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September 2, 1890 – Elon opens its doors to students.
1900 – Elon’s first intercollegiate athletics event was held, as the school played two baseball games against Guilford College. The first was played on Elon’s campus.
November 23, 1904 – Two Elon students, Abraham L. Lincoln and William Long Holleman, participated in the school’s first intercollegiate tennis competition. The two played a match against the Bingham Military Academy of Mebane.
October 19, 1905 – Construction on West Dormitory was begun. West was the first Elon building to contain an athletic facility – a gymnasium.
1906-07 – Elon purchased a four-acre plot of land as a playing field for athletic competitions.
1907-08 – Virgil Clayton Pritchett became Elon’s second Athletic Director, but the first since intercollegiate competition began.
Winter 1908 – Elon played its first intercollegiate basketball contest, defeating the Bingham Military Academy by a 13-6 score.
October 23, 1909 – Elon competed in its first intercollegiate football contest, an 11-6 victory over Bingham Military, under the leadership of the school’s first professional coach – Reddie Rowe. The game was played on the lawn in front of West Dormitory.
November 1909 – The Faculty Athletic Committee establishes standards for the issuing of varsity letters.
Spring 1910 – Elon competed in the North Carolina Intercollegiate Tennis Tournament which also featured representatives from Wake Forest, Trinity (Duke), North Carolina, North Carolina A&M (State) and Davidson.
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March 1911 – Elon joined the Intercollegiate Tennis Club of North Carolina.
June 20, 1911 – Bob Doak was hired to be the college’s first full-time athletic director.
Winter 1911-12 – Elon competed in its first full season of men’s basketball competition. Under Coach Doak, Elon compiled a 1-8 record.
Spring 1912 – Elon’s track and field program got its start. In late April, Elon’s Roy Homewood won the pole vault at 8’4” in a meet against Guilford.
October 26, 1912 – Representatives from Elon, North Carolina, Trinity (Duke), Wake Forest North Carolina A&M (State) and Guilford met in Raleigh to form a basketball league.
Spring 1913 – Thirty-one female students formed a tennis club, but had no outside competition.
Winter 1913-14 – Elon won its first athletic championship, garnering the state basketball title after defeating every team in the state at least once.
Winter 1914-15 – Elon repeated as state basketball champions. Along the way, Elon defeated Trinity (Duke) in Durham 18-16. It was the first home loss for the Blue Devils in four years.
1915-16 – Clyde “Jack” Johnson returned to his alma mater to become the first alumnus to hold Elon’s Athletics Director position.
November 1, 1919 – Elon returned to play on the gridiron for the first time since the inaugural 1909 campaign with a 12-6 victory over the Lexington Athletic Association.
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1920-21 – Senior Joe Newman became Elon’s first four-sport athlete, winning letters in football, basketball, baseball and track.
December 10, 1921 – Wade Marlette won first place and earned a spot on the all-state cross country team at the State Meet in Chapel Hill, N.C.
March 10, 1922 – Elon competed in its first indoor track meet that was held at the Star Brick Warehouse in Durham, N.C. Elon’s Wade Marlette won the gold in the mile run.
Fall 1922 – The term “Fightin’ Christians” was first used to describe the spirit of Elon athletes.
Spring 1925 – Construction on a new grandstand at baseball’s Comer Field was completed. Elon defeated Atlantic Christian (Barton) by a 10-9 score in the first game following the renovations.
Spring 1927 – Elon’s 12 victories on the baseball diamond were the most among any team in the state.
Spring 1928 – An impressive 17-1 record earned the Elon baseball team the state title.
Spring 1928 – Although there was no track and field team, Elon’s Paul L. “Hardrock” Simpson placed 36th out of 350 competitors in C.C. Pyle’s Cross Country “Bunion Derby,” a 3,150-mile race that started in Los Angeles and ended in New York. The next year, Simpson entered again, this time placing fifth among the 62 runners over the 3,665-mile journey from New York to L.A.
November 10, 1928 – Despite not recording a first down, the Elon football team stunned the previously unbeaten University of Miami 21-18.
Spring 1929 – D.C. “Peahead” Walker held Elon’s first spring football practice.
1930 – Elon became a charter member of the North State Conference after six schools broke from the North Carolina Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
Fall 1930 – Elon collected its first North State Conference football title with a 6-3 record.
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Winter 1931-32 – The basketball team won the first of its seven North State Conference titles.
1933-34 – Elon teams collected three titles, winning league crowns in football and basketball. The baseball team won its third consecutive championship.
