Elon women come up empty-handed against Vanderbilt
The Elon women’s basketball team fell short against Vanderbilt University on Sunday, Dec. 14, at Alumni Gym 66-50.
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The Elon women’s basketball team fell short against Vanderbilt University on Sunday, Dec. 14, at Alumni Gym 66-50.
Elon University senior Luis Vargas was named the Colonial Athletic Association men's cross country Athlete of the Year as voted on by the coaches, the league announced Dec. 10.
The Elon University women’s lacrosse team will face two schools that finished in the top 10, five schools that made the NCAA Tournament, as well as its first opponents in the Colonial Athletic Association this upcoming year.
The Elon University men’s basketball team struggled early on against the Central Pennsylvania College Knights.
Elon University sophomore point guard Luke Eddy didn’t know he was going to be starting until just after warm-ups in Elon’s opening-night victory against Florida Atlantic University Nov. 14.
It was a chilly afternoon for the Elon University faithful who braved freezing temperatures in order to see their football seniors one last time.
The Elon University Phoenix men’s basketball team opened up regular season play on Friday night by defeating the Florida Atlantic University Owls 64-58 at Alumni Gym.
The Elon University women’s basketball roster enters the 2014-2015 season largely intact from last year. The team includes the Southern Conference Freshman of the Year and sophomore forward Jennifer Rhodes, as well as a member of the Southern Conference All-Freshman team, sophomore guard Lauren Brown. This may spell trouble for the rest of the Colonial Athletic Association, as the Phoenix enters its first year of play in the new conference. “They were key contributors last year,” said Elon head coach Charlotte Smith of Rhodes and Brown. “We’re expecting for them to build upon what they did last year and not rest on what they did last year. So far, so good.” Coming off of an up-and-down season that ended with a loss in the Southern Conference tournament to No. 1 seed University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Elon has set its sights on making a lasting impression in the CAA. In order to do so, the team has shifted its focus to amp up the offensive play with higher intensity. With so many players available, pushing the tempo has become a point of focus. Since many of the players have in-game experience, the Phoenix has many options to work with on offense. “We really want to focus on playing an up-tempo game,” Brown said. “We’re putting more emphasis on pushing the ball, as we have a lot of depth this year which is helping us play the game we want to play.” Defense, Brown said, is the most improved-upon aspect of the entire team. “This year we want to emphasize on defense,” she said. “Offense won’t be a problem. Defense wins championships, and this year we just want to emphasize on being that team [that focuses on defense]. That’s what we want to be known as.” The new and improved style of play was evident in Elon’s 92-49 exhibition victory against Catawba College Nov. 2 at Alumni Gym. At the conclusion of the game, Smith was pleased with the amount of playing time the young, but experienced, roster had. “We were able to play a lot of people, and I think that’s something we’ll continue throughout the season,” Smith said. Rhodes is looking to fill a leadership role on a roster with only three seniors. She’s coming off a freshman season in which she led the team in blocks and was first in the SoCon in points per game for a freshman. “I think I have a role,” she said. “I think I fit my role as a post player pretty well. I try to lead with my actions more than my voice.” The leadership and experience exhibited by Rhodes and Brown, among others, will be the key to helping the Phoenix bounce back from their 2013-2014 season, though only time will tell if the off-season adjustments will be successful in regular season play.
It was an up and down game for the Elon University men’s basketball team on Friday night, Nov. 7 when it squared off for an exhibition matchup against the Emory & Henry College Wasps.
It was a beautiful fall day for Sunday, Oct. 26’s men’s soccer matchup between the Elon University Phoenix and the James Madison University Dukes.
“Defense wins championships” is a saying that has always echoed throughout sports. But sometimes a little offense wins games. The Elon University football team has struggled to put points on the board in its inaugural season as members in the Colonial Athletic Association. The Phoenix offense has found it difficult to execute drives that produce touchdowns and hasn’t been able to reinforce the valiant efforts put forth by the defense. After a 20-3 loss against Stony Brook University Oct. 18, the Elon offense ranked No. 11 out of 12 teams in the CAA in scoring offense, having only produced eight touchdowns in seven games. “That’s where we are. We’re inconsistent right now,” said Elon head coach Rich Skrosky. “Our room for error isn’t very big, and we had too many miscues.” Inconsistency has been the Achilles’ heel for the Phoenix. Against Stony Brook, Elon moved the ball into Seawolves territory on multiple occasions only to turn the ball over or come up empty-handed on missed field goals. In fact, three different drives for the offense stalled at the Seawolves’ 15-, 13- and 6-yard lines. Senior quarterback Mike Quinn voiced his frustration at the conclusion of the game. “It’s frustrating and disappointing. I feel bad for the defense. They’ve been getting good field position for us,” he said. “I’m just upset for my teammates not being able to put any points on the board.” The offense has shown signs of life at times, most notably in its Oct. 11 matchup against the University of Delaware. Although it lost 34-24, the Phoenix scored the most points this season with Quinn leading the charge in a second half rally when Elon put up 367 total yards of offense — more than Delaware had. The spread, no-huddle system that Skrosky and offensive coordinator Damian Wroblewski have in place for the Phoenix has conveyed its potential. It produced positive showings against the University of Charlotte 49ers, when Elon scored 20 points in a win, and a complete 24-point outing against Delaware. On the other hand, the losses the Phoenix has built up have exposed the inconsistencies with the offense in games against the University of New Hampshire, when Elon scored 14 points, all late in the game, and Coastal Carolina University, when Elon scored 3 points. Junior running back Tracey Coppedge said he believes the offense must connect more in order to operate at a more effective pace. “We all have to look at ourselves in the mirror and realize what we have to do,” he said. “We need to have the will to be focused and look at each other as brothers, not just teammates. And we have to execute one play at a time.” Quinn, along with Coppedge, affirms the value in getting into a groove early in games. This seems to be a possible solution to the inconsistency that has followed the offense for the first seven games of the season. “When we get into a groove, we play really well.” Quinn said. “Get more third-down conversions and come out with more pep in our step. The offense needs to pick it up on that side of it.”
