May is a month to celebrate. This Thursday the University will hold its 136th Commencement ceremony to celebrate what is most important, students earning their college degrees. Congratulations to all our graduates and their families and I wish each of them the best as they depart to make their mark in their communities.

It is also an exciting month for Athletics as our men’s crew team and women’s rowing team will compete on Friday and Saturday at the Dad Vail Regatta – for the first time on the Cooper River in Camden, NJ. Our women’s rowing team will also compete at the AAC Championship on Sunday at Lake Melton in Oak Ridge, Tenn. while our women’s track team travels to Tampa on Friday for the three-day AAC Championships.

It is also a month for hosting championships. A big shoutout to Lee Roberts and his facilities team, along with our Temple facilities staff for their help in making this past weekend’s AAC Women’s Lacrosse Championship a huge success. Next up, Jessica Reo and her local organizing committee is hosting the NCAA Women’s Rowing Championship, also on the Cooper River, on Memorial Day weekend. It promises to be a great event featuring the top schools from all three NCAA Divisions.

On April 17, Doug Maine hosted his annual New York City Angels Dinner at the New York City Hunt & Fish Club. A record 14 Owls supporters attended the dinner, a yearly event which has raised over 1 million dollars to support Temple Athletics and our student-athletes. I want to thank Doug and all his Angels for their continuous support as their generosity continues to make an impact on the student-athlete experience.

A Temple Athletics party of roughly 70, including 58 student-athletes from 10 sports, participated in the Owls Take Manhattan event on April 28. During the day, student-athletes had the opportunity to network and learn from a panel of seven professionals from different disciplines.

Doug Maine of Brown Brothers & Harriman Co. and our women's basketball coach Diane Richardson were among the speakers that also included John H. Austin (iMask Intelligence), Martin Bawden (Deutsch NY), Sahara Gipson (Google), Michael Kauffman (Clio Music and Clio Cannabis), and Jack Wolf (Generation Health IT Solutions). Gipson is a former Temple gymnast who graduated in 2018, while Maine, Kauffman, and Austin are also Temple alums.

I want to thank all of the speakers for making this such a special event for our student-athletes, as well as Alyssa Drachslin, Tara Evans, and Austin Mullen for their work in making the experience a success.

It was wonderful celebrating with our senior student-athletes at our annual graduation reception on May 2 in Alter Hall. The evening was highlighted by Such a wonderful night which was highlighted by our featured speakers, Sophia Gulotti (women’s track and field), Wisdom Quarshie (football) and Julia Stoltzfus (men’s crew), each of whom shared inspiring words for the Class of 2023.

This Thursday, a total of 123 of our student-athletes will participate in commencement exercises. This highly accomplished group of Owls combined for a 3.41 cumulative grade point average, while earning degrees in 61 different academic programs.

What a special time of year. Congrats to not only our student-athletes, but all Temple University students earning their degrees this week!

Temple University has been the home to outstanding student-athletes for nearly 130 years. To celebrate this milestone, we introduced The 1894 Society, as it reflects our history of excellence, while positioning us for success in the future. The 1894 Society will have a transformative impact on the student-athlete experience at Temple for many years to come.

On May 2 the NCAA released its four-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) data, and it was once again a day to celebrate the success of our student-athletes in the classroom. Overall, Temple was ranked 24th nationally among Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) institutions and our Owls are one of 10 schools to post a 990 APR or above in the last six years.

I want to commend the student-athletes for putting in the work, while thanking Tara Evans, Director of the Nancy and Donald Resnick Center, and the academic support staff for their tremendous work with our student-athletes, as well as the Office of the Provost for their leadership. It is through their hard work behind the scenes, as well as the support from our coaches to our academic mission, that this success is possible.

In partnership with the School of Sport, Tourism & Hospitality Management (STHM), 22 student-athletes will be traveling to Madrid, Spain this week as part of a short duration study abroad experience.

With support from Dr. Jaime Durán from the College of Liberal Arts who serves as the Temple in Spain Program Director, student-athletes from nine different teams (men’s basketball, football, men’s soccer, women’s basketball, fencing, field hockey, gymnastics, women’s tennis and volleyball) will be led by Dr. Debra Blair from STHM for seven days where they will spend time in three different cities (Madrid, Toledo, Oviedo) immersed in the language and culture of Spain.

We are grateful for all the hard work that Dr. Blair and the staff in STHM put into these transformative experiences that have included Rome, Tokyo, and Barbados in the past.