March 1935 – Elon was chosen to receive the coveted North Carolina Sportsmanship Trophy that was presented by the North Carolina Federation of Students.
1935-36 – Elon won North State Conference crowns in both football and tennis. John Tropolli became Elon’s first honorable mention All-American football player in the fall.
1936 – Four new tennis courts were constructed as Elon went on to win its third consecutive North State Conference crown with an undefeated league record.
Spring 1936 – Southpaw Mike Briggs hurled a no-hitter, allowing just one runner to reach via a hit-by-pitch, as Elon defeated Johns Hopkins 6-0. Briggs struck out 12 hitters in the win. Paul Cheek became Elon’s first triple crown winner as he led the baseball team with three homers, 17 RBI and a .359 batting average.
Fall 1937 – Moses Crutchfield became the director of the Elon News Bureau and promoted Elon to the local and surrounding newspapers.
Winter 1938-39 – The Elon basketball team fashioned a 10-2 North State Conference mark and an overall record of 19-6 on its way to becoming the first team in program history to score over 1,000 points in a season.
Spring 1940 – The Elon baseball team won its first 17 games of the season, a winning streak which still stands as the longest in school history. The program finished the year with an 18-1 ledger.
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Winter 1940-41 – On the basketball court Elon posted a record of 21-5, the first 20-win season in school history. Elon was 12-2 in North State Conference play to garner the top seed in the league’s first conference tournament. Jack Gardner set a league record with 369 points and was named the conference’s MVP.
1942-45 – Elon abandoned most intercollegiate athletics for the duration of World War II.
December 3, 1944 – After a two-year hiatus due to the war, Elon returned to the hardwood with a 36-32 win over H&H Clothing.
April 1, 1946 – Elon knocked off Ohio 6-5 on the baseball diamond in Elon’s first post-war event.
September 26, 1946 – Elon returned to the gridiron with a 14-0 victory over Atlantic Christian (Barton).
1946 – Elon returned to the tennis courts, playing six games and placing second in the North State Conference.
1946-47 – Roney Cates set a new Elon and North State Conference record with 457 points – ranking him in the top-10 in the nation in scoring.
1949 – Freshman Dave Mondy of Norfolk, Va. collected medalist honors in the initial North State Conference Golf Tournament at the Starmount Forest Country Club in Greensboro. Elon finished as the runner-up in the tournament.
Fall 1949 – Jim Mallory collected North State Conference Coach of the Year accolades in football.
January 14, 1950 – The new Alumni Gym was dedicated in front of a crowd of approximately 2,250 fans. Elon fell to North State Conference rival Catawba 66-51 in that game.
March 27, 1950 – A fire destroyed the main portion of the grandstand at the Elon Ball Park (baseball) shortly after the conclusion of the first regular-season game of the year with Wake Forest.
Spring 1950 – Track and field was revived at Elon. In the North State Conference meet, Elon led throughout only to be nosed out by Guilford College 58-56 on the final day of competition.
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Spring 1951 – Elon reversed its track and field result from the previous year, edging out a win over Guilford. Elon won eight individual championships on a slate of 15 events.
Winter 1951-52 – The Elon cagers made their first trip to the national NAIB tournament in Kansas City. The team went 25-11 and was the first 20-win team in program history. Don Haithcox scored 607 points and became the first Elon basketball player to eclipse the 1,000-point plateau.
Spring 1952 – The Elon golf team swept through eight conference matches during the regular season before winning the team championship at the conference tournament. Elon bested second-place High Point by 31 strokes.
Fall 1957 – Elon went undefeated and untied in football play, but was not crowned league champs. A league rule required five games to be played, however, an influenza outbreak caused the cancellation of games with Catawba and Western Carolina. Sid Varney was named Coach of the Year by both the conference and NAIA District 26.
Spring 1958 – After winning its second consecutive North State Conference crown, the Elon baseball team made its first trip to the NAIA baseball tournament in Alpine, Texas. Elon won its opener 10-8 over Indiana State before falling to San Diego State and Indiana State.
1957-58 – The Stein H. Basnight Outstanding Athlete Award was initiated with Robert Stauffenburg winning the honor.
Spring 1960 – Left-handed pitcher Gary Henson posted his 11th victory of the year in the final game of the season. Henson was the first Elon pitcher to notch 11 wins in a single season, a number that has only been matched once since.
Fall 1960 – The Associated Press chose George Wooten’s 108-yard touchdown run against Catawba as the number one gridiron oddity for the 1960 season.
