The Drive 2002 Reaches $708,178 After Third Report Night
June 3, 2002 SAN DIEGO - Volunteers from around San Diego County gathered at theAztec Athletic Center to report their progress on "The Drive 2002" onThursday, May 23rd for Report Night No. 3. The third report night was the last group session for volunteers duringthe 10-week campaign prior to the Victory Celebration on June 20th. Atthe end of the night, AAF Director Pat Kreger announced a total of$708,178 through six weeks of the campaign. "We've got four weeks to bring in $400,000," said "The Drive 2002"chairmanCraig Nelson. "It is going to be right down to the wire to see if we canmake the goal we set of $1.1 million. We can't stress enough theimportanceof this campaign to the success of SDSU Athletics and itsstudent-athletes,so we encourage the entire SDSU community to get on board, make yourpledge, make your donation, and get us over the top." "We're in the homestretch to reach the goal," said AAF President BenBagnas. "If your constituency hasn't made their contribution at thispoint, please contact the AAF offices immediately to help us cruise bythe $1.1 million goal and support our student-athletes." The volunteers in attendance also heard from SDSU Executive Director ofAthletics Rick Bay, as he gave a "State of the Aztecs" presentation tothevolunteers, followed by a lively question and answer period. "The Drive 2002" is the AAF's annual campaign to raise funds forstudent-athlete scholarships at SDSU. Locally-based teams of volunteersfrom throughout San Diego and Orange Counties will compete against eachother for the right to be the Aztecs top fundraising group in 2002, aswellas great prizes for individual and team results. This year's goal is toraise $1.1 million during the 10-week campaign, which would eclipse lastyear's record of $960,000. In the team race, the defending champion Aztec Warriors from ScrippsRanch/Poway, led by Captain Ben Bagnas, continue in first place with$86,890, 101.32 percent of their 2001 team total. The team champion isdetermined by the team with the greatest percentage increase over theirstarting amount. Team results are as follows: In the individual race, last year's defending champion, Ben Bagnas oftheAztec Warriors, vaulted into the lead at $47,795, followed by long-timeveteran fundraising ace Bobbie Harkey of the Tierrasanta Titans at$42,214. Top 10 individuals are as follows: You can help the Aztecs and the AAF reach their ultimate goal of $3millionsupport for student-athlete scholarships at SDSU, by far the biggestchallenge facing the athletic department. Contact Pat Kreger at the AAFat(619) 594-6444 to get in contact with the team in your area as avolunteerfundraiser, and find out more on how you can become an integral part ofbuilding a successful Division I athletics program at San Diego StateUniversity. It's a great way to get involved with the Aztecs, meetcoaches,student-athletes, and athletic department personnel, and join otherloyalAztecs to help build a championship level program in the Mountain WestConference. Be a part of the winning team at SDSU, as the AAF looks tobuild on the record-setting campaign in 2001, and the momentum createdbySteve Fisher's squad appearance in the 2002 NCAA Men's BasketballTournament. You can track progress on the campaign by frequentlychecking updates at the SDSU Athletics website, www.goaztecs.com. |
