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IT’S ABOUT COMPETING Impacting the lives of Western Illinois student-athletes
• • • • • • • •
Capital facility projects Athletic equipment and apparel Championship, academic and athletic awards and memorabilia Sport-specific needs (for example): - Lodging upgrades for programs such as volleyball, swimming & diving and our golf programs while traveling to road games. - Meal enhancements for men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s golf, and men’s and women’s tennis while traveling to road games - Football communication headsets (approx. $10,000) Specialized computer software (program enhancement or recruiting) Broadcasting Department and production support for airing games (football, volleyball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, baseball, softball) Pep Band fees at basketball games Hall of Fame and Induction Ceremony
SELF-GENERATED FUNDS
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$900,000
$900,000
STUDENT FEES
1,600
$1,250,000 STATE APPROPRIATED FUNDS
1,340
Baseball Baseballs: 40 dozen balls: $2,600 Men’s Basketball Team Meals for one road trip: $1,800 Women’s Basketball Bus trip to South Dakota State: $2,800 Football New Helmets: $275 each (avg 30 new per year) Men’s & Women’s Golf Golf balls: $2,300 for a year for each program Men’s Soccer Soccer balls: $1,000 Women’s Soccer Uniforms: $3,000 Softball Bats: $3,750 a year (approx. $250 each) Tennis Tennis balls: $1,500 minimum Volleyball Shoes: $1,800 Track and Field Track spikes: $6,000
ILLINOIS ATHLETIC SOURCES:
465
For the 2012-13 school year, In-State Student Scholarships will cost $19,978 per student and Out-of-State Student Scholarships cost $23,803 per student. We have 420 studentathletes, a majority of which receive some form of scholarship aid. As a point of reference, we offer some actual examples of annual operating expenses:
$1,500,000
FUNDING FOR WESTERN
FYI: FUNDING FACTS
$240,000
The Leatherneck Club is the organization of fans, alumni, friends, parents—both current and past—and businesses that support Western Illinois Athletics on an annual basis. Through donations, both in cash and gifts-in-kind, Club members are the ‘team behind our teams’, providing essential financial support to better Leatherneck athletics; financial support that the budget cannot fund but which are essential to be a Division I program. Such items include:
2,129
IT’S ABOUT COMPETING
WHAT IS THE LEATHERNECK CLUB?
Our operating budget for 2011-12 was $10.8 million to fund 20 NCAA Division I sports. State funding has been reduced and will continue trending that way. Self-generated funds include guarantee games, like football playing Iowa State in 2012 or UNLV in 2013, endowments and annual funds generated via the Leatherneck Club. As you can see, your support is more important now than ever before.
$ Raised in FY 2012 Number of Donors Source: EADA Report, member institutions
IT’S ABOUT COMPETING means that we are losing the battles against our competition as far as the essentials in being a Division I institution: scholarships offered, equipment, travel, with facilities, with funding, in recruiting… and if we don’t change, we won’t stay where we are—we’ll fall further back. Illinois State will renovate their football stadium in the next 2-3 years. Eastern Illinois has raised their Panther Club revenues by 47% since 2010. Southern Illinois just completed a multi-million dollar stadium and arena renovation. We’re losing ground. You can help by joining the Club and helping improve Western Illinois Athletics.
2011-12 IN REVIEW Annually, our programs have needs to improve facilities… improvements that are not — cannot — be budgeted. Our budgets are too tight for operating costs. So the Leatherneck Club has funded the following improvements in the past two (2) years: • • • • • • •
Women’s History display at Western Hall Sprinkler system at Al Boyer Stadium Baseball/Indoor batting cages at Western Hall Football Locker room displays/photos Softball/McKee Stadium outfield fence signage Volleyball/Brophy Hall signage, installation of scoreboards Softball /McKee Stadium sound system
EACH SPORT now has it’s own, separate fundraising account which
assures no co-mingling of funds and hopefully gives you, as the donor, confidence that your gift is utilized by the sport YOU designate.