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May 20, 1961 – After the admission of Newberry College in South Carolina, the North State Conference changed its name to the Carolinas Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (Carolinas Conference).
Winter 1963-64 – Junior Jesse Branson set seven Elon basketball records and tied another. He set new standards in points scored in a season, points per game in a year, points in a game, rebounds in a game, field goals attempted in a game, free throws made in a season and free throw attempts in a season. He tied the record for most field goals made in a game.
Spring 1964 – Freshman righty Dick Such turned in Elon’s first perfect game in his first collegiate start. Such hurled the perfect game in a victory over Atlantic Christian (Barton).
Winter 1964-65 – Jesse Branson concluded his career in the Maroon and Gold as the solo holder of 17 Elon basketball records. He also tied one other mark. He finished his career with 2,241 points scored.
Winter 1967-68 – After 30 years, wrestling made a comeback at Elon under Micke Brown. Elon went 4-3 including a 21-11 victory over North Carolina State.
Spring 1969 – The golf squad captured both conference and district titles while qualifying for the NAIA National Tournament in Fort Worth, Texas. Senior Brick Long won the individual title in the combined Carolinas Conference/District 26 event.
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Winter 1971-72 – Elon hosted the conference men’s basketball tournament for the first time, winning the title with a convincing 83-69 victory over Guilford.
1972 – Four Elon wrestlers – David Bureke, David Tew, Ed Quinlivan and Ed Kaplan – qualified for the NAIA Tournament held at Appalachian State.
January 25, 1972 – Kay Yow guided Elon’s first women’s basketball team onto the hardwood at Wake Forest. Elon dropped that first contest by a narrow 30-28 margin.
Spring 1972 – Elon unveiled a new electric scoreboard at baseball in an 8-1 victory over Belmont Abbey.
Fall 1972 – Kay Yow also led Elon’s first volleyball team. The program posted a 20-6 record in its first season of competition. Elon dropped its first match, 2-1, to Wake Forest.
October 13, 1972 – Elon played its first men’s soccer contest and earned a 2-1 victory over Guilford College.
December 1, 1973 – Elon defeated Wisconsin-LaCrosse 35-24 in the program’s first NAIA National Tournament game. Elon would finish the year 12-1 after falling to Abilene Christian in NAIA Champions Bowl.
Winter 1973-74 – Elon men’s basketball head coach Bill Miller was selected to coach the NAIA All-Stars which went on to defeat the NCAA All-Stars 107-78 in High Point, N.C.
Winter 1973-74 – Kay Yow led the women’s basketball team to a 20-1 overall record. The squad finished the regular season unbeaten and won the women’s state tournament with decisions over Mars Hill, UNC Greensboro and Western Carolina. The team advanced to the regional playoffs, falling to Winthrop (68-53) before rebounding to win the consolation title with victories over Kentucky (63-50), Madison (66-54) and Eastern Kentucky (64-61).
June 3, 1974 – Kay Yow led a group of American women’s players in an exhibition with the national women’s team from the U.S.S.R. Three Elon players participated – Susan Yow, Wanda Wilson annd Sherri Pickard – in the game which was played in Elon’s Alumni Gym.
Fall 1974 – The Elon volleyball team went 31-8 and advanced to the final of the Southern Regionals at Eastern Kentucky.
Spring 1975 – Don Kelly coached the Elon men’s tennis team to a 14-3 record, the program’s best mark since 1938.
Fall 1975 – Elon’s football team moved into the newly formed South Atlantic Conference (SAC-8).
Spring 1976 – After making trips to the NAIA National Tournament in men’s golf in 1974 and 1975, Elon hosted the 25th annual national tournament. Elon would finish second to Gardner-Webb among the 33 participating teams. Chuck Scott and David Braxton both earned All-American honors, the first Elon golfers to do so.
Winter 1976-77 – Bill Miller recorded his 300th career victory as the head men’s basketball coach at Elon. He would end his Elon career following the 1978-79 season with 329 career wins, still the most in program history.
Spring 1977 – Dr. Bob McBee took over the reins of the Elon baseball program, winning 30 games for the first time in school history. The 30-18 record helped Elon garner a ranking in the NAIA’s top-16 after taking runner-up honors in the area tournament.
Spring 1977 – Elon added women’s slow-pitch softball to the athletic program. Mary Jackson’s inaugural team posted a 12-5 record.
Summer 1977 – Grading and seeding of the new Newsome Baseball Field was completed. Construction of permanent stands, a concession stand and a scoreboard would follow.
