RICHMOND, VA -- For the second straight year, the University of Delaware posted an impressive second place showing in the annual Colonial Athletic Association Blood Challenge.

The 2007 event surpassed all previous records for the fifth consecutive year with 3,425 actual donors and 3,399 productive units of blood collected from the 12 CAA campuses this past fall. The total represents a 3.4 percent increase in the amount of blood collected from last year’s challenge and triple the amount from the first campaign in 2002.

The CAA Blood Challenge was developed 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.

Delaware won the first four challenges in 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005 and placed second in both 2006 and this season to Drexel University, which had 942 actual donors this fall. Delaware was second with 678 donors followed by Virginia Commonwealth (325), Georgia State (304), Towson (237), Hofstra (234), UNC Wilmington (182), William and Mary (161), James Madison (110), George Mason (92), Northeastern (84) and Old Dominion (76).

“We are thrilled with the level of support shown for this important program by all of our CAA institutions,” CAA Commissioner Tom Yeager said. “The outstanding efforts put forth by our students, faculty and administrators will literally touch the lives of thousands during a critical time for blood donations during the holiday season. The conference would like to thank all of the people who took time to donate blood and the volunteers who have made the CAA Blood Challenge an overwhelming success.”