Men’s Soccer 13-7-1, 4-2 Summit League • Summit League regular season and Summit League Tournament champions in 2011 to earn the program’s fifth NCAA Tournament appearance. The regular season title was the third under current head coach Dr. Eric Johnson. • Dr. Eric Johnson became the all-time winningest coach in Summit League history and was named Summit League Coach of the Year in 2011. • The Leathernecks had three athletes (Andy Ryan, Alexis Dominguez and Charlie Bales) named First Team All-Summit League. Joining the previous three were three selections to the Second Team All-Summit League (Nathan Bruinsma, Husref Jupic and Mariano Leo). • Charlie Bales was named Summit League Defensive Player of the Year and Summit League Tournament MVP. Joining Bales on the All-Tournament Team was Alexis Dominguez, Husref Jupic, Mariano Leo, and Alexis Dominguez. • Andy Ryan was named Defensive Player of the Week in the Summit League four times in 2011. Husref Jupic earned an Offensive Player of the Week award on 2011 as well. • Alexis Dominguez and Charlie Bales were each named to NSCAA All-Midwest Region Teams. Bales was selected to the Second Team, Dominguez to the Third Team.
FOOTBALL 2-9, 1-7 MVFC • Senior Terriun Crump was the lone Leatherneck to be named to the All-MVFC First Team. The Leathernecks had two members named to the MVFC All-Newcomer Team (Nikko
Watson and Theon Dixon), one (Kevin Palermo) named Second Team ALL-Missouri Valley Football Conference and three (Jimmy Holtschlag, Dwight Harris and Kieron James) were named Honorable Mention All-MVFC. • In addition, Western Illinois had three athletes (Jimmy Holtchlag, Myers Hendrickson and Kevin Palermo) named to the First Team MVFC All-Academic Team, one (Mike Harmon) named to the Second Team MVFC All-Academic Team and one (Jordan Valle) named to the Honorable Mention MVFC All-Academic Team. Holtschlag and Palermo were named to the FCS ADA Academic All-Star Team. Holtschlag was a Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-District pick and was on the ballot for Academic All-American
Volleyball 12-18, 3-15 Summit League • Bridget Murphy was named Defensive Player of the Week in the Summit League twice in 2011. • Ann Miller was named to the Summit League All-Freshman Team. • Western Illinois hired April Hall as the head coach in February 2012.
WOMENS SOCCER 7-12, 1-8 Summit League
• Victoria Kappel was named Summit League Defensive Player of the Week in September while Trisha Quinn grabbed Offensive Player of the Week honors in the same month. • Laura Lins was named the Lincoln Academy Student Laureate Award winner and was also Second Team Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-District.
Men’s Basketball 19-15, 9-9 Summit League • The men’s basketball program secured the first-ever Division I postseason tournament berth by accepting a bid to the College Basketball Insiders Tournament. • Western’s victory total currently stands as the most since the 1997 team finished with 18 wins. This year’s winning record is the first in Leatherneck history since the 1998-99 squad finished 16-12. • Ceola Clark III became the first player in Summit League history to be named ‘Defensive Player of the Year’ twice. Clark was voted Second Team All-Summit League and to the AllTournament Team. • Junior Terell Parks also picked up all-league honors, selected to the Summit League All-Newcomer Team, Honorable Mention All-Summit League, and to the All-Tournament Team.
Women’s Basketball 12-19, 7-11 Summit League • Western advanced to the Summit League Tournament semifinals for the second time in three years, thanks to an opening-round upset of second-seed Oral Roberts, 83-71. • Junior Saule Kontautaite was named Summit League ‘Newcomer of the Year’, the second straight year a Leatherneck received that award. • Senior Sadie Webb was chosen Second Team All-Summit League. She earned accolades for her work in the classroom when she was voted to the Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-District team. Webb was on the ballot for Academic AllAmerica honors.
