Omaha Athletics Celebrates Another Record Year of Private Support

Growing support from alumni and fans led to record-setting private support for Omaha Athletics in fiscal year 2024, with more than $6.1 million in support through cash, pledges and gifts. The total included $4 million committed to The One Fund to support University of Nebraska at Omaha Athletics and designated team/programmatic accounts.

For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, 2,565 donors made a gift through the University of Nebraska Foundation to support the Mavericks, marking an all-time high for the number of individual supporters. The number of donors grew 50% from fiscal year 2023, which set the previous record of 1,704 donors. Over the past three years, the annual donor base for the Omaha Athletics program has grown by 170%.

"Omaha Athletics has never been stronger, and we are humbled by the generosity of our donors in support of Maverick student-athletes," Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Adrian Dowell said. "We experienced unprecedented successes last year competitively and in the classroom. The reality is that none of this would be possible without the investments from our community and we are positioned well to navigate the industry shifting landscape because of our donors."

The Mavericks enter 2024-25 following a historic banner campaign in 2023-24. The Mavericks captured four Summit League titles last year with men's soccer, volleyball and softball each winning their conference tournament. Volleyball also captured the Summit League regular season title, the program's second in the Division I era. Five Omaha teams advanced to conference championship games and two programs, softball and hockey, earned national recognition in top 25 polls to end the season. Hockey, men's soccer, softball and volleyball advanced to the NCAA Championship and as a result, the department finished 20th among all Division I-AAA institutions in the annual LEARFIELD Directors' Cup, Omaha's highest ranking since joining Division I.

Wear Black Give Back, UNO's annual giving day, occurred Nov. 8-9, 2023, and Omaha Athletics set the pace for a record-setting day on campus. The event raised $175,419 for Maverick student-athletes, with 1,056 gifts made over 24 hours.

The Maverick HERoes initiative was launched to empower and amplify women's athletics, and it did so in a historic way, with more than $850,000 raised in the first year. The Claussen/Leahy Maverick Run returned to its origins in April to support female student-athletes. Having started as the UNO Women's Walk, the 2024 Maverick Run raised $475,000 and drew 1,529 participants to support Omaha Women's Athletics.

Omaha Athletics also created the UNO Student-Athlete Holistic Support Fund, paving the way for a new mental health initiative to support Maverick student-athletes. More than $500,000 was committed during the fiscal year specific to mental health and holistic support. A full-time clinical and performance psychologist and a sports psychologist were hired to be directly embedded in the department. Additional philanthropic dollars helped provide the department with a licensed sports nutritionist, benefiting the more than 300 Maverick student-athletes.

As Omaha Athletics looks to the future, philanthropic support will be a cornerstone of its continued growth and success. In a time of significant change across the NCAA landscape, donor support helps to ensure positive holistic development and a competitive experience for Maverick student-athletes.

For more information on how to make a difference in the future of Omaha Athletics, visit omavs.com/give or contact Omaha Athletics Development at 402-502-4911 or via email at athleticsdevelopment@omavs.com.

Gifts to Omaha Athletics support Only in Nebraska: A Campaign for Our University's Future, a historic effort to engage at least 150,000 benefactors to give $3 billion to support University of Nebraska students, faculty, academic and clinical programs and research to address the needs of the state.