Students, donors team up at Endowed Athletic Scholarship Luncheon

In the fall, the Athletics Department teamed up with University Advancement to put on its second annual Endowed Athletic Scholarship Luncheon honoring the department's most loyal donors. The October 12 event, held in Huddleston Hall, brought together 65 alumni and friends of the University who have established athletics-related endowments with 88 student- athletes who directly benefit from these funds through scholarships and other support.

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again: our supporters really are the lifeblood of our athletics programs," said Athletic Director Marty Scarano. "Without them, we wouldn't be able to provide the opportunities we do to our student-athletes. This event is a terrific opportunity for us to thank them as an institution, and for our student-athletes to thank them for the very direct impact their gifts have on their lives."

The afternoon event featured a panel of current student-athletes, coaches, and Athletics alumni who participated in a question and answer session on the topic "What it Means to be a Wildcat," moderated by Dan Parkhurst '93, executive director of the Wildcat Sports Network. Panel members included Northeast Passage sled hockey player/coach and U.S. Paralympian Taylor Chace '11, men's ice hockey goaltender Casey DeSmith '15, football and track Hall of Famer Arnold Garron '84, standout swimmer Lauren McCandless '15, and head women's basketball coach Maureen Magarity.

DeSmith and McCandless, who hold two of the department's 97 endowed scholarships, both agreed that their athletics experiences have giv- en them discipline, structure, and a sense of community. As both an athletic scholarship recipient in his own playing days and now the donor behind the Arnold P. Garron '84 Football Diversity Scholarship Fund, Garron opined that UNH Athletics is a 100 percent risk-free investment.

"UNH has great programs and great people, and when you choose to support the student-athletes here, you know exactly where your money is going and what it's going to help make possible," he said. "As successful alums and future alums, you have to remember the folks who lifted you up and made it possible to reach your potential. And then you have make sure to reach back and lend a hand to those who are following in your footsteps."

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