Don't miss your chance to meet and hear from Temple head coaches, mingle with fellow Owls, grab some giveaways, and have the chance to win prizes!

JUNE 5: PHILADELPHIA, PA

Chickie's & Pete's, South Philadelphia

JUNE 6: MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA

MaGerk's, Fort Washington

JUNE 7: BUCKS COUNTY, PA

Green Parrot, Newtown

JUNE 8: BURLINGTON COUNTY, NJ

Chickie's & Pete's, Marlton

All events will feature head football coach, Stan Drayton, head men's basketball coach, Adam Fisher, and head women's basketball coach, Diane Richardson.

Click HERE for more information and to register.

Women’s Lacrosse lost in the final minute at Vanderbilt, 12-11, on April 29 to fall just short of qualifying for the AAC Championship.

In Women’s Track, Amira Green placed second to earn a silver medal in the high jump (1.64 m) and Laura Nicholson picked up a bronze medal with the third fastest time (4:17.03) in program history at 1500 meters to highlight the Owls performance at the Penn Relays.

Men’s Crew picked up five medals, including a gold in the 2V8, at the Bergen Cup Championship on April 30.

Women’s Rowing competed at the Women’s Sprints in Worcester, Mass on April 29. The Owls Varsity 8 had the best finish in the tough field, placing third in the Petite Final.

I am excited that our doubles pair of Jamie Wei and Maiko Uchijima will represent Temple as a doubles team in the 2023 NCAA D1 Women's Tennis Championship. Both were also named to the all-AAC team with Maiko earning Freshman of the Year honors.

Jamie and Maiko will join 31 other doubles teams from around the nation to compete at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, FL. The tournament will begin on Monday, May 22 and end with a champion being crowned on May 27.

Congrats to former Owls Christian Braswell, Jacksonville Jaguars (sixth round, FA), Jadan Blue (Chicago Bears, FA), and Todd Centeio (Kansas City Chiefs, FA) and 2022 players Jose Barbon (Dallas Cowboys, FA), Adam Klein (Washington Commanders, FA), Isaac Moore (Green Bay Packers, FA), Xach Gill (New York Giants, FA) and Adonicas Sanders (Indianapolis Colts, FA) and best of luck in the professional football careers.

Congrats to three of our own, Emilie Cochrane (Spirit Squad), Meghan Phillips (Field Hockey) and Diana Tiburcio (Fencing) for being among this year’s 23 Diamond Award recipients.

The Diamond Award is the highest recognition by Student Affairs given to a Temple University undergraduate student. This recognition is based on a holistic evaluation of the student’s accomplishments. The award is reserved for those who have demonstrated superior leadership, academic achievement, service to the University, and impact on a community (local, regional, or global). Through their leadership, it is clear that they are set apart from others as especially deserving of this unique honor.

Temple Football season ticket holders should have received an email on renewing your tickets for what looks to be an exciting 2023 season. The home schedule features games against the Miami Hurricanes, Akron Zips, Norfolk State Spartans, Navy Midshipmen, SMU Mustangs, UTSA Roadrunners, and Memphis Tigers.

TO RENEW YOUR 2023 FOOTBALL SEASON TICKETS, CLICK HERE OR CALL THE TEMPLE TICKET SALES OFFICE AT 215- 204-TIXX (8499)!

Besides Maiko Uchijima and Jamie Wei (see above), Women’s Lacrosse star Belle Mastropietro was named co-Midfielder of the Year and earned a spot on the First Team All- Conference with teammate Katie Shallow, while Maddie Barber and Mackenzie Roth were named Second Team All-Conference. Mastropietro also earned AAC Midfielder of the Week honors on May 1. Golf’s Ethan Whitney was named to the All-Conference team. Women’s Track star Laura Nicholson was named OwlSports.com Athlete of the Week (5/1) and Athlete of the Month (April).

Please come out and continue to support all our Temple Athletics teams. Below is a link to our composite schedule.

If you are looking for a good sports camp to send your children, look no further. Temple Athletics features many camps sponsored by our head coaches. Click here for details.

In closing, I want to wish all the mothers, especially on our staff and the mothers of our student-athletes, a very Happy Mother’s Day this Sunday. And to the mothers of our student-athletes, thank you for entrusting Temple University and Temple Athletics with your sons and daughters. It is our honor and privilege to take care of them along their educational journey.

Missed an edition? See all past newsletters HERE.