Recap: Clark Atlanta Athletics Year in Review

ATLANTA, Ga. – Over the past seven months at Clark Atlanta University, the athletics department has obtained a myriad of athletic and academic achievements under the leadership of the newly appointed Director of Athletics Dr. Jerel Drew. Since Dr. Drew's hiring, he has made several improvements to athletics personnel, facilities, and overall daily operations.

PERSONNEL

Since being appointed in December 2022, Dr. Drew has hired several key positions needed for the athletics department including CAU's first full-time head volleyball coach, Joelle Mafo. His hires also include head women's tennis coach, Roderick Slack, Assistant A.D. for Sports Medicine, Dr. Michael Douglas, Assistant A.D. for Sports Performance, Kerry Thompson, Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach, Brandy Outlaw, Assistant A.D. for Business Operations, Ashleigh Hicks, and Director of Athletic Communications, Justin Mordecai.

Amongst these personnel changes, several staff members received promotions under Dr. Drew's leadership. Joseph Arnold was recently named Deputy Athletic Director for Compliance and Sports Administration, Vanessa Hale received the promotion to Associate Head Athletic Trainer, and Nyeja Warner earned the title of Graduate Director of Football Operations.

FUNDRAISING

Since being onboarded in December, Dr. Drew has implemented several efforts to increase fundraising opportunities for the Clark Atlanta Athletics Department. In his first fundraising event, "For the Love of CAU" in February, $14,000 was raised for CAU Athletics. Due to the efforts of CAU supporters, primarily the CAU Players' Association and Booster Club, the event was a huge success. In March 2023, Dr. Drew launched the Panther Investor Program to build relationships with potential sponsors and increase revenue generation. Additionally, sneaker and apparel company "SNIPES" donated a $50,000 scholarship check to the Athletics Department while rapper Lil Boosie also gave an additional $15,000 to athletics through the CAU Players' Association.

ATHLETIC SUCCESS

In the past seven months, Clark Atlanta athletics has seen great success, winning two regular season championships in women's basketball and tennis, a second-place finish for Women's Track and Field at the SIAC Championships, and seven out of 10 teams competing in postseason play.

CAU's athletes have achieved tremendous individual accolades as well, including seven all-conference nods, five player of the week winners, and several athletes being nominated for various community outreach awards.

Head men's basketball coach Alfred Jordan was also selected to coach in the 2023 HBCU Allstar Dream Classic at Rucker Park on August 5, 2023. To add to that, Assistant AD for Sports Medicine Dr. Michael Douglas will serve on the medical staff for the 2023 U.S. Tennis Open taking place from August 28-September 10th.

ATHLETICS VISIBILITY

During the "For the Love of CAU" fundraising event in February, Dr. Drew announced the return of the Labor Day Classic against Kentucky State on August 31, 2023, and the Georgia-Florida Classic against Florida Memorial University taking place in Miami on September 14, 2024.

In an attempt to increase athletics visibility, Dr. Drew implemented live streaming for events in Epps Gymnasium with live streaming to come for all sports in 2023-24. Other upcoming projects include redesigning the athletics website and launching the CAU Athletics Mobile App.

In addition, the XFL announced that Clark Atlanta would host its 2023 HBCU Showcase on June 17, 2023. In collaboration with the Atlanta Braves and Truist Bank, CAU Athletics was also a part of the "Homers for Hank" program which aims to honor Mr. Aaron's commitment to education and supporting children in chasing their dreams by providing scholarships for students attending historically black colleges and universities, career development programs for HBCU students, and alumni, and future support initiatives in honor of Hank Aaron's legacy.

Clark Atlanta Athletics collaborated with Atlanta Postal/Center Parc Credit Union to sponsor the Young Money University financial success presentations at CAU. The Young Money University financial success speaking tour was the introduction to several financial literacy components meant to educate and inspire Clark Atlanta student-athletes to begin changing their financial behavior.

ACADEMIC SUCCESS

During the 2022-23 academic year, CAU saw over 30 student-athletes graduate and celebrated over 150 scholar-athletes with GPAs of 3.0 or more. The athletic department also finished the year with a 3.1 cumulative team GPA.

OPERATIONAL IMPROVEMENTS

Since his hire, Dr. Drew has made several improvements and alignments to the athletics department's daily operational structure. Among those improvements are the hiring of Assistant A.D., Dr. Michael Douglas to increase athletic training coverage across all sports, especially during team travel.

Also, Dr. Drew assisted Deputy A.D. for Compliance and Sports Administration, Joseph Arnold in getting CAU athletics off of NCAA probation which began before his tenure with the school. As of April 28, 2022, the NCAA has announced that Clark Atlanta University is currently in compliance with all NCAA regulations.

In conclusion, the success of Clark Atlanta Athletics has been nothing short of remarkable. From the tireless efforts of our student-athletes to the unwavering support of our dedicated coaching staff and enthusiastic fan base, we have achieved great heights and made a lasting impact in the world of collegiate sports. As we celebrate our achievements, we also look to the future with great anticipation and excitement. We are committed to further enhancing our athletic programs, nurturing our student-athletes growth, and continuing to make a positive impact both on and off the field and in the Atlanta community.

Accountability
Commitment
Excellence

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