This year, Western New England University (WNE) combined Undergraduate Open House, Family & Friends Weekend, and Homecoming to create a weekend that brought the entire Golden Bear community together.

Welcoming Golden Bears from near and far, along with prospective students and their families, was a vibrant campus radiating with orange and yellow hues of a typical New England autumn. The annual Downes Athletic Hall of Fame awards kicked off the weekend’s festivities with former Golden Bear alumni athletes, Jacquelyn (Bailey) Thornton ’03 (women’s soccer), Bryan Brunk ’98 (men’s wrestling), Marissa (Bonitatibus) Kukis ’11 (women’s lacrosse), alongside Michael Theulen, former director of athletics and men’s basketball coach, honored as the Class of 2024 inductees.

Golden Bear Boulevard was the place to be on Saturday, October 19 as each of the University’s undergraduate Colleges were represented in full blue and gold fashion. Lining the Pine Grove, tents with faculty and staff, student activities, and WNE alumni-owned small businesses were eager to reconnect and mingle with those in attendance. Alongside the University tents, kids and families were seen enjoying various food trucks and activities in the KidZone. For the first time this year, spectators of the WNE football game were able to watch from the Golden Beer Tent, sipping on beverages from local alumni-owned breweries, Fieldcrest and Loophole Brewing. However, the fun didn’t end just because the football game did – those in attendance gathered for Bear Bash on Commonwealth Lawn, a concert where families and fellow Golden Bears enjoyed the music stylings of the Corey Rieman & The Dilemma Band, while indulging in some local brews and snacks.

Golden Bear athletics hit their stride that Saturday, as each of the home teams found successful results. WNE football took home the win over the Curry Colonels with a 47-21 victory, while women’s volleyball and field hockey battled it out with conference rivals from the University of New England (UNE), both winning 3-1. The cross country teams hosted their Fall Invitational, where they finished 4th/17 (men’s) and 9th/14 (women’s). Graduate student, Matt Provost, also recorded the fastest 8K in program history.

The weekend featured several reunion events, including an off campus gathering to celebrate the 30th reunion for the class of 1994. Throughout the day, alumni athletic reunions took place reconnecting and reminding alumni what it means to be a part of the WNE Golden Bear athletic family. Women’s basketball welcomed back alumni for their annual alumni game, both cross country teams witnessed alumni run during their Fall Invitational, while WNE wrestling celebrated their 50th anniversary with an intrasquad meet, brunch, and later in the evening, a dinner.

Wrapping up the weekend, President Robert Johnson, and other members of leadership on campus, welcomed family and friends for Pancakes with the President on Sunday morning before heading home.

Relive, experience, and enjoy a look back at Golden Bear Weekend 2024 at alumni.wne.edu/goldenbearweekend24.