Every time we endeavor to say thank you to our Wildcat Family, the same feeling rises to the surface: we are blown away by your generosity. In awe. During Giving Day 2023, 1,370 donors combined to raise a grand total of $202,583.85 in support of our current student-athletes and to plant seeds for an even brighter future.
 
The numbers—both department records—are truly staggering. The 1,370 donors more than doubled the number of donors of 2022's Giving Day efforts, and the $202,583.85 raised smashed the previous Chico State Athletics best of $182,392 contributed in 2021.
 
Want some more impressive numbers to prove how much support Chico State Athletics received on Giving Day? The Wildcat Family accounted for 34 percent of total Giving Day donors of the entire University, and 28 percent of the University's overall dollars raised during the March 1 donation drive.
 
Chico State Athletics accounted for six of the University's top 10 Giving Day donor campaigns. The Wildcat women's soccer program ranked second overall with 322 donations, followed by men's soccer (third, 228 donations), women's cross country (fifth, 123), women's track & field (seventh, 110), men's track & field (eighth, 103), and men's cross country (ninth, 97).
 
The money raised will be used for scholarships—which allow us to continue to attract the best and the brightest student-athletes into our program—as well as equipment, leadership opportunities, and more. Your support allows us to enhance the experiences of our 350-plus student-athletes and maintain our standing as the premiere NCAA Division II Athletic Department on the West Coast.
 
Since the very beginning, Chico State Athletics has been a special program. And that continues today. Since joining the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA)—the nation's premiere NCAA Division II conference—in 1998, Chico State's student-athletes have continued to:

• Excel academically.
• Contribute in the community.
• Conquer in competition.
  • 81 CCAA titles.
  • 37 West Region Championships.
  • 16 NCAA Champions.  

 
Thanks to your generosity, Chico State Athletics continues to excel during the 2022–23 academic year. Men's and women's soccer, men's and women's cross country, and men's and women's basketball all earned postseason berths, with the men's cross country team capturing both the CCAA and NCAA West Region championships while finishing the 2022 campaign ranked fifth in the nation. This spring, Chico State baseball, softball, men's and women's golf, and men's and women's track & field are all competing to reach postseason play.
 
Chico State student-athletes have excelled in the classroom as well in 2022–23, earning academic honors from the CCAA, the College Sports Communicators organization, and the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Many more Wildcat student-athletes will be recognized for their academic achievements at the conclusion of the spring semester.
 
If you missed your opportunity to give last week, you can always support your favorite team, or the Athletic Department at large, through the regular giving form.
 
We go farther together than we do alone.
 
We just can't say it enough—thank you, Wildcat Family!