Alumni Raise High During A-10 Tournament in NYC

A fan reacts during the A-10 championship game on Friday, March 15 in Brooklyn, NY.
A fan reacts during the A-10 championship game on Friday, March 14 in Brooklyn, NY (Photo: Rich Schultz).

On Friday, Mar. 14, GW men’s basketball took to the Barclays Center court as part of the Atlantic 10 Championship — and thousands of alumni, parents and friends were there to support them.

At 7:00pm, before the Colonials faced off against the University of Massachusetts, a pregame party took place in the Barclays Center’s 40/40 Club, which overlooks the sights and sounds of Brooklyn, NY.

During the party, hundreds of alumni gathered to show their school spirit and rev up before the game. University President Steven Knapp was also on hand to join in the fun, along with GW’s Director of Athletics and Recreation Patrick Nero, Colonials Head Coach Mike Lonergan and co-chair of the GW Athletics Advisory Board Michelle Rubin, ESIA BA ’91.

Erin Lamb, ESIA BA ’06, shows her school spirit before the game on Friday, March 14.

“I’m so glad to support the team tonight” said Emily Weinger, CCAS BA ’08.”I still feel connected to GW, and it’s great to be here with so many other Colonials!”

Fellow alumna Erin Lamb, ESIA BA ’06, echoed Weinger’s sentiments.

Lamb, who lives in Philadelphia, PA, says she makes a point to attend games whenever she can, having traveled to DC earlier in the season to see the BB&T Classic game.  When she can’t make it in person, she gathers other alumni together to watch the games on TV.

“It’s great because it helps me stay connected to GW,” Lamb explained, “but I’ve also been able to reconnect with other alums that I otherwise wouldn’t see.”

While some Colonials, like Lamb, are veteran game-goers, others were attending their first game as members of the alumni community. Many agreed that supporting athletics is a big draw.

“You have people coming from different cities, which really makes it a great alumni event,” said Alexander Gumer, GWSB BBA ’10. “I’d love to see more events like this!”

Left to right: Alexander Sternberg, CCAS BA '10, Ankit Sheth, ESIA BA '10, Alexander Gumer, GWSB BBA '10, Kevin Quinn, CCAS BA '11 and Jeremy Dann-Soury, CCAS BA '10 enjoy the pregame party on March 15.
Left to right: Alexander Sternberg, CCAS BA ’10, Ankit Sheth, ESIA BA ’10, Alexander Gumer, GWSB BBA ’10, Kevin Quinn, CCAS BA ’11 and Jeremy Dann-Soury, CCAS BA ’10 enjoy the pregame party on March 14.

The men’s basketball team went on to secure an 85-77 victory over UMass that evening. On Saturday, they took on Virginia Commonwealth University, who bumped the Colonials out of the A-10 semifinals with a 74-55 win.

But the journey isn’t over just yet.

The Colonials will return to the NCAA Tournament as the No. 9 seed team. On Friday, Mar. 21, they’ll head to Raleigh, NC to face No. 8 Memphis in the 2014 NCAA Tournament second round at PNC Arena. Tip-time is set for 6:55 ET and the game will be broadcast on TBS.

Go Colonials!

-Melissa Nyman

If you want be part of the action during the NCAA Tournament please visit GWsports.com for more information. And, be sure to share your experience! @GWAlumni, @GW_MBB

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