TRACK AND FIELD / CROSS COUNTRY • The 2010-11 women’s track and field team received The
Summit League’s Team Achievement Award (52 percent of eligible student-athletes named to the Commissioner’s List). • Senior Nikki Klier broke her own 400-meter dash school record. Klier was the top seed of the women’s 400-meter dash and captured her first conference title with a time of 55.52. It is the best flat track performance in program history and breaks Klier’s old record of 55.97 set at the 2009 Summit League Indoor Championships. • Earning 2010-11 Indoor All-Summit League Team honors was Nikki Klier, Jason Crisman, Nichole Manning and Jamario Taylor. • Senior Nikki Klier, junior Jason Crisman, junior Nichole Manning, sophomore Chelsea Lynes and junior Dana LaRue were all named to the 2010-11 Outdoor All-Summit League team. • Nine members of the 2010-11 track and field teams were named to The Summit League Winter/Spring Academic AllLeague Team. Those included were: Nikki Klier, Amy Byers, Nichole Manning, Chelsea Lynes, Jenna Verity, Michael Hemming, Matt Leal, Jason Crisman and Breanna Moore. • Six Leatherneck track and field athletes were named to the 2010-11 Summit League Commissioner’s List of Academic Excellence, including, Nikki Klier, Amy Byers, Nichole Manning, Chelsea Lynes, Jenna Verity, Michael Hemming and Matt Leal. • Three Leatherneck track and field athletes were named The Summit League Track Athlete of the Week during the 201011 season. Those athletes included Michael Hemming, Jason Crisman and Nichole Manning. • Junior highjumper Jamario Taylor captured the Summit League title with a jump of 7-00.25, and finished 20th in the NCAA West Region with a jump of 6-11.25
SWIMMING AND DIVING
• Freshman Doug Ogilvie claimed the Summit League Diver of the Year, one-meter diving and the 3-meter diving title and also won Summit League Diver of the Week on three different occasions. • Leatherneck Swimming and Diving finished 6th on both the men’s and women’s side during the Summit League Championships. • Senior Jamie Grau and Ogilvie highlighted the 2011-2012 season for Western Illinois.Grau won Summit League Swimmer of the Week Honors during the week of December 20.
Baseball 17-35-1, 7-17 SUMMIT LEAGUE • Picked to finish 2nd in the pre-season poll, the Western Baseball squad had early wins over #8 Georgia and Western Kentucky, but struggled in the Summit League. • Seniors Austin Cowen and Rich Mascheri, and junior Dan Dispensa were named Sencond Team All-Summit League. • Senior Austin Cowen was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 35th round of the Major League Basbeall draft.
Softball 23-28, 13-11 Summit League
• Softball had a strong start, including a 10-game win streak in March, but freshman sensation Sammy Marshall broke her leg mid-season and the squad struggled down the stretch. • Lost tie-breaker to qualify for Summit League Tournament having lost 8 of last 9 in conference play. • Senior Jamie Goss was named First Team All-Summit League and was twice Summit League Player of the Week. • Freshman Sammy Marshall ended as the NCAA leader in
stolen bases percentage (45-of-45)… 3 shy of the Western Illinois season record. Sammy was named First Team AllSummit League, and was three times a League Player of the Week.
MENS GOLF 6th in summit league • 2nd Place finish at the Beu Mussatto Invitational and 3rd at the Detroit Titans Invitational. • Senior Kurt Slattery won the Detroit Titans Invitational and was Summit tLeague Golfer of the Week twice. • Junior Ben Kilbourn was named to the All-Tournament Summit League (Tied 4th individually).
WOMENS GOLF 6th in summit league • Sophomore Kristin Tschudin tied for 3rd individually at Summit League, was named All-Tournament Summit League, and carded a hole-in-one at Creighton University Classic. • Freshman Ashley Jeffers tied for 6th individually at Summit League
Men’s & Women’s Tennnis • Men - 5th in Summit League The men’s tennis team battled all season, but injuries limited success. Junior Patrick Hammers was named All-Summit League. • Women - 9th in Summit League The women’s tennis team battled inexperience and depth all season.
ENJOY THE BENEFITS OF THE CLUB!
