We'd like to begin by expressing our unwavering gratitude for your support during the basketball season. It was a season to remember, with both of our teams making the postseason in the same year for the first time since 2016. We are excited about the future of both programs – especially in light of our recent announcement that moving forward we will have a dedicated practice facility! We are incredibly grateful for the generous commitment of the Lisa and Douglas Goldman Fund, which will allow us to renovate the existing Blue Gym in the Recreational Sports Facility and turn it into a first-class dedicated basketball facility. Phase two of the project will modernize our strength and conditioning area in Haas Pavilion. In addition to the Goldman family, a special thank you to Mark and Lori Edelstone for their generous support of the project. 

As most of you probably know, our first spring football practice under Travers Family Head Football Coach Tosh Lupoi is underway! We are looking forward to the Spring Game on April 18, and hope you can join us for what should be a memorable experience! We will have several family-friendly activities taking place on Lisa and Douglas Goldman Plaza beginning at 11 a.m. before the "Blue vs. Gold" scrimmage starts at 1 p.m. Afterward, we will be holding a free concert featuring some notable Bay Area rappers and select players will be available for autographs. You can express your "Commitment" to the Spring Game here.  

It is so gratifying to see how our community has responded and supported our efforts to build an elite football program behind the aligned strategic vision of Chancellor Lyons, general manager Ron Rivera, and Coach Lupoi. As they build the foundation to compete on the conference and national level while also creating a sustainable championship culture, you have stepped up - demonstrating your belief and support for the future.

We had our best Big Give yet last month, raising over $2 million from nearly 2,000 donors! All of our sports met their donor challenges, and across campus our department ranked second in dollars raised and third in most donors. We can't thank the Cal community enough for their continued support and passion for our student-athletes. Without you, we simply could not provide them with the world-class experience that is our legacy.

To recruit and retain elite student-athletes in this new era of college sports, we are continuing to build a robust NIL ecosystem. To compete for championships, we need the entire community behind these efforts. First, we encourage Cal fans and supporters to become members of TheLinkU to gain exclusive content and access to Cal student-athletes. Second, we encourage businesses to partner with student-athletes on NIL deals. If you own or operate a business that is interested in partnering with Cal student-athletes, please contact our Associate Athletic Director for NIL, Justin DiTolla at jditolla@berkeley.edu.    

As we've mentioned previously, finding new and unique revenue streams has never been more important, and we are excited about the addition of Lindsey Jones to our senior leadership team as our new Associate Athletics Director for Business Development.  Lindsey has extensive experience as a revenue-generator in and out of the athletics space, as well as implementing NIL strategies, and she has hit the ground running exploring new and innovative forms of revenue. 

We had another successful "Go Girls, Go Bears, Go Play" event last month at Edwards Stadium! This impactful event keeps growing every year thanks to the leadership of our Cameron Institute, and this time we hosted over 2,000 kids and their families for a full day of community engagement. Kids had the opportunity to try out different sports with our student-athletes and coaches, and parents were able to interact with our community partners on hand. The event culminated with our women's basketball game inside Haas Pavilion.  

It was a thrill to see us bring home individual NCAA championships on both the men's and women's side at the recent NCAA swimming & diving championships in Atlanta. Sophomore Yamato Okadome won the national title in both the 100-yard and 200-yard breaststroke events, while freshman Claire Weinstein won the NCAA crown in the 500 freestyle – setting the school record in the process with a time of 4:30.09!

We hope to see many of you at Cal Night at the Giants on April 24! Coach Lupoi, quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele and the Cal Band will be on hand to watch. We continue to enjoy these partnerships with our fellow Bay Area sports teams!

Go Bears!

Jenny & Jay