The ONE Fund gives you the chance to get in the game and experience the impact of your investment in Maverick student-athletes. Please consider supporting Omaha Athletics by making a gift to the ONE Fund today.
Omaha Athletics is finding new ways to live out the Maverick mentality every day.
That mentality is lived out in a multitude of ways on UNO’s campus. You can find it through the success of UNO’s wide variety of men’s and women’s athletic programs.
It can also be found in the classroom, where UNO student-athletes are working hard, ready to contribute to their community after their time in college ends.
Lindsey Ekwerekwu, Executive Associate Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Success, said the connection between the university’s athletic program and the wider community goes hand in hand with the leadership of the department’s Vice Chancellor / Director of Athletics, Adrian Dowell.
“I’ve been here for 13 years, but I would say that, in [Dowell’s tenure], we have really ensured that we are fully rooted in the campus community,” she said. “We want to make sure that we are speaking the same language and furthering the mission of the overall institution within our own department.”
For Ekwerekwu, that means finding success in competition and the classroom. Over the last three years, UNO has celebrated NCAA tournament appearances and conference titles, all while experiencing a high graduation success rate among its student-athletes.
“We are graduating and retaining UNO graduates at the end of the day and putting them out into the Omaha community to make an impact on that workforce,” Ekwerekwu said. “We’re proud of the way that we collaborate with campus. Without their support and engagement, there would be no success within Omaha athletics.”
Through donor support to The One Fund, student-athletes and programs can continue thriving. Gifts to this fund provide critical support, including funding toward key areas, such as:
For UNO Baseball, these gifts have provided cutting-edge tools that are helping the program’s student-athletes swing for the fences.
“Thanks to contributors to our ONE Fund, Omaha baseball utilizes advanced analytical software we wouldn’t otherwise have been able to acquire,” head coach Evan Porter said. “Everything from pitch tracking to launch angle calculations are all made possible with thanks to our generous supporters.”
“I think there are a lot of ways for coaches to kind of find support designed around their needs. At the same time, we still have those priorities and pillars of support, whether it be programmatic, scholarship oriented or student-athlete experience oriented.”
That support goes a long way to elevate the student-athlete experience at UNO on a daily basis, Ekwerekwu said. You can learn more about the impact your support has on UNO’s athletic programs below.
The impact of women’s athletics at UNO has grown in recent years. That momentum has only underscored the importance of supporting these programs to ensure future success, according to Ekwerekwu.
“Our women’s programs have been extremely successful,” she said. “We’ve had a lot of success over the last few years and that’s a testament to our coaches. It’s a testament to our student-athletes, campus and leadership and staff within this department.”
Donor support toward women’s athletics will continue to fuel the next generation of leaders within the UNO community and beyond, providing critical resources to ensure programs and its student-athletes have the tools necessary to succeed.
“With this support, we’re able to elevate our training, expand our choreography and provide meaningful opportunities that make a lasting difference in our dancers’ college experience,” Omaha Dance Head Coach Mo Klug said.
Beyond providing the tools to succeed, gifts from donors give student-athletes at UNO the belief to continue pushing toward their goals, reaching new height along the way.
“”It means a lot to know people care about our growth both on and off the court,” Summer Shannon, a junior women’s tennis player at UNO, said. “Your generosity helps us chase our goals with every match we play.”
“We’ve just got some of the best female student-athletes in the country. We also have some really special, talented leaders that we’ve been able to attract to our campus and the community of Omaha, and it has been paying off.”
You can learn more about the impact of gifts to UNO’s women’s athletic programs below.
Each dollar raised to support Omaha Athletics and its programs makes a tangible impact on the school’s student-athletes, according to Ekwerekwu.
“At UNO, every gift, no matter how small, makes an impact,” she said. “When we all work together to identify priorities and visions that make sense for our department and our program, that’s how we make a difference.”
Whether it’s a gift that helps provide resources to a program to ease travel days for student-athletes or upgrades an aging piece of equipment, Ekwerekwu said donors are fueling Omaha Athletics with every gift they make.
“We are moving the needle with each dollar, and I think that’s important,” she said.
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