RICHMOND, VA -- The University of Delaware community once again showed its willingness to help others as the Blue Hen athletics department finished second in the recently completed Colonial Athletic Association Blood Challenge.

The Colonial Athletic Association Blood Challenge shattered all previous records for the fourth consecutive year with 3,215 actual donors and 3,287 productive units of blood collected from the 12 CAA campuses. Those totals represent a 22% increase in the amount of blood collected from last year’s campaign and is nearly triple the amount that was collected during the inaugural campaign just five years ago. The Blood Challenge has resulted in 10,697 productive units of blood over the past five years.

Drexel University was declared the winner of the 2006 CAA Blood Challenge for the first time, edging Delaware by just 11 donors. Drexel set a Blood Challenge record with 713 actual donors, which resulted in a Challenge-record 789 productive units of blood collected. The University of Delaware, which won the first four CAA Blood Challenges, finished second with 702 donors. Georgia State University finished third in the Challenge for the second straight year with 299 donors.

The CAA Blood Challenge was developed in 2002 by the conference presidents as a fun way to emphasize the critical importance of donating blood. Each CAA institution worked with its local blood service center and designated one day during the Fall semester to conduct a campus-wide blood drive. Student groups, faculty, staff and alumni were all encouraged to participate.

All 12 CAA institutions had more than 75 donors participate in the program. Towson University finished fourth with 284 donors, followed by Hofstra (237 donors), VCU (202), UNC Wilmington (168), William & Mary (161), George Mason (151), Northeastern (117), James Madison (105) and Old Dominion (76).

“The CAA Blood Challenge was once again a tremendous success and we are proud to be associated with such a worthwhile and life-saving project,” CAA Commissioner Tom Yeager said. “The credit for that success goes to the many student-athletes, volunteers and staff members on each of our campuses who put in a great deal of effort promoting and running the event, as well as all of the people who took time to donate blood. To have nearly tripled the number of donors over a five-year period is an amazing accomplishment.”

Commissioner Yeager will present Drexel University with an award in recognition of its outstanding achievement during the basketball season.