainment purposes. A photo station was available for social media shots.
Earlier in the day at Central Michigan's Soccer/Lacrosse Complex, CMU’s soccer team won their first regular season contest against Cincinnati with a score of 2-1.
—CMU—
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