Football | 5/16/2024 9:49:00 AM

AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University football program announced its 2024 schedule on Thursday, a ten game slate that features three non-conference games and seven within the confines of The Sun Conference. AMU's slate includes five home games and two trips to take on NCAA Division I competition, with nine of ten games taking place in the Sunshine State.

The 2024 season will begin with the first of the NCAA Division I opponents, as the Gyrenes meet up with the Hatters of Stetson University on August 31. It will be the third meeting between the schools, all played at Spec Martin Stadium in DeLand.

The home opener is slated for September 14, with Ave Maria opening up the home schedule against the Eagles of Fort Lauderdale. The next week will be AMU's non-conference finale, a trip to the Buckeye State to face NCAA Division I University of Dayton in the first-ever meeting between the schools.

The early schedule gives the Gyrenes a chance to test themselves against teams at the highest level of college football.

"The players are thrilled, as are the coaches," said Vice President and Head Coach Joe Patterson. "We had a great spring season, and we are adding some key components through recruiting. I think the early games will reveal a lot, which will then inform how we approach our critical conference games."

In conference play, the Gyrenes will play four of seven SUN contests at Gyrene Field. The Gyrenes will welcome Thomas, St. Thomas, Warner, and Southeastern to Southwest Florida. The November 2 game against Warner will be AMU's homecoming game, while the matchup against Southeastern the following Saturday will be Senior Night.

Away from home, the Gyrenes will play at Webber, Florida Memorial, and Keiser in conference play. The game against Keiser is notable among these, as the Gyrenes' regular season finale will come against the defending national champions.  Additionally, in two of the previous most recent three matchups, the game between Keiser and Ave Maria has served as the de facto conference championship game.

All Ave Maria home games will be played under the lights at Gyrene Field, with 7:00 kickoff times. Times for the road games are set by the host school, with times ranging from noon to 7:30 p.m. Any special events associated with AMU home football games will be announced in the coming months. All Sun Conference games or AMU home games will be available to watch on The Sun Digital Network, while the two games against the NCAA Division I games will be available within the ESPN family of broadcasts. Additional information about the Ave Maria football season will follow throughout the remainder of the summer.

Fans interested in supporting AMU Athletics are also able to join the Gyrene Booster Club. Booster Club membership includes All-Sports Season passes with Booster Club Hospitality, two drink tickets per person and free parking at every Ave Maria home game. For more information regarding the Booster Club, contact Associate Athletic Director Wil Hampton at William.Hampton@avemaria.edu.