Happy Wednesday Patriots. We are less than a month away from our Patriots being back in real, live action!

Can you tell we’re excited!!!!!!! (I know, I know… too many exclamation points)

But before our beloved Green and Gold return, we’ve got some of our own making some noise Down Under at the Women’s World Cup.

We’ve got the details on that and much more!

What all is stirring in today’s Brew? You don’t want to miss!

⚽️ History Makers
🌠 Tick, tick, tick…
🚣‍♂️ Making Waves
​⭐ And much, much more!

📈 STOCK UP

🔼 History Makers. During her college career, Alyssa Whitehead at one point led the entire country in goals against average and save percentage.

It’s safe to say she knows a little bit about defending and the goalkeeper position.

In just one season at Mason, her impact was tremendous. Now? The world is getting to see it.

Whitehead was on the sideline and part of the coaching staff as her home country of Jamaica earned its first-ever Women’s World Cup point on Sunday with a 0-0 draw against perennial contender France.

Next up for Whitehead and the Jamaicans? Showdowns against Panama (Sat., July 29th at 8:30 a.m.) and Brazil (Wed., Aug. 2nd at 6 a.m.).

🔼 More History Makers? Of course. Rising senior Milan Pierre-Jerome is having one heck of a summer “break”.

She and her Haitian teammates are turning heads at the 2023 Women’s World Cup after battling one of the tournament favorites, England, to a close fought, 1-0 loss.

Next up for Pierre-Jerome and Haiti is China (Fri., July 28th at 7 a.m.) and Denmark (Tues., Aug. 1st at 7 a.m.).

With Pierre-Jermone and Whitehead both part of one of the world’s biggest sporting events, this is the first time George Mason will have both a player and a coach participating in a World Cup.

Games can be viewed on Fox Sports or Telemundo.

🔼 Irish Impact. No matter how many advertisements or great commercials we may see, we all know that recommendations from friends or others are the best way to peak our interest.

Grace Furlong was a two-year standout for the women’s track & field squad, earning silver medal status at the A10 Indoor and Outdoor Championship meets this past year. Her silver medal in the triple jump was a part of Mason’s 2023 Women’s Track & Field Atlantic 10 Championship victory.

This past week, Furlong reflected back to her journey to the US from Ireland and what it’s been like.

‘Every aspect of life in the US has been beyond anything I could have hoped for’

🔼 Making Waves. The Patriots rowing didn’t doesn’t just make waves on the water, they’re making waves in the classroom too.

No, not literally, but their success academically absolutely shines brightly.

Five members of the squad have been named CRCA Scholar Athletes for 2022-23.

Senior Olivia Zablocky earned the honor for the second-straight season, while Maddy Baldwin, Daylin Canton, Haviland Cobb and Kaitlyn Kutz are recipients for the first time in their Mason careers.

🔼 Hoops Over Hockey, Eh? Our friends from up north are even friendlier with us Patriots now after the latest addition to Mason’s men’s basketball program.

A 6-foot-3-inch guard from Brampton, Ontario, Baraka Okojie reclassified to the Class of 2023 and will join the Patriots as a true freshman in 2023-24. 

A First Team SIAA All-State selection in 2023, Okojie impressed for Daytona Beach DME Academy this past season where he lead his team to the top seed in the Florida state tournament and a top-10 ranking on MaxPreps. He served as team captain while averaging 14 points, five assists and five rebounds per game.

Okojie has represented his home country on the biggest stages as a member of the Canadian U-16 and U-17 National Teams. He is an alternate for the U-19 team. 

🌠 THE LEWIS ERA

The Dawn Of A New Era. July 1st officially started a new era of George Mason Athletics.

That was the day that Marvin Lewis, a former star collegiate student-athlete himself, officially took over the reins as the Athletic Director.

Energy, excitement and hard work are just some of what Marvin brings to the table. We can’t wait to see what the future has in store!

⭐️ PATRIOT COUNTDOWN: 22 DAYS

We are counting down the days to start of the 2023-2024 athletic calendar with some of the best moments, stars, and much more from Mason history.

Feelin’ 22. We’re not sure if Abby Najdzinowicz is a Swiftie, but let’s be honest, who isn’t, right?

Last year was the debut season in Green and Gold for Najdzinowicz, who came to Fairfax after a three-sport career at Red Bank Catholic School in New Jersey.

She was a varsity letterwinner in soccer, basketball and track, helping her teams win several Division and Section Championships.

In her first season with the Patriots, she played in 13 games, earning a start in two of those as a defensive midfielder.

🤔 PATRIOT TRIVIA

Power of 2s. Olyvia Kennedy of the George Mason volleyball team, like Najdzinowicz above, wears #22, the exact number of days left to Patriots athletics returns.

During her debut season in 2021, Kennedy was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie team for her outstanding play.

Last year (2022), one of her teammates followed by earning a spot on the 2022 A-10 All-Rookie team to make it two straight years a Patriot appeared on the team.

Can you name that teammate from 2022?

Got a guess?

Scroll on down to the bottom of this email for the answer!

📬 STICK WITH US

Did someone send you the Patriot Brew? Well, the first thing you should do is thank them. The next thing you should do is subscribe here and get it in your inbox every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning just in time for your first cup of coffee!

🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: Gabriella Gelfound.

Gelfound (2021) and Kennedy (2022) were the third and fourth ever All-Rookie team selections in program history.

Have a great Wednesday, ya’ll!