PEMBROKE — The successes of The University of North Carolina at Pembroke athletics were celebrated as part of the department’s annual Cash Bash fundraiser inside the English E. Jones Center Tuesday.

And a record amount was raised to fund athletic scholarships as UNCP hopes to continue that success in the future.

The event raised $141,745, comfortably breaking a record total of about $126,000 from last year’s event.

“(It’s) just fantastic, the turnout, and not just that but key people,” UNCP athletic director Dick Christy said. “People that really support us, that love UNCP, but if they’re not in the room this stuff doesn’t happen. They’ve got to invest their night, we’ve got to have butts in seats, raising their paddle.”

The Joby Hawn Cup, which is given to the athletic department with the most overall success in Conference Carolinas and was won by UNCP this year for the first time in 31 years, was in the room as part of a station where guests could take their picture with the trophy.

“It helps our donors understand what they did for us,” said Tyler Johnson, director of the Braves Club. “They helped us get that Joby Hawn Cup. Our athletes worked their tails off, but our donors also worked their tails off and gave their hard-earned money to support our student-athletes and give them needed resources. It’s our trophy, it’s our community’s trophy, and it’s super awesome we were able to share that with them tonight.”

But while Braves supporters celebrated the school’s recent athletic accomplishments, the event was also about looking forward and trying to accomplish even more.

“Everybody loves a winner, there’s no question, but in my remarks I wanted to make sure everybody knew there’s another level to this,” Christy said. “Our teams are getting to the postseason, but with their support we can go deep in the postseason. We’ve got the right coaches, we’re getting the right athletes; it’s time to make a run for a national championship. You can’t do that without strong community support.”

The event included numerous silent auction items, a Fund-A-Cause drive, and the live auction of five high-dollar items; the live auction alone raised $19,750, including a mountain vacation which sold for $4,500.

This year’s event theme was “Championship Legacy,” and the program included video features on three successful former UNCP athletes and a former coach.

Mike Williams won a wrestling national championship in 2012, the school’s first.

“(UNCP) means everything to me,” Williams said. “It literally was the catalyst for me really being able to transform my life. I came here at 17 years old in August of 2008; I left at 22 a completely different person. I left with a degree, and turned that into a career; I’ve now been with a few different Fortune 500 companies. I’ve risen up and been able to do some great things.”

Williams’ story showcased how lifechanging collegiate athletics could be; he came from a rough upbringing in inner-city New Jersey to become a champion wrestler for the Braves, and now works in human resources for Amazon, living in Houston.

“It was super special to hear his story, and he is the gold standard of why it’s so important to give to UNC Pembroke,” Johnson said. “Athletics and academics changes life, and that’s what our donors are contributing to, so it’s super impactful to see it first hand.”

Meghan Moore Mitchell was a two-time All-American golfer for the Braves in 2012-13 and finished second in the NCAA championship. She currently works for State Employees Credit Union in Raleigh.

“It means a lot. It’s special and it’s surreal to just be back here, so it’s pretty cool,” Mitchell said. “(UNCP) is very special and I had so much fun and I really enjoyed this place.”

Barbara Green McWhite, who is the women’s basketball program’s all-time leading scorer and has her No. 24 jersey retired by the program, and former men’s basketball and men’s golf and athletic director Lacey Gane, were the other honorees.

“Meghan hasn’t been back in a while, for Mike to come back, and then Lacey’s touched so many people; I know that was special for a lot of our folks that either played for him or worked for him,” Christy said. “And fortunately Barbara comes back a fair amount for games, you see her all the time. Being able to celebrate her story and show her jersey in the rafters was pretty cool.”

The event was essentially a farewell for Johnson, who is leaving the program this month to take a job at the University of North Carolina, but remains excited about the future for which so much financial support was given.

“It’s back-to-back record-breaking years,” Johnson said. “This community is special; it’s going to be sad leaving it, and it’s going to be emotional, but I’m super excited to see what the future holds for this community.”