Ask any competitive athlete what the key component is in gaining the competitive edge in sports, and the answer will most likely fall along the lines of strength and staying injury-free. That’s precisely the philosophy that head strength and conditioning coach Ryan Horton is implementing for Elon University athletes. Horton is in the midst of his first season as the head of the strength and conditioning program at Elon. Along with assistant coaches Joe Baranello and Christian Gangitano, Horton has ambitious goals in place for all Elon teams. “The main goal is that they’re injury free, that they’re strong enough to compete and that they are the best-conditioned teams in the country,” Baranello said. “I want to make sure that they’re the safest team in the country.” Horton took the reins this past summer, replacing Ted Perlak, who left Elon in May after one year for the same position with the University of Delaware. Before coming to Elon, Horton was at Florida International University and the University of Tennessee. While at Tennessee, Horton was a part of two Southeastern Conference football championship teams and helped coach five future first-round picks in the NFL Draft. Most recently, Horton worked at Elkin Sports Performance in Richmond, Virginia. Horton attributes much of his knowledge and success to his experience at Tennessee. “I learned more than I ever thought I could possibly learn in this profession.” he said. “I learned more at Tennessee in the first month than I did in four years of college. When I got to Tennessee, I learned how to actually implement strategy in a collegiate setting.” Since starting at Elon, Horton has introduced an Olympic style of lifting weights to all athletes. This involves numerous exercises focusing on getting faster and stronger. “We’re using anything we can do to improve the amount of power an athlete can generate from their hips, their knees and ankles,” Horton said. “It will help them run faster, jump higher and improve their performance on the field.” This Olympic style of weightlifting has proven vital in the development of athletes. Large athletic programs all over the country use this method of training, which is designed to increase strength and power to translate onto the playing field. Horton also takes into account and values the ambitions most college athletes have while competing at a high level. Horton prides himself on helping athletes accomplish their dreams. “I love the chance to help athletes be successful and to reach their goals,” he said. “This is a dream for a lot of our athletes, and to be able to make an impact on them is something truly special.” More than anything, Horton wants to help instill values that athletes can carry on and implement in all aspects of their lives beyond athletics. These core values, Horton said, make up the most important teaching method of what he does as a coach of young athletes. The discipline and responsibilities taken from strength and conditioning expand beyond the playing field. Horton wants to ensure his athletes practice these values, so their futures will be strong regardless of whether they pursue athletics after college. “Our philosophy is trying to instill values and mold young men and women to go on and be successful beyond their athletic career and beyond Elon,” he said. “My big three philosophies are accountability, attitude and effort.”
Redshirt freshman Neal Port came to Elon University expecting to contribute to the tennis team. It just came a lot sooner than he expected. The Phoenix relied on Port and many other inexperienced players throughout the summer and during the Elon Fall Invitational Sept. 26-28 because of injuries. Senior team captain Stefan Fortmann said he has a lot of faith in the youthful roster even with the numerous absences. “A lot of young guys have stepped up,” Fortmann said. “With most of our injuries occurring over the summer, the freshmen have had to rise to the occasion. We’re moving in the right direction.” Fresh off a Southern Conference Tournament championship in the spring, expectations are high for the less-experienced roster. Port, in particular, has earned the respect of his teammates through his persistent hard work. Head coach Michael Leonard has taken notice of Port as well. “[Port’s] one of the hardest workers on this team,” Leonard said. “He is trying to figure out how to put it all together. There’s a lot of things that go into winning that you have to develop through match play, and he’s learning that.” The recent success can partially be attributed to Leonard introducing a stronger weight lifting and conditioning program for his players. Based on the results he has seen, it’s been paying dividends on the court. Sophomore Chris Humphreys relates his recent fall success to his individual work with Leonard over the summer. Specifically, he’s been working on improving his forehand play by getting more height on the ball with his swing. “Summer workouts were good. I came here and got to work out with Coach one on one and play a lot of tournaments,” Humphreys said. “That really helped me get ready for the fall season.” Senior Brian Kowalski said he was proud of his team’s maturity over the summer while he was recovering from his injury. He was most impressed with the play of the freshmen. “A lot of the guys came back stronger than what they were last year,” Kowalski said. “The freshmen came back and they were ready to play as well. It’s been a good start to the year so far.” Elon has put together another strong outing in the tournament with the play of their younger members. The Phoenix will look to build on its recent success when they compete in the Wake Forest Invitational Oct. 10-12.