Rocky’s Coaches’ AllPurple & Captain American Friends Circle Gold $10-99 $100-249 $250-599
VIP
MVP
President’s Club
$600-999 $1,000-2,999 $3,000-4,999 $5,000-9,999
$10,000+
Tax deduction in support of Fighting Leatherneck athletics (per IRS guidelines) Leatherneck Club Insider eNewsletter & invitations to special events Game Program & Web Recognition Leatherneck Club Window Cling Leatherneck Club Membership Card(s) Priority Parking access for Football Year-long discount at WIU Bookstore (including on-line store!!) Invitation to Leatherneck Club hospitality events at football and basketball, and tailgating at baseball & softball. *Does not include President’s Tent for football (see Purple & Gold level for this benefit) Season-long Reserved Parking Space for Football in Leatherneck Club tailgating area and Basketball in Leatherneck Club premium parking area Invitation to President’s Tent at home football games, select basketball games. Premium Personalilzed Reserved Season-long Parking Space for Football and Basketball in Leatherneck Club tailgating area Sideline, court-side or field passes for one (1) home game at football, basketball or baseball/softball. Special Invitation to ‘Chalk Talks’ with coaching staffs Coaches & Athletic Director’s special events
GOLD GOLD PURPLE & GOLD PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PLATINUM
WAYS TO GIVE DIRECT GIFTS These are contributions through many forms. Checks, cash, credit card, or through an electronic funds transfer from the donor’s bank. These are the most common types of transactions that support Western Illinois Athletics.
GIFTS OF SECURITIES AND STOCK Gifts of securities are a way of making a contribution to the Western Illinois University Foundation. It is a donor’s advantage to give securities that have appreciated in value to earn a charitable deduction. The donor receives credit for the full market value based on the closing value on the date of the transaction.
PLANNED GIFTS
MATCHING GIFTS
Planned gifts such as bequests, insurance policies, charitable gift annuities, and real estate enable donors to support Western Illinois University, and in most cases, earn annual income and enjoy tax savings.
Many companies have a matching gift program for contributions of employees. The Western Illinois University Foundation qualifies for most of these programs, and the member receives full credit for the total gift. To find out if your company participates in this type of program, see your company’s benefits administrator.
GIVING ONLINE Visit www.GoLeathernecks.com and click on the “Leatherneck Club” link to find out more.
GIFTS – IN – KIND Members may help the athletic program by giving of a service or product that will assist the athletic department’s budget. The fair market value of gifts of personal property may be credited toward a member’s annual giving.
NEW!
ELECTRONIC FUND TRANSFER [or EFT or automatic withdrawal] Contributing to the Leatherneck Club is as easy as a simple phone call to enroll in electronic funds transfer or automatic withdrawal. Simply call the Western Illinois Foundation office at (309) 298-1861. Three minutes, a few questions, and you’re enrolled. Thanks, in advance, for joining!
FAQs Q: Is my donation to the Leatherneck Club tax deductible? A: Yes, your donation to the Leatherneck Club is tax deductible. Please consult your tax advisor when filing your return.
Q: Am I allowed to donate to multiple funds in the course of a year? A:
Yes, you can divide your donation between any one of our 15 fund categories and your contributions will still be counted as a total gift to Western Athletics. (i.e. $100 to Football, $250 to Basketball = Giving Level of $350) Donations to specific sports funds are applied to that fund’s foundation account.
Q: When will I receive my parking pass? A: We will mail parking passes in mid-August, as our ticket office works hand-inhand with the Leatherneck Club office in regards to parking passes and season tickets. After August, we will mail parking passes as we receive Leatherneck Club commitments, pledges and gifts. So, after August, when you send your pledge card in, you’ll receive your parking pass within a week of pledge processing.
Q: Is there a different parking pass for football and basketball? There used to be two (2) passes. A: There’s only one(1) pass for the entire year. We made that change in 2011 to be more cost-effective and user-friendly.
Q: What happens if I lose my parking pass during the year, or it rips or is damaged? A: Let us know and we’ll replace it ASAP. Either call (309) 298-2602 or email s-mcdonough@wiu.edu. We’ll take care of you.
