Last Updated on September 30, 2026 1:07 pm
App State Athletics Director Doug Gillin shared an update this week on the Mountaineers' fall sports programs, department fundraising, and ongoing facility projects across the athletics campus.
Under head coach Dowell Loggains, the App State football team is off to a 3-0 start for the first time since 2019. The Mountaineers travel to Raleigh this weekend for an in-state matchup against NC State. The program signed the highest-rated recruiting class in Sun Belt Conference history heading into the season.
App State soccer, led by head coach Aimee Haywood, is unbeaten in nine straight matches – a program record – and is 2-0 in conference play. The men's cross country program, under Brad Herbster, has already beaten nationally ranked Georgia along with Georgia Tech, Clemson and Auburn this season, with both the men's and women's teams competing against strong early-season fields.
App State has had 17 sellouts in its last 19 home games at Kidd Brewer Stadium, known as The Rock, averaging 10,000 students in attendance. The Mountaineers return home for Homecoming on Oct. 10 against Old Dominion, with limited tickets remaining, and host a nationally televised Thursday night matchup against James Madison on Oct. 22.
The athletics department reported record fundraising for the 2026 fiscal year, with more than $16 million raised across Yosef Club donations, capital commitments and sport-specific giving. This fall's Legends Gala, the department's premier annual fundraiser, raised more than half a million dollars, a record for the event.
Several facility projects are underway or nearing completion. The 100-plus-yard turf field at the new Sofield Family Indoor Practice Facility is open and in use by several athletics teams and university partners; the remainder of the facility, including a large event space and public-private health care collaborations, remains on schedule to open in early 2027. The Mildred F. Southern Indoor Tennis Facility at App 105 is complete and now serves as the new home of App State tennis. Work also continues on the East Tower project at The Rock, and renovations are planned for Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium, the university's baseball venue.
Gillin's update also marked the one-year anniversary of the passing of Shawn Clark, remembering him as “a true Mountaineer” and encouraging support for the Shawn Clark Legacy Foundation, which focuses on the physical and mental health of the coaching community.
