Wildcat fans, I hope each of you had a great 4th of July holiday weekend. Most of our administrative and coaching staff took advantage of the three-day weekend and enjoyed some time off with friends and family as we celebrated the birth of our great nation.

NCAA RECLASSIFICATION
Last Wednesday afternoon, I found out from the NCAA that the Division I Administration Cabinet reviewed our reclassification report for membership and advanced our institution into year three of the reclassification process. This is a major accomplishment for our staff, and I’m very proud of the work we put into our annual documents to merit this advancement. We are now officially halfway through the four-year process and one major step closer to becoming full-fledged Division I members.

WILDCAT CARAVAN COMING UP
For the fifth straight year, several ACU athletics administrators and head coaches will travel across the state of Texas to meet our alumni, lettermen and fans.

This year's Wildcat Caravan will be a three-day event (July 22-24) as we hit four cities where we have tremendous alumni support.  The Caravan begins with a lunch in Houston on Wednesday, July 22, continues the next day (July 23) with lunch in Fort Worth and dinner in Austin, and concludes with a lunch in San Antonio on Friday, July 24. 

In addition to the coaches and athletics staff, some former Wildcat greats now in the NFL, including players Charcandrick West and Daryl Richardson are scheduled to attend the event in Fort Worth to meet and mingle with ACU fans. Former Wildcat, Danieal Manning, is also scheduled to appear at the event in Houston. 

I can't wait to get on the road and meet our alumni and fans! Our mission of honoring Christ through excellence in academics and athletics is unique, and the Caravan gives us a great chance to share our story and update our supporters on the latest from ACU athletics.

To register for the Wildcat Caravan or for more information, click here.

FALL SPORTS GETTING READY FOR SEASONS
It's hard to believe, but we're less than one month away from student-athletes reporting in football, volleyball, men’s and women’s cross country and women's soccer to begin workouts for their respective 2015 seasons.

The women's soccer team – coming off an 8-9-2 season, but 5-4-2 in Southland Conference play under head coach Casey Wilson – reports on Wednesday, Aug. 5, and will start practice that day. The Wildcats will have an intrasquad scrimmage on Saturday, Aug. 8, and will kick off their regular season the next Saturday when they travel to Waco to take on Baylor.

Coach Wilson has put together an extremely challenging non-conference schedule that will see the Wildcats play the University of Arizona in Tucson, UTEP in El Paso, Cal-Irvine and Texas A&M in College Station, North Texas at home, TCU in Fort Worth, and Texas-San Antonio and the University of Texas in Austin.

The ACU football team – coming off a 6-6 season (4-4 in conference) in its first year in the Southland Conference since 1972 – will report on Saturday, Aug. 8, with the team's first practice scheduled for the next day. Ken Collums and the Wildcats will open the season on Thursday, Sept. 3, at Fresno State. ACU's first home game of the season will be played at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 19, against Houston Baptist at Shotwell Stadium.

Head coach Keith Barnier’s men’s and women’s cross country teams will report on Thursday, Aug. 13, in preparation for their seasons. The Wildcats’ first meet is set for Friday, Sept. 4, when they host the ACU Invitational at Sherrod Park. ACU teams will also compete this fall at Texas A&M, Arkansas and Incarnate Word before competing in the Southland Conference championship meet on Nov. 2.

Finally, head coach Jason Bibler's volleyball team will report on Sunday, Aug. 9, with the first practice set for Tuesday, Aug. 11. The Wildcats will start the season the last weekend of August by playing in the TCU Tournament in Fort Worth. In the non-conference season, ACU will play TCU, UTEP, Arizona, Wichita State, New Mexico State, Texas A&M, Texas-Arlington, Houston, North Texas, Boise State, Montana, Illinois-Chicago and the University of Denver. 

It should be an exciting fall, and I hope that you will mark your calendars to come out and support your Wildcats at home and on the road!

PEAK SPORTS MANAGEMENT PROGRESS
We are in the first year of a multi-year contract with Peak Sports Management, and so far the relationship has been a great one for both sides. Randy Carter joined our team a few months ago as the general manager of Wildcat Sports Properties, and even though he works for Peak and not ACU, he’s already a familiar face at our events and around campus and is building great relationships in the community.

Just to give you an idea of the kind of work Randy has already done, we collected a little more than $140,000 in sponsorship cash and trade in 2013-14. Since Dec. 1, 2014, when Randy started with us, we have commitments for a little more than $440,000 in cash and trade! We’ve added new partners such as West Texas Ford Dealers, Blue Sky and Bontke Bros. Construction, among several others.

We were also able to work out a deal with Arrow Ford and McGavock Nissan to provide five vehicles to the department of athletics. Our coaches will also be helped in recruiting by the 475 hotel rooms that Peak was able to secure in trade with several hotels across town, and they’re working on additional sponsorship opportunities with new and existing partners every day.

Thanks to Randy and Peak Sports Management for promoting the ACU brand and enhancing our corporate partnerships.

I hope each of you can get away for a few days of vacation, family time and relaxation the rest of this summer.  But remember, the fall season will be here before we know it!

Go Wildcats!

Lee De León
Director of Athletics
Abilene Christian University