With Valentine’s Day as the backdrop of Homecoming 2025, UNCW alumni, fans, and friends came back to the nest, February 13-16, to show how sweet it is at UNCW. Festively clad in hues of teal, Homecoming 2025 attendees had a lot to celebrate! Offering more than 30 events, there was something for everyone.
Check out all the highlights from the action-packed weekend below and view photos and more on the Homecoming 2025 celebration website.
Traditions Abound
Over the course of four days, more than 5,000 alumni, fans, families, and friends came together to celebrate the spirit of our Seahawk community — including more than 1,000 alumni returning to the nest to reconnect, reminisce, and join in the festivities.
We celebrated a Trask Coliseum sell out at the Homecoming kickoff game against Charleston and in addition to our annual traditions — with the return of the Champagne Brunch, TEALgate, Alumni Brunch hosted by the African American Graduate Association (AAGA) — new events, such as Desserts with the Dub, created exciting opportunities for Seahawks to meet, greet, and enjoy the spirit of Homecoming.
And we said goodbye to traditions as alumni commemorated the rise and fall of Gallway, the residence hall that served as the annual campus home to more than 400 student residents for over 36 years. The memorable building was razed during the summer of 2024. Check out the Goodbye Galloway spotlight — highlighting the fun, friends, and memories made by alumni during their time in Galloway over the years. The presentation was featured in the UNCW Library over the course of the weekend.
Honors and Anniversaries
From transformational gifts to program anniversaries, Homecoming 2025 provided a number of opportunities to recognize our alumni, donors, and friends who are making a difference in our Seahawk community.
UNCW recognized Dr. Yousry Sayed and his wife, Linda ’78, ’85M at the men’s basketball game on Thursday, Feb. 13. Their recent $25 million gift commitment to support healthcare initiatives and teacher recruitment and retention marks the largest philanthropic commitment in the university’s history, setting a new benchmark for generosity and vision at UNCW.
On Friday, Feb. 14, the College of Humanities, Social Sciences, and the Arts (CHSSA) celebrated the dedication of the new Applied Learning Classroom supported by the Tom and Mimi Cunningham Support Fund for Communication Studies and the 10th anniversary of the Pier601 Creative — an applied learning course offered through the Department of Communication Studies. Learn more about the dedication event and classroom.
Across campus, the Pat Leonard Student Recreation Center celebrated its 25th anniversary — reflecting on the 2000 grand opening of the facility and the 2022 naming dedication in memory and recognition of former Vice Chancellor Pat Leonard.
Additionally, the 2025 UNCW Alumni Association honored the 2025 Distinguished Awards recipients on court during the men’s basketball game on Saturday, Feb. 15. A formal celebration of the honorees will be held in June as a part of the Weekend in Wilmington celebration.
A New Giving Initiative Soars to Excellence
As a means to increase awareness and enhance support of the College Excellence Funds, a new initiative — the Excellence in Flight campaign — was launched in January 2025 with the goal of engaging 250 donors. Concluding at the close of Homecoming, the campaign not only achieved excellence in flight, raising more than $24,000 — it soared to new heights to achieve an astounding 454 donors, including more than 150 first-time donors. Learn more about the campaign and how you can get involved in philanthropy at UNCW.
Weekend Sports Scoreboard
An exciting slate of Seahawk Athletics home events kept campus cheering all weekend long — kicking off with the Men’s Basketball 86-66 win over rival Charleston on Thursday, Feb. 13. Check out the results of athletics Homecoming weekend action below:
- Men’s Basketball: Feb. 14 vs Charleston (W 86-66); Feb. 16 vs Elon (L 70-81)
- Baseball: Feb. 14 vs Quinnipiac (W 12-1); Feb. 15 vs Georgia (L 3-7) | Seahawks vs Quinnipiac (L 6-10); Feb. 16 vs Georgia (W 6-2)
- Women’s Basketball: Feb. 14 vs Elon (L 56-70); Feb. 16 vs Charleston (L 61-64)
Follow all Seahawks teams and upcoming events, home and away, at uncwsports.com.
Stay tuned to alumni.uncw.edu/calendar for upcoming alumni events and programs and stay connected by following the UNCW Alumni Association on Facebook and Instagram.