As we have closed out another year, I want to take a moment to gather our fans, donors, and community supporters, who are the heartbeat of Ranger Athletics, and reflect on where we have been, where we stand, and where we are going together.
Earlier this year, we launched the Rangers Roadmap, the first-ever comprehensive strategic plan for Parkside Athletics. It was more than a document. It was a declaration. A declaration that Ranger Athletics is done simply adapting to the changing landscape of college athletics and higher education. We are preparing to lead in it.
That plan is anchored in a mission I believe in completely: to deliver a positive, holistic experience for all associated with Ranger Athletics, centered on a relentless pursuit of excellence in the classroom, in competition, and within the community; while working hard, demonstrating integrity, and being respectful in the climb to be champions. Everything we do runs through that filter. It is our compass, our north star and it is not going anywhere.
Our vision is equally clear: to cultivate leadership, compete for championships, and become a pinnacle of pride. Not just for this campus, but for this region.
These are the daily standard by which our coaches coach, our student-athletes compete, and our staff serves. They are what separate programs that talk about excellence from programs that achieve it.
This past year gave us real proof that the standard is taking hold, on the field, in the classroom, in the community, and in the generosity of the people who believe in this program.
On the competitive side, our Wrestling program made history, finishing as NCAA National Runners-Up, a moment that put Ranger Athletics on the national stage and reminded everyone paying attention what this University is capable of. Our track and field programs posted historic conference finishes. Our women's soccer, volleyball, and baseball programs showed the kind of competitive growth you can build championship futures on. And we welcomed women's flag football as our 17th sport, expanding opportunity and signaling that Parkside Athletics is growing, not standing still.
We also had a record number of GLIAC Commissioner Award honorees which recognizes the elite student-athletes in the conference that excel in both the classroom and competition. Natalie Harris (Volleyball), Daniyal Rana (Men's Soccer), Easton Worachek (Wrestling), and Mia Johnson (Softball) certainly continued to excel in those areas for us this past year and were rightfully recognized by the conference.
But what may be the most telling measure of who we are happened in the classroom. Every single sport program at Parkside earned a team GPA of 3.0 or higher this past year. 78% of our student-athletes exceeded that mark individually. That is not a footnote, that is the mission in action. It is proof that competing for championships and developing leaders are not competing priorities here. They go hand in hand.
And beyond the lines and the scoreboard, our student-athletes continued to show up for this community, through partnerships with the Boys & Girls Club of Kenosha, the Shalom Center, and others. We strive to give back to the region that gives so much to us. That is what it means to unite a community through the power of sport.
To our donors, alumni, and community supporters, this section is written for you, because this year's story cannot be told without you. You showed up in a way that humbles us and fuels us at the same time. We set a record in our fall giving campaign. Parkside Day 2026 was historic, not just for Athletics, but for the entire University. And for the second consecutive year, Parkside Athletics received the largest philanthropic gift ever made to this program. Back-to-back.
That does not happen by accident. It happens because people believe in what is being built here, and because that belief is being honored with results. We do not take that trust lightly, and we will not stop working to be worthy of it.
The world of college athletics is shifting at a pace unlike anything we have seen before. For programs without a clear identity or a plan, that is a destabilizing reality. For Parkside Athletics, it is an opportunity.
We are Wisconsin's NCAA Division II University, and that is one of our greatest competitive advantages.
It means we have a genuine opportunity to raise the profile of the entire University, strengthen our regional roots, and become the model other programs look to and admire to become the envy of college athletics.
The Rangers Roadmap runs through 2030 and it holds us accountable to making that vision real. We just finished year one. There will be great moments ahead and hard ones too, that is the nature of climbing toward something worth reaching. We will not waver in our direction and our determination.
To everyone who cheered, supported, partnered, and believed this year, thank you! We are grateful that you are making this climb with us as we elevate Parkside Athletics.
Go Rangers!
Adam Schemm '08
Director of Athletics
