FARMVILLE, Va. -- For many, the clock passed 4 p.m. this past Sunday with little fanfare, marking just another hour on a sunny weekend afternoon.  For the coaches and supporters of Longwood athletics, however, it marked a final competitive scramble that was the culmination of 168 hours of giving in the inaugural Lancer Giving Madness event. When the dust had settled, head coach Todd Dyer and the Longwood women's soccer team stood alone at the top of the leaderboard, having secured more than 100 gifts in just one week.
 
In all, Lancer fans, parents, alumni and student-athletes made more than 360 gifts, raising a total of $12,212 for Longwood's athletic programs between March 15 and March 22. Lancer Giving Madness, in its first year of implementation, was designed to offer a competitive challenge amongst coaches and teams to see who could garner the most donor participation in one week. The campaign was not about the size of the gift or the amount raised, but how many people each program could engage in philanthropic giving. Each participating program will keep the money they raised to go toward their operating budgets.
 
"The success of Lancer Giving Madness can't be overstated," stated Trey Eggleston, Director of Athletics Development. "More than 340 people made a gift to at least one of Longwood Athletics' programs in the past week. For perspective, athletics had 600 donors total for the entire fiscal year that ended June 30, 2014. It is an absolutely remarkable show of support from Lancer friends, alumni, parents – even our current student-athletes."
 
The event sought to engage alumni, coach and parent networks primarily through social media, and no one mastered the game better than Dyer.  His persistent approach to engaging alums and supporters on Facebook was rewarded through his team's final standing at the top of the leaderboard.
 
The closing days of the campaign showcased the competitive spirit of Longwood's atheltics programs, especially that of the Iain Byers-led field hockey program whose final push jumped the program into a second-plce finish with 81 total donations. Second-year men's basketball coach Jayson Gee spearheaded a third-place finish for his program with 59 unique donations.

By placing in the top three, women's soccer, field hockey and men's basketball received matching gifts in addition to what they raised. Women's soccer's first-place finish yielded a $1,000 match, field hockey earned $500 for placing second, and men's basketball added $250 for their third-place result.

Women's soccer also won additional matching gift prizes, including one for greatest alumni participation and for social media participation on the Lancer Club Facebook page.  In total, $2,500 in matching gift prizes will be awarded to those three teams.
 
Scott Bacon, Associate Athletics Director for External Relations, remarked on the importance of this week for Longwood Athletics and Lancer Student-Athletes, stating, "While the matching gift prizes were a major incentive, I think the big picture is even more important. Not only did each team get to keep what they raised to support their student-athletes, but through Lancer Giving Madness we have broadened our reach and have even more people who are invested in the success of our student-athletes."

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