Downstairs in Elon University’s McEwen School of Communications, the office of Max Negin, assistant professor of communications, is tucked away out of the spotlight. Negin prefers to settle behind the scenes. He has, in fact, done so throughout his entire career. As a kid growing up in Philadelphia, rather than aspiring to become involved with journalism, Negin dreamed of becoming the middle linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles. Like most young men who realize that their skills lie in places other than the NFL, Negin took his talents elsewhere but still stay true to his passion. Negin decided to pursue sports broadcasting as a way to work with something that he loved. As an undergraduate student at Rowen University in New Jersey, Negin embarked on a career in sports broadcasting. That career has taken him to a number of places, even the worldwide stage. In 2008, Negin was called to work with sports broadcasters from all around the world to be a media manager, or, as he calls it, “a traffic cop for video files,” for the Beijing Olympic Games. Negin discovered a whole new level of sports broadcasting. Cutting edge technology, A-list talent and minimum 12-hour workdays brought out the best in the skills Negin had to offer. He earned an Emmy, his fourth in total, for his work in the London Games two years ago. Inspired by his experiences with the Olympics and everything he learned there, Negin embarked on his teaching career. He eventually became Professor Negin after getting a job at Elon University in 2010. He’s incorporated many of the things he learned in the professional world to his classroom environment. “Whatever class you’re in, look left, look right. Look for connections,” Negin said. “You never know which one of them will get you a job one day.” When he stands in front of his classes, he brings with him a plethora of experience in the field of sports broadcasting. Not long after earning a degree in communications from Rowen, Negin landed a job at ESPN. P Prior to earning that position, Negin was up late at night calling 30 or more people to ask for jobs in camera work. All it took was one “yes” for him to get hired at Baur Visual — a job Negin said was “better than Chili’s,” his former employer. Somewhat overwhelmed with the new technology surrounding him, Negin approached work with a “fake it ‘till you make it” outlook, a skill he still teaches his students today. At this time in 1996, ESPNews made its debut. Negin worked with equipment for the Philadelphia Phillies, eventually working his way to his ultimate dream job: working full-time for his hometown team. Around five years after his graduation, Negin became the video coordinator for the Phillies after switching over to Comcast Sports, which had just opened for business at the time. Working behind the scenes and traveling with the Phillies to all 162 of their baseball games, Negin learned all the tricks of the trade in his industry. “Sit in a chair [for 162 games], you’ll get good at something,” he said. But working nearly every day took a toll on Negin, and he decided to settle down and work mostly as a freelancer for local networks as a tape operator before taking the teaching job at Elon. Wanting to give his students a competitive edge once they graduate, Negin teamed up with Marc Zumoff, the play-by-play broadcaster for the Philadelphia 76ers, to create a sports broadcasting book titled “Total Sportscasting” that covers the performance and technical sides of the industry. The whole idea of everything conjoining as “one unit” like a sports team is very similar to what goes on in a sports broadcast and precisely what Negin wants his students to learn. The new book is required reading for Negin’s Sports Broadcasting class. Negin strives to enrich his students on every aspect that goes in the process of delivering a sports broadcast. This is a process that senior Natalie Beach said is valuable in her learning experience at Elon. Beach works with Negin on Elon Phoenix Weekly, a student-run television production that Negin advises, and is currently taking his Sports Broadcasting class. “I’ve learned a lot from Max about more than just sports. I’ve learned how to work with people and get the best out of them. He’s also taught me a lot about creating content worthy of being on a television screen,” Beach said. “Max is a lot of fun to work with, but he sets a high standard and is never going to let us get away with mediocre quality on EPW, and I think it shows in our finished product.” Although Negin has typically stayed behind-the-scenes throughout his career in the sports broadcasting industry, he stands out among his students at Elon. His passion for teaching is evident with the experiences he has developed throughout his lifetime. Whether it’s freelancing for a professional sports team, being a media manager in the Olympics or teaching groups of college students, Negin strives to create a “team” aspect of making something special.
It is rare in modern day football that you see a running back almost single-handedly takeover a game.
Recently, I was discussing sports with a good friend of mine when he mentioned that his father believed that football is headed towards a similar fate to that of which boxing has become.
Jerry Jones has been in command of “America’s Team” since 1989 when he bought them for what was then an unprecedented $140 million. As SportsCenter reported last Sunday morning on a special feature about the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, Jones assumed ownership of the team when it had reached an all-time low financially and through their abysmal play.