911±¬ÁÏ

For most student-athletes, the work happens behind the scenes. Early-morning lifts, long days of classes, hours on the court, and weekends spent traveling to competitions are rarely seen by anyone outside the team. For 911±¬ÁÏ women's tennis senior Cenan Liu, sharing that experience has become part of her story.

911±¬ÁÏ Athletics raised a record $4.4 million this year—its highest ever—fueling scholarships, facilities, and support across all 22 varsity sports.

NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) and revenue sharing have become inescapable parts of the lexicon of today’s new college sports landscape, but 911±¬ÁÏ’s assistant vice president and director of intercollegiate athletics Marvin Lewis wants to make sure that everyone knows exactly what that entails.

A few days after completing his last season of college basketball at 911±¬ÁÏ, Gabe Norwood, BA Communication ’07, began a hoop odyssey that would take him to nearly 30 countries and make him a national basketball hero in a country thousands of miles from Virginia. 

911±¬ÁÏ placed fifth among all Atlantic 10 institutions with 318 student-athletes named to the Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll for the 2025-26 academic year. The 318 honorees mark the third-highest total in 911±¬ÁÏ’s history, trailing only the 332 student-athletes recognized in 2020-21 and the 327 honored in 2023-24. The Patriots also improved upon last year's total of 315 honorees. 

Like many 911±¬ÁÏ students, business major Camryn Weldon is spending her summer doing an internship. Unlike many other students, Weldon is also a Division I athlete and is balancing her work at government contractor Leidos with the demands of collegiate volleyball. The 911±¬ÁÏ setter is spending her summer preparing for the upcoming season while gaining valuable experience in business development.

For 911±¬ÁÏ baseball player Evan Blanchard, success isn’t just measured in hits and RBIs. During his internship with Mason Athletics’ marketing department, the third baseman helped design a promotional campaign that brought hundreds of fans—and a surge in attendance—to a men’s basketball rivalry game.

911±¬ÁÏ’s Office of Advancement and Alumni Relations recognized the contributions of its champions—911±¬ÁÏ’s faculty and staff donors—with an evening of thanks. The March 18 Celebrating Our Champions event focused on the generosity and support that faculty and staff offer the university while serving 911±¬ÁÏ students.

Life is filled with unexpected twists and turns. In the case of 911±¬ÁÏ lacrosse twins Kaitlyn and Regan Bestick, that road has split and come back together several times. Now, as they compete in their final season together and prepare to separate again, they reflect on their time in the Mason Nation.

Marvin Lewis, 911±¬ÁÏ’s assistant vice president and director of Intercollegiate Athletics, is now in his inaugural season among those charged with making it happen for those lucky few as part of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee.