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2025 Homecoming Highlights
Marlins gathered for FinFest, athletic competitions, theatre productions, and more during Homecoming & Family Weekend
University News | October 4, 2025
Photo Gallery: Homecoming and Family Weekend 2025
Photo Gallery: Parents Council Events
Homecoming & Family Weekend 2025 brought together alumni, students, families, and friends for a spirited celebration of Marlin pride.
Festivities began Friday, October 3, with Marlin Spirit Day, Parents Council meetings, and the 24th Annual Golf Outing—renamed this year in honor of Joanne Renn—at Cypress Point Country Club. Evening activities included an Alumni Gathering at the country club and the Virginia Wesleyan Theatre Department’s fall production of The Wolves by Sarah DeLappe in the Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center.
Saturday was packed with Marlin traditions. Alumni Games kicked off the morning at 8:30 a.m., starting with men’s lacrosse on Birdsong Field, followed by baseball at Kenneth R. Perry Field, softball on Broyles Field, and women’s lacrosse back on Birdsong. At 10:30 a.m., Steve Mansfield and Larry Hultgren led a Sacred Spaces Tour, departing from John Wesley’s statue.
The heart of the weekend, Homecoming FinFest, invited Marlins of all ages to gather for live music, a picnic-style lunch provided by Sodexo, and a chance to reconnect under the Reunion Tent celebrating milestone years ending in 0 and 5. Guests enjoyed the Hoffman Beverage Tent, Bob’s Pop-Up Shop—where VWU swag sales supported scholarships, academic programs, student life, library and technology initiatives, and The Excellence Fund—and family-friendly favorites like funnel cakes, inflatables, and face painting.
On the fields, intercollegiate athletics brought more excitement with home competitions in field hockey and men’s and women’s soccer.
The arts also had a strong presence. The Neil Britton Gallery hosted the opening reception for Affinities and Differences: A Dialogue of Abstraction in Painting, an exhibition featuring the works of John Rudel and James Williams. Meanwhile, The Wolves continued with performances on Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon, preceded by an Arts Alumni Happy Hour in the Watts Lobby of the Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center.
Throughout the week leading up to Homecoming, the Office of Student Engagement kept the campus buzzing with activities, including Marlin Majesty voting, a Y2K-inspired shirt design event for Spirit Day, and the “Blue Wave Y2K Bash” on Friday evening in The Cove.
Saturday evening, the spotlight turned to the 2025 Athletic Hall of Fame reception and dinner in the Jane P. Batten Student Center, where four outstanding alumni athletes and one dedicated benefactor were inducted.
The weekend concluded with Families in Worship, a new Campus Ministries service held on Sunday at Haygood United Methodist Church.
Homecoming & Family Weekend 2025 highlighted the traditions, spirit, and connections that define Virginia Wesleyan University. Alumni and friends are always encouraged to return to campus often and stay connected with the Marlin community.