You have the ability to spread your gift throughout the course of the year with monthly payments. You can do this by establishing an electronic funds transfer directly from your bank account to the Leatherneck Club, or you can have a debit or credit card charged each month. If you choose one of these options, please fill out and return the pledge form to indicate your commitment. Sample gifts and the affordable monthly cost for each pledge level. • Coaches Circle Level-------------------- ($100/12 payments = $8.33 a month) • Captain Level------------------------------------ ($300/12 payments = $25 a month) • All-American Level----------------------($750/12 payments = $62.50 a month) • Purple & Gold Level--------------($2,500/12 payments = $208.34 a month) • MVP---------------------------------------- ($5,000/12 payments = $416.67 a month) • Men’s and Women’s Basketball hospitality room is located in the Hall of Fame Room in the northeast corner of Western Hall. Donors at the following levels can enjoy the pre-game/half-time socials: All-American, Purple & Gold, VIP, MVP and President’s Club. • Baseball hospitality tent is located down the third baseline. The Baseball hospitality tent will be available on select Saturday’s only. • Softball hospitality tent is located in deep right field. The Softball hospitality tent will be available on select Saturday’s only.
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WE NEED YOUR HELP Dear Western Illinois Fan: Thank you for receiving this material about the Leatherneck Club. Our coaches, staff and student-athletes sincerely appreciate your continued interest and support, and we want to thank you….thank you for being a loyal Leatherneck; thank you for cheering for our teams; and thank you in advance for your consideration to support approximately 420 student-athletes participating in 20 intercollegiate sport programs. For more than 40 years, the Leatherneck Club has provided student-athletes the necessary support to make their Western Illinois University
Our goal for 2012-13 is 1,000 members in the Leatherneck Club. That’s a goal that would double our membership from 2011-12. We need help. We need your help.
academic and athletic dreams a reality. Today, annual financial support benefits every player, every coach, and every sport program. Your contribution will directly impact the ever-rising expenses associated with the costs of a competitive NCAA Division I athletics program. Our coaches focus a majority of their time on what they do best; preparing our student-athletes with the knowledge and expertise to allow them to be successful against the highest levels of NCAA competition. The leadership of our coaches provides our student-athletes with lifetime skills which allow them to be accomplished members of our communities long after they graduate. It’s about competing! We need your help to allow us compete in Division I athletics. Our student-athletes want and need your support. You financial gift will pave the way for a lifetime of successes for our student-athletes. We need you to be a member or our team. Please join our team by joining the Leatherneck Club. Sincerely, Dr. Tim Van Alstine - Director of Athletics
We have a new culture at Western Illinois athletics, where we are doing more, with more. We need more help, so we can compete in all of our 20 sports. We represent you--alums, fans, parents, friends, and supporters. Join us as we compete. Join us so we can compete. Join the Club today.
“The Leatherneck Club has helped the Track & Field team by assisting us in purchasing equipment, such as hammers and shot puts, so we have the equipment to practice and compete at an elite level. Thank you for all of your help!” Jenna Verity
Graduating May 2012 Schaumburg, IL
Western Illinois Univeristy’s 1st ever Rhodes Scholar Finalist
IMPORTANT DATES: August 10, 2012
Football Season tickets and parking passes mailed
August 25, 2012
23rd Annual Purple & Gold Dinner/Auction
September 15, 2012 Deadline for Basketball Season ticket renewals September 22, 2012 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony/ Homecoming Weekend December 15, 2012 Commencement/Fall Graduation March 2-5, 2013
Summit League Men’s Basketball Tournament
March 2-5, 2013
Summit League Women’s Basketball Tournament
April 20, 2013
Spring Football game
May 11, 2013
Commencement/Graduation
JOIN NOW! t: (309) 298-2602 f: (309) 298-1960 tickets: (309) 298-1190 www.facebook.com/LeatherneckClub www.twitter.com/LeatherneckClub
The Leatherneck Club’s Mission: To directly support the overall mission and goals of the Western Illinois University Department of Athletics by generating the funds for program and coaching enhancements and for scholarships for studentathletes in 20 varsity sports. It strives to embrace and engage the most dedicated Leatherneck fans within the WIU community to further promote the passion and camaraderie that makes Western so unique.
“The Leatherneck Club is like our 6th man. We can’t win without you. You’ve provided me, my teammates, and all of our athletes at Western with the support that makes us feel like we’re Division I. We can compete with your help. I can’t say ‘thank you’ enough.” Ceola Clark III
Senior Gurnee, IL Only 2-time Summit League Defender of the Year in the history of the league