Greetings from Paradise!

What an incredible time! Our spring sports are off to an amazing start, it's time for the American Athletic Conference Basketball Tournaments in Fort Worth, and we just announced football season tickets on sale in anticipation of an exciting first season under Hagerty Family Head Football Coach Zach Kittley.

I'd like to begin by welcoming Adam Hasner as the eighth president of Florida Atlantic University. Hasner is Boca Raton through and through – having lived in Paradise for much of his life. He knows FAU, he knows south Florida and he is the ideal leader to continue the exponential growth of our university.

Adam has already ingrained himself with the Owls, attending several athletic events in the short time since his selection. Please join me in welcoming Adam, his wife Jillian, and their family to FAU!

I would be remiss not to acknowledge Dr. Stacy Volnick, and her selfless service to this University over her three years as interim president. Stacy always champions FAU Athletics and we are so grateful for her commitment to the Owls.

It's time for the postseason in basketball, and I want to wish our women's team the best of luck against Charlotte in the first round of the AAC Tournament on Saturday at 1 p.m. on ESPN+. Our men have two regular-season games remaining as they battle for tournament seeding, including tonight at UAB at 7 p.m. on ESPN2. They're home for the finale on Sunday at 1 p.m. versus East Carolina.

My congratulations to Head Men's Basketball Coach John Jakus, who has been named a finalist for the Joe B. Hall Award, presented annually to the best first-year head coach in Division I. I'm proud of the job John has done with an almost completely new roster, as the Owls are guaranteed a winning regular season record for the seventh consecutive season dating back to 2019! To put that in perspective, FAU had just eight winning regular seasons in its history before that time. 

We couldn't have asked for a better start to the spring season! The reigning AAC regular season champion softball team has burst into the Top 25 after an incredible 21-4 record to start the year, highlighted by a number of power conference wins. The Owls are one of the best offensive teams in the nation and are home this weekend to begin defense of their 2024 AAC regular season title against Wichita State.

The baseball team has begun its season by winning 10 of the first 12, including thrilling wins over Miami and UCF. The Owls battle FIU in a home-and-home series this weekend, with Saturday's game in Boca Raton starting at 4 p.m. I encourage you to enjoy the park, especially in the Berman Zone's cabana-style seating down both baselines – it's a great place to watch a game!

Beach Volleyball is 7-1 to open the season, including three Top 20 wins, and jumped to No. 12 in the Top 25. Also scorching out of the gate, women's tennis is 6-0 and ranked No. 27 with impressive wins over Miami, Minnesota and UCF.

Congratulations are in order for women's golfer Charlotte Perkins, who took home individual medalist honors at the Lake Oconee Invitational in late February for her first career tournament win.

Finally, our men's swimming & diving team claimed an impressive runner-up finish at the ASUN Championship recently. Diver Isac Faxius was named ASUN Most Outstanding Diver and Alik Sarkisian was named Diving Coach of the Year.

I'm so proud to share that Florida Atlantic is the only team in the American Athletic Conference to have any of its spring teams ranked in the Top 25 – and we have three with softball, women's tennis and beach volleyball! Such a special start to their seasons and we're excited for what's in store over the next few months.

Academically, the news continues to be positive as the fall semester saw our student-athletes register an impressive 3.23 cumulative GPA -- yet another semester with a 3.0+ cumulative GPA! That's now 19 consecutive semesters above a 3.0, including six straight semesters better than 3.1.

Of course, I commend our student-athletes for their efforts in the classroom, but I also thank our coaches and our support staffs, specifically those in Academics. Our staffs continue to prioritize the importance of the classroom and work tirelessly to support our Owls.

We shared some transformational news in December, announcing a 15-year partnership with Flagler Credit Union to rename our football stadium as Flagler Credit Union Stadium. Flagler Credit Union has deep ties to our area and has been a trusted community partner for more than two decades. I'm thrilled to welcome CEO Brian Waldron, and the Flagler Credit Union leadership and staff to the Owls family!

Spring football is just around the corner. We welcomed Coach Kittley and his family to Paradise in December as he's hit the ground running by hiring a first-class staff, working to retain a number of our student-athletes while attracting some high-quality transfers to FAU.

Kittley is one of the nation's brightest offensive minds and we're excited for the high-scoring brand of football he'll bring to Flagler Credit Union Stadium this fall. The Owls begin spring practice on March 11, and we hope to see you at a special Friday Night Lights spring game on Friday, April 11 at 6:30 p.m. – admission is free!

As we prepare for the 25th anniversary of Florida Atlantic Football in 2025, the season begins Aug. 30 at Maryland with the home opener the following Saturday, Sept. 6 versus Florida A&M. The complete AAC schedule was announced recently, along with opening of our season tickets sales.

We have always prided ourselves on being your Hometown Team by making FAU tickets some of the most affordable in this market. Football season-ticket prices remained the same this season, with tickets starting at just $75. That's an incredible deal, considering our benefits package that includes a full-size FAU flag for every season-ticket account. We encourage all our fans to fly that flag, show your pride and help us paint the town blue and red!

Finally, I want to pass on my congratulations to former Owl football great Trey Henderickson, who led the NFL in sacks this past season. An NFL All-Pro pick, Hendrickson joined elite company with Reggie White, J.J. Watt, and Mark Gastineau as the only players in NFL history with 17.5+ sacks in consecutive seasons.

We are so proud of our accomplishments both on and off the field, with so much possible because of your unwavering support. So,

and I look forward to seeing you at our events this spring!

Go Owls!

Brian White
Vice President and Director of Athletics

#WIP