Challenge champs
UD captures fifth straight Colonial Athletic Association Blood Challenge
8:17 a.m., Dec. 4, 2015--The University of Delaware has captured the Colonial Athletic Association Blood Challenge for the fifth year in a row and the ninth time overall in overwhelming fashion, with 573 donors.
The 14th annual CAA Blood Challenge resulted in 1,776 productive units of blood that were collected from 1,735 donors on CAA campuses. Over the 14-year history of one of the event, the CAA Blood Challenge has resulted in 43,607 productive units of blood.
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Delaware's total more than doubled the amount donated by runner-up Drexel University and was more than the third through sixth place finishers combined. One out of every three donors for the entire conference was a donor from UD.
“The CAA Blood Challenge is annually one of the most important community service projects that is conducted on our campuses,” said Tom Yeager, CAA commissioner. “Giving blood, especially during the holiday season, has a positive impact on the lives of thousands of people. We sincerely appreciate the efforts of the students, faculty and administrators who were involved in making the Blood Challenge a big success again this year.
"On behalf of the entire University of Delaware community, we are excited to capture our fifth straight Colonial Athletic Association Blood Challenge title,” said Eric Ziady, UD director of athletics. “Blue Hens fans and our UD students stepped up once again at a crucial time to give their time and help save lives. We salute all of them for their efforts and for embracing this event and we give special thanks to everyone from the Blood Bank who worked so hard to make this possible. We at Delaware are proud to once again lead the way in this important initiative."
“Congratulations to all the wonderful people in Blue Hen nation who once again proved how generous and supportive they are by giving their time to serve as a blood donor for the CAA Blood Challenge,” said Jerry Oravitz, associate director of athletics for football administration and UD’s Blood Challenge site coordinator. “Thank you to everyone at the Blood Bank of Delmarva and the University of Delaware for their hard work and cooperation in earning a fifth straight CAA Blood Challenge championship.”
Drexel University finished second in the CAA Blood Challenge with 261 donors and Hofstra University placed third with 217 donors. The University of North Carolina Wilmington (169), the College of William and Mary (139), Elon University (132) and James Madison University (101) all had more than 100 people donate blood.
UD continued its tradition of success in the CAA Blood Challenge. The event has annually been one of the largest blood drives in the Delmarva region.
“Once again, University of Delaware and the Blood Bank of Delmarva (BBD) have proven that collaboration, commitment and having fun can help to save lives,” said Roy Roger, president and CEO of the Blood Bank. “BBD is proud to partner with UD in this our fifth straight CAA Blood Challenge win, and we applaud the students, administrators and faculty involved in this lifesaving effort. As we enter the winter and holiday season, the blood donations from this year’s challenge will help us supply our hospitals and their patients with the life-saving gift of blood, and that’s a win for everyone.”
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 term to conduct a campus-wide blood drive. Student groups, faculty, staff and alumni were all encouraged to participate.
Yeager will present UD with an award in recognition of its outstanding achievement during a basketball game this winter.