April 29, 1978 – Newsome Baseball Field was dedicated.
Spring 1978 – The men’s golf squad finished as the national runner-up.
1977-78 – Jackie Meyer earned the first Stein H. Basnight Most Outstanding Female Athlete Award.
Spring 1979 – The softball team finished 19-9 and won the North Carolina AIAW state title. Elon entered the championship of the double-elimination tournament without a loss before North Carolina defeated Elon 8-2. Elon bounced right back with a 6-2 victory over the Tar Heels for the crown.
Spring 1979 – Women’s tennis became an official intercollegiate sport at Elon under the direction of Karen Carden. Elon went 7-10 that first season, placing third in the Carolinas Conference and fifth in the North Carolina AIAW Division III State Tournament.
1978-79 – Carolyn Smith earned the Stein H. Basnight Most Outstanding Female Athlete Award. Phil Baskerville claimed the men’s honor that same year.
1979 – Koury Athletic Field House was constructed.
Winter 1979-80 – Vanessa Corbett became the first Elon women’s basketball player to eclipse the 1,000 career point mark. She would finish with 2,430 career points, which is still an Elon record.
Fall 1980 – Elon posted a 6-1-0 Carolinas Conference record in men’s soccer to share the league crown. It was Elon’s first league title in men’s soccer.
December 20, 1980 – Elon completed a 13-1 campaign on the gridiron with a 17-10 victory over Northeastern State from Burlington Memorial Stadium in the Champions Bowl of the NAIA playoffs to win its first national title. It was the first football national championship ever contested on North Carolina soil.
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Spring 1981 – Elon finished 10th in the NAIA national poll with a 42-9 overall record. It was the first 40-win season in school history and Elon came within one win of advancing to the NAIA World Series.
January 6, 1981 – Football coach Jerry Tolley was honored as the NAIA Division I National Football Coach of the Year.
December 19, 1981 – Elon won its second consecutive national title in football, knocking off Pittsburg State of Kansas 3-0 on Phil Renn’s 23-yard field goal. The game was played at Elon’s Burlington Memorial Stadium. It marked the first time in NAIA history that a private school had won back-to-back titles. For its efforts, the team was recognized as North Carolina’s “Team of the Year” by the
Greensboro Daily News, the first time that the Greensboro publication had bestowed that honor upon an Elon team.
Winter 1981 – Elon’s Jay Lineberry went 22-4 on the wrestling mat and made the first of four successive trips to the nationals. He was the number one seed in his weight class in 1983.
Spring 1982 – Elon hosted the 31st annual NAIA National Tournament in men’s golf at the Alamance Country Club where it won its first national golf title. Elon bested second-ranked Texas Wesleyan by six strokes. Elon’s four-round team score was 1,179.
1983 – Men’s soccer alum George Bakatsias and his family made a major contribution toward the construction of a new soccer field at Elon.
Spring 1985 – Under the leadership of Rick Jones, Elon’s baseball team finished fifth in the NAIA poll with a 40-10 record. Elon received an at-large berth into the NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho where the team placed seventh. Jones was named both conference and district coach of the year.
September 14, 1986 – Elon played its first women’s soccer competition under the guidance of head coach Steve Ballard, dropping a 7-0 decision at North Carolina. The team would finish the season with a 10-3-0 ledger and advance to the finals of the NAIA Eastern Regionals.
Spring 1987 – The Elon baseball team claimed its first Area VII title with an 11-9 victory over USC-Aiken. The win gave Elon a berth in the NAIA World Series where the squad placed fifth.
Spring 1987 – Second-year head coach Tom Parham led the men’s tennis squad to both conference and district titles for the first time. Elon advanced to the NAIA National Tournament in Kansas City, placing 15th among the 50 pariticpating programs.
November 21, 1987 – Dwayne Clark became the first Elon player to rush for 300 or more yards in a game when he posted 309 yards on 24 carries in a 55-14 victory over Mars Hill.
November 1987 – Elon hosted fifth-ranked West Virginia Wesleyan in the Area VIII Tournament. Playing for the right to advance to the NAIA National Tournament in Texas, Elon fell just short as West Virginia Wesleyan netted the game-winning goal in the second overtime period.
1988 – The Jimmy Powell Tennis Center was completed and featured 12 lighted courts.
Fall 1988 – The women’s soccer squad placed third in the NAIA Eastern Regionals and finished ranked 10th in the final national poll with a 14-6-0 record.
