Today Elon University released the men's basketball Colonial Athletic Association schedule for the 2014-2015 season. This marks Elon's first year in the CAA, which is widely regarded as one of the top mid-major conferences in college basketball.
With the new school year comes a new conference for the Phoenix. Elon officially left the Southern Conference for the Colonial Athletic Association this summer. When President Leo Lambert announced Elon's move to the CAA in May of 2013, he said a major reason the university swapped conferences was to increase Elon's name recognition throughout the country. "What's the best thing for the institution as a whole, for name exposure for Elon, and continued growth in institutional reputation," Lambert said.
Former Elon midfielder Daniel Lovitz, now a rookie with Major League Soccer's Toronto F.C., has taken steps in his career he never thought possible just eight months ago. Leading up to the MLS SuperDraft in January 2014, Lovitz, who graduated from Elon in 2013, was not sure he would even hear his name called.
Elon University men's basketball associate head coach Tim Sweeney will be roaming a new sideline next season. Sweeney, who has spent the last five years assisting head coach Matt Matheny, will be leaving the Phoenix next season to head north to Hobart College, where he will be head coach.
Head football coach Rich Skrosky, along with defensive back Miles Williams and offensive lineman Austin Sowell, attended Elon's first ever Colonial Athletic Association media day Wednesday July 23 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. This event marked the official start of the 2014 football season for the Phoenix.
On July 1, at 12:00 a.m. Elon University officially left the Southern Conference after 11 years to become a member of the Colonial Athletic Association. The Basics The move, which was officially announced by the University on May 23, 2013, was voted on unanimously by the Board of Trustees. The CAA first approached Elon about joining its conference in early April 2013 following the loss of four schools--George Mason (Atlantic 10), Georgia State (Sun Belt), Old Dominion (Conference USA) and VCU (Atlantic 10). "Elon is a school we had on our radar for a while," CAA Commissioner Tom Yeager said in an interview with Elon Local News "I think both parties saw what they liked in each other.
It's a long three months to wait before the next Elon home game. To get you through the off-season blues, we'll be bringing you updates all summer long on what's new with Elon Athletics.
This season the Elon University men's soccer team will play five teams that competed in the 2013 NCAA Tournament, according to the schedule released by Elon on Tuesday. After winning three consecutive Southern Conference titles, the 2014 season will mark the squad's first year in the Colonial Athletic Association and its first season under new head coach Chris Little. In the upcoming season, the Phoenix will face Coastal Carolina and Loyola Marymount as well as CAA opponents Delaware, Drexel and William & Mary.
Elon left-handed pitcher Ryan Pennell was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays yesterday in the 22nd round of the Major League Baseball first-year player draft. Pennell, who just completed his senior season at Elon, finished the year with a 1-2 record, a 3.52 earned run average and 32 strikeouts in 30 2/3 innings out of the bullpen.
Following its four-day session of spring meetings in Hilton Head Island, S.C., the Southern Conference announced Friday that it will raise its exit fee to $1 million. The fee is an increase of $400,000, from the $600,000 it cost to leave the league prior. The league's presidents also voted to increase the fee for leaving the SoCon with less than a year's notice to $1.25 million. The move is in an effort to bring stability to a conference that has fallen victim to several teams leaving in recent years. The College of Charleston left for the Colonial Athletic Association in the summer of 2013, and four more teams will be leaving the league at the end of June. Appalachian State and Georgia Southern will be heading to the Sun Belt, Davidson is moving to the Atlantic 10 and Elon will be joining College of Charleston in the CAA. Three teams will be joining the SoCon to replace those leaving.
Elon senior Suhail Nimji hits the gym at 5:30 a.m. He stays for two to four hours and sometimes goes twice a day.
The Elon University Men's and Women's Tennis teams received their opponents for the NCAA Tournament first round matches at an NCAA Tennis Championships Selection Show viewing party on Tuesday afternoon. The Men's Tennis team found out it will be playing Tennessee and the Women's team drew Georgia for its opening match. The Men's team will face off against the Volunteers on May 10 in Durham.
Chris Little was named the newest head soccer coach of the Elon University Men's Soccer program in an announcement made by Elon Athletic Director, David Blank, Tuesday afternoon. Little served as an assistant coach for the Phoenix from 2010 to 2012.
When people hear his name, they immediately think of football, but there is more to the Head Football Coach Rich Skrosky than football.
The Elon University head men's soccer coach Darren Powell resigned Thursday afternoon to take on a coaching position with the Orlando City Soccer Club. His position will be with the Orlando City Youth Soccer (OCYS) U.S.
[youtube=www.youtube.com/watch?v=lm6TXOps7K8&noredirect=1&w=560&h=315] The Elon University men's basketball team has picked up its second commitment in the class of 2014. Elijah Bryant, a 6-foot-4-inch shooting guard of the New Hampton School in New Hampton, N.H., committed to the Phoenix on Tuesday, April 1, according to a source within the Elon Athletics department. One of Bryant's main reasons for committing was that he felt comfortable with Elon's coaching staff. The Atlanta native originally committed to Samford in the class of 2013, before attending prep school this year. He averaged 20 points and nine assists a game during his senior season. Bryant joins Jack Anton, a 6-foot-8 power forward out of Cincinnati, Ohio, who committed to Elon last August. Andrew Feather contributed to this article
The Rich Skrosky era began Monday afternoon as players and coaches of the Elon football team began spring practice at Tucker Field. Since taking the job in December 2013, Skrosky made it his mission to rebuild and revitalize a football program that has won a total of 10 games over the last three seasons. "I think the enthusiasm level and the running around and the effort was pretty good today," Skrosky said. One of those players who showed a lot of enthusiasm was red-shirt junior quarterback, Mike Quinn. "With every team comes some jitters you have to get out in the first practice," Quinn said.
Many professional athletes have busy schedules of practicing, personal training and traveling, but imagine doing all these things on top of being a full-time student.
Students are coming together to show support for Elon's Women's Soccer player Nicole Dennion. Dennion was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma in February, which is a type of bone cancer.
A day after using a strong game down low to push past Appalachian State, the Elon University Women's Basketball couldn't repeat the performance, struggling in the paint on its way to a 77-44 semi-final loss against the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga. With the victory, UTC moves on to play the winner of Davidson and Western Carolina The defeat ends the season for the Phoenix, in addition to an era, as Elon moves to the Colonial Athletic Association after a decade of Southern Conference play. It was a day where nothing went right for Elon, and nothing went wrong for UTC.
