2021 Cardinal Athletics Giving Challenge fuels tomorrow's legends

During any given Cardinal Athletics Giving Challenge, any team can beat any other team. But our community of Cardinal fans has to participate in the challenge to determine the outcome. This year, Cardinal fans participated, and they brought their best.

First, let's look at the impact of the challenge.

Donor support has tangible results.

During the challenge, our athletics programs receive support that has a demonstrable impact. Last year, 2,327 donors raised $236,475 for our athletics programs, setting a new record for the Cardinal Athletics Giving Challenge.

These generous supporters helped to elevate our teams, providing much-needed funds to upgrade equipment, improve facilities, scout more players, and participate in more training opportunities.

Donors help to write the stories that become legends.

Since the 2020 challenge concluded, seven Catholic University teams went on to win Landmark Conference championships.

Championships represent more than entries in the University's record books. They are journeys of perseverance that form lifelong bonds among teammates and between student-athletes and coaches; they are stories that will be shared with parents, neighbors, hiring managers, and future partners and children; they are precise moments in time that will forever be remembered with pride by each team member; they are the legends that fuel our Cardinal pride.

This year, donors set a high bar for total revenue raised.

This year, 2,317 donors raised $313,614 for our athletics programs during the Cardinal Athletics Giving Challenge. You — our generous supporters — set a new, high bar for total revenue raised during the two-week challenge.

We thank every Cardinal fan who participated in this year's challenge. Thank you for believing in our student-athletes, coaches, and Athletic programs. We can't promise more championships in the next year, but we are certain that your support will lead to real success among our student-athletes.

If you missed this year's challenge, you may still support our Cardinal Athletics. The need continues, and your generosity will continue to have an impact.

Now, let's view the results of the 2021 challenge.

The winning teams unlocked additional prize money.

The top three teams in each category have unlocked additional prize money. Please join us in congratulating the following teams:

We had prize winners in other categories too.

We'd also like to congratulate the following community members and teams for rising to the top of our other challenge categories:

Champion challenge

Throughout the challenge, some Cardinal fans served as champions. They spread the word about the challenge and solicited gifts via personalized fundraising pages.

• Overall winner (Unlocking $1,000 for a team of their choice):
  • J. Picardo - $1,000 unlocked for baseball
• Top 10 champions (Receiving co-branded CatholicU/Washington Nationals baseball caps):
  1. J. Picardo
  2. John Beckett
  3. David Angelo
  4. Cate Redmond
  5. Meghan McDonogh
  6. Justin Klingman
  7. Owen Moynihan
  8. Pat Buckley
  9. Frank Lumaj
  10. Daniel Buckley

Student Philanthropy Council's Power Up Athletics challenge

Our Student Philanthropy Council (SPC) helped students get involved in the challenge by asking them to vote on their favorite teams and to spread the word on social media.

• Overall winner (Winning a takeover of the Cardinal Athletics social media accounts on November 11, 2021):
  • Swimming and Diving