BOSTON – Over one million dollars was raised during the greatest 24-hour period of philanthropy in Boston University Athletics history on Wednesday (April 5) as BU Giving Day proved once again to be a record-breaking event.

Student-athletes, alumni, parents and friends combined to shatter the department's previous Giving Day mark, nearly doubling the total of $513,400 from 2016.

"Giving Day 2017 reiterated what we already knew: the support for BU Athletics is stronger than ever," Director of Athletics Drew Marrochello said. "Year after year this event has become a record-breaking 24 hours and this million-dollar milestone demonstrates the enormous pride in Terrier Athletics. On behalf of the department, we are so grateful to everyone involved, from our donors to our athletes and coaches to our development staff, for helping us provide a first-class experience for our students."

Athletics exceeded its total from the previous Giving Day for the third consecutive year as the annual fundraising event began in 2014. Wednesday's final tally was $1,020,343 from 3,552 gifts, representing a large portion of the $2,331,712 raised in total across campus.

"Our success on Giving Day can be attributed to a total team effort," said Scott Graham, Director of Development for Athletics. "As we geared up for Wednesday, the energy from our student-athletes and coaches reached a new level. Thank you to Terrier Nation for this unprecedented display of philanthropy."

Giving Day Chair Mary Buletza (Questrom'80) and Tim Burr (MET'97) issued a set of challenges to jumpstart the competition between all of BU's varsity teams and supporters. The top four men's and women's teams in terms of number of donors and the most improved men's and women's squads from 2016 were each awarded bonus funds.
A driving force behind the initiative's success were the alumni, parents and friends who stepped up in support of their favorite BU Athletics programs by sponsoring challenges geared towards each team. In total, 37 donor challenges were established during the 24-hour initiative.
 
For those who missed this opportunity to support BU Athletics, there is still time to make a difference in the lives of Terrier student-athletes by making a gift prior to June 30. We encourage you to contact the Terrier Athletics Fund at (617) 353-3008 or terriers@bu.edu to learn more.
 
For a complete list of BU Giving Day results, please click here.