Winter 1988 – Men’s basketball conference player of the year Brian Branson was one of two Elon players named to GTE’s National College Division All-Acadmeic First Team. Branson would go on to be named the GTE Academic All-American of the Year in the college division.
Spring 1989 – Pitcher Chris Cole broke the 59-year-old career wins record that had been held by Lefty Briggs. Cole ended his career with 31 victories. Elon went 40-9 on the year and advanced to the NAIA World Series in Kansas City.
1989-90 – The South Atlantic Conference became an all-sports league.
Spring 1990 – Elon competes in its first fast-pitch softball contest, a 13-8 loss to North Carolina Wesleyan.
Spring 1990 – Elon claims its fourth NAIA national title when the men’s tennis squad earned 31 points to claim its first national championship. North Florida finished second to Elon with 26 points. Roland Thornquist won the individual singles title and teamed with Stefan Hager for the doubles crown. Head coach Tom Parham was named the NAIA National Coach of the Year.
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1993-94 – The South Atlantic Conference moved from NAIA competition to the NCAA Division II level and Elon renovated Alumni Gym.
Fall 1993-94 – Elon resumed competition in men’s cross country and, for the first time, fielded a women’s cross country teams. The men placed 10th in a 14-team field at its first meet while the women finished fifth in a field of 12 teams in its opener. Malissa Butkovich became Elon’s first female all-conference performer.
October 22, 1994 – Kam Radford scored an Elon-record five goals as the women’s soccer team defeated Barton 8-0. Jane Skidmore tied the program record with four assists in that same contest.
September 23, 1995 – Bob Artioli became the first men’s soccer player to net four goals in a single game in a 6-2 victory vs. Lenoir-Rhyne.
January 25, 1997 – Lakia Hayes broke her own single-game free throws record when she sank 15 attempts from the charity stripe in a 70-63 victory at Lenoir-Rhyne.
March 1, 1997 – Elon defeated Lenoir-Rhyne 62-59 to win the South Atlantic Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament title and earn a berth in the NCAA Division II National Tournament. Elon dropped its NCAA opener 77-70 to Elizabeth City State in Durham, N.C. on March 6.
1997-98 – Elon began its transition to NCAA Division I play and membership in the Big South Conference.
April 14, 1999 – Not yet a full NCAA Division I member, the Elon baseball team knocked off its first top-25 Division I opponent by earning a 4-3, 12-inning victory over 21st-ranked East Carolina.
April 30, 1999 – The Elon baseball team defeated top-ranked Miami 13-6 for its first victory over the nation’s number one Division I team.
1999-2000 – Elon became an official NCAA Division I member of the Big South Conference.
August 27, 1999 – The women’s soccer team played Elon’s first official game at the Division I level, falling at East Carolina by a 3-1 margin.
November 1999 – After finishing in a second-place tie in the regular season, the women’s soccer team advanced to the Big South Conference Tournament title game with PK victories over UNC Asheville and High Point. Facing Liberty in the final, Marissa Venuti scored the game-winner in overtime as Elon took a 3-2 victory to earn its first NCAA Division I playoff berth for any program. Elon face 22nd-ranked Duke, falling 3-1 in the first round of NCAA play.
June 1, 2000 – After 80 years of being known as the “Fightin’ Christians,” Elon changed its mascot to the “Phoenix.”
September 23, 2000 – The Elon football team shutout 13th-ranked North Carolina A&T 13-0 in Greensboro, N.C. for the program’s first victory over a top-25 FCS program.
Fall 2000 – Women’s soccer player Mackenzie Sisson was named the Big South’s Player of the Year, the first such award for an Elon player at the Division I level, after the program won the regular-season crown.
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Winter/Spring 2001 – Elon fields its first women’s indoor and outdoor track teams.
2001-02 – Elon College is renamed Elon University.
Fall 2001 – Elon women’s soccer coach Paul Webster became the first league coach of the year at the Division I level after he guided the program to its second consecutive Big South regular-season title.
May 31, 2002 – Elon accepts an invitation to join the Southern Conference beginning with the 2003-04 academic year.
May 31, 2002 – Elon’s baseball team participates in its first NCAA Division I Regional after earning an at large bid. Elon fell to 22nd-ranked East Carolina 13-7 in its NCAA opener at the Clemson Regional.
Fall 2002 – The Big South Conference officially begins to sponsor football with four members – Elon, Charleston Southern, Gardner-Webb and Liberty.
September 3, 2002 – Elon opens the Irwin Belk Track and Dr. Alan and Norma White Field facility on campus.
