WILLIAMSBURG— Just weeks after dedicating the new, state-of-the-art Mackesy Sports Performance Center, William & Mary is announcing an additional $6 million in gifts to further modernize Kaplan Arena and strengthen the broader W&M Athletics Complex. This latest investment continues momentum to elevate both the student-athlete environment and fan experience.
Generous support from Jane Thompson Kaplan ’56, P ’92, G ’17, Jill Ellis ’88, L.H.D. ’16, P ’27 and Betsy Stephenson P ’27, and the late Garner Anthony ’53 will ensure fans have the best seating to see the action, improved experiences in concession areas and more inviting hospitality spaces for gatherings. The funds will also allow for increased media broadcast capabilities so that fans can enjoy the games wherever they are.
This additional investment builds on the leadership gifts from Katie Garrett Boehly ’95 and Todd Boehly ’96, and Jennifer Tepper Mackesy ’91 and D. Scott Mackesy ’91, which launched the athletics complex project and inspired many others to support it. The recent gifts bring the total amount of private funds raised for the complex to more than $40 million.
Reimagining the home for W&M Athletics was a top priority of the All In campaign, which concluded in early 2024 after raising over $57 million, some of which supports scholarships, other facility improvements, equipment and other resources for athletes and coaches. Sue Hanna Gerdelman ’76, P ’07, P ’13 chaired the campaign and the Boehlys and Mackesys served as honorary co-chairs, along with Ellis, Stephenson, Mike Tomlin ’95, L.H.D. ’08 and Kiya Winston Tomlin ’96.
At the grand opening of the Mackesy Sports Performance Center — known as the Mack — on Feb. 6, the Mackesys spoke about how the opportunity to compete in collegiate athletics at the highest levels has influenced their lives. They shared their excitement about helping current and future student-athletes achieve their full potential.
“Athletics is vital to sustain W&M’s national preeminence. To our community’s pride, our student-athletes represent the university with grace,” President Katherine A. Rowe said. “Through All In and continued support, we are building facilities fit for championship teams. I warmly thank the donors who join us in this effort.”
The project’s goal has been to transform the game-day experience for everyone involved, to advance excellence in all 23 varsity sports programs, and to enhance the university’s facilities. The complex encompasses Kaplan Arena, the Mack, Jill Ellis Field in the new 1987 Women’s Soccer Team Training Center, the Mackesy Tennis Center at the Millie West Courts, Busch Field and the Tribe Field Hockey Center.
The transformation inside Kaplan Arena began in 2023 with the addition of the 1,000-square-foot, center-hung scoreboard along with an enhanced sound system and lighting.
Kaplan Arena, a centerpiece of the athletics complex, is already named for Kaplan and her late husband, Jim Kaplan ’57, P ’92, G ’17 in honor of their commitment to advancing excellence on the basketball court and in the classroom.
The new women’s soccer locker room at the Mack is named for Ellis and Stephenson in recognition of their generosity and Ellis’ achievements as a World Cup-winning coach, National Soccer Hall of Fame inductee and FIFA’s chief football officer.
Anthony, the former chairman and CEO of media conglomerate Cox Enterprises who passed away in 2020, was on the tennis team as a student; his philanthropy was motivated in part by his close relationship to the late coach and administrator Millie West HON ’91, L.H.D. ’17.
At the Mack, student-athletes have a new place to practice, train and study. The 36,000-square-foot structure encompasses new locker rooms, a cutting-edge strength-and-conditioning center, a sports medicine clinic, study spaces, a mental health & performance suite offering private counseling and mental skills training, a recruiting lounge and a full-size practice court for basketball and volleyball.
“This building is unlike anything right now in college athletics,” W&M Director of Athletics Brian Mann said. “Other people are not making these investments in a way that affects every single student-athlete every day. These additional gifts allow us to further transform Kaplan Arena to create the best possible atmosphere for our fans.”
Along with improved concession areas, the recent support totaling $6 million will create a more intimate experience for fans by reconfiguring seating to bring the audience closer together and updating courtside seats. Renovations to the Person Room include adding a digital hall of fame to the hospitality and meeting space. Upgraded broadcast capabilities and a new podcast booth are planned for the Wightman Cup Room.
Work on these projects is expected to begin later this year, Mann said. For now, the W&M community is invited to come see the W&M Athletics Complex for themselves, cheer on student-athletes and celebrate this new era for the Tribe.
At the Mack dedication ceremony, soccer goalkeeper Mia Tegeris ’28 said the W&M Athletics Complex “sets a new standard of excellence for our department, for our student-athletes, for our entire Tribe community. To all of you here, in this space, you are a part of our team and always will be. Your belief in culture, community and student-athletes lives on here, and it will continue to shape generations to come.”