Spring 2004 – The softball team posted a 33-23-1 record, its first 30-win season at the NCAA Division I level.
May 27, 2005 – As Elon’s first NCAA Regional track qualifier, Alice Turner competed in the 400-meter hurdles in New York, N.Y.
September 16, 2005 – John Tumbleston won the Southeastern Collegiate Invitational cross country race with a time of 26:20 to become Elon’s first Division I individual cross country title winner.
October 30, 2005 – Anna Mae Flynn’s time of 18:45.87 at the Southern Conference Women’s Cross Country Championships earned her the league’s Freshman of the Year nod.
December 30, 2005 – The men’s basketball team upended Clemson 74-69 to spark an eight-game winning streak. Elon would go on to win the Southern Conference North Division title with a 10-4 league mark.
Spring 2006 – The baseball squad posted a school-record 45 victories, the last of which was a 5-4 decision over Mississippi State in the Clemson Regional of NCAA play. The win came on June 2, 2006 and was the first Division I tournament victory in any sport for Elon. The team also won its first Southern Conference regular-season crown.
September 1, 2006 – The men’s cross country team won the team title at the Gamecock Invitational in Columbia, S.C. It was the first cross country team title at the Division I level.
February 18, 2007 – Jessica Clendenning captured the Southern Conference indoor pole vault crown with a height of 3.97 meters while teammate Dominique Price claimed the crown with a time of 8.67 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles. The duo became Elon’s first SoCon indoor individual winners.
May 11, 2007 – After winning the Southern Conference regular season and tournament titles, the men’s tennis team played in its first NCAA Division I National Tournament, falling to 22nd-ranked Clemson in Winston-Salem, N.C. Elon would finish the year ranked 44th in the nation.
October 2, 2007 – The men’s soccer team tied Wake Forest, the nation’s top-ranked team, 1-1 in Winston-Salem, N.C. It was the first blemish of the year for the Demon Deacons.
Fall 2007 – Quarterback Scott Riddle was chosen as the Southern Conference Freshman of the Year and was named the FCS National Freshman of the Year by both College Sporting News and CollegeSportsReport.com.
March 10, 2008 – Elon’s improbable run in the Southern Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament comes to an end with a 65-49 loss to 23rd-ranked Davidson in the finals on a game played on ESPN.
May 5, 2008 – Senior men’s golfer Jimmy Lytle was announced as a qualifier into the NCAA West Regional, becoming the first Elon golfer to earn that honor at the Division I level. Lytle would place 63rd in the 141-player field.
May 25, 2008 – After winning the regular season Southern Conference baseball title, Elon won its first-ever SoCon baseball tournament with a 17-8 victory over College of Charleston. Cory Harrilchak was named the tournament’s MVP.
October 4, 2008 – The women’s cross country program collected its first team title at the Division I level when it took the crown of the Hagan Stone Classic.
Fall 2008 – The men’s soccer team went 7-0-0 to win its first Southern Conference regular season crown.
May 20, 2009 – No. 86 Damon Gooch, Elon’s first individual to earn a bid to the NCAA men’s tennis tournament, opened play with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Tennessee’s 37th-ranked Boris Conkic. Gooch would fall in the round of 32. Gooch and doubles partner Philip Nemec also earned a bid as the nation’s 36th-ranked doubles tandem. The duo fell in its tournament opener to the 14th-rated pair from Ohio State.
Spring 2009 – Sporting a final record of 41-18, the Elon baseball team garnered its first top-25 finish since the move to Division I. Baseball America ranked Elon 24th in its final poll of the season.
September 4, 2009 – Elon officially opened and dedicated the Cecil W. Worsley III Golf Training Center.
The training center serves as the headquarters for both the men’s and women’s golf programs.
October 31, 2009 – Matt Richardson collected second-team All-Southern Conference honors to become Elon’s first all-league cross country runner at the Division I level.
November 2, 2009 – The women’s cross country team earned its first Southeast Regional ranking, checking in at number 15.
November 15, 2009 – Elon reached its first Southern Conference Men’s Soccer Tournament title game before falling to top-seeded Wofford 2-1.
November 28, 2009 – The football team earned its first FCS Playoff berth. Elon would fall just short at fourth-ranked Richmond in a 16-13 game. Elon ended the year with a top-10 ranking in polls issued by The Sports Network and the FCS coaches.
Fall 2009 – The Elon volleyball program recorded 23 victories, the most since moving to NCAA Division I play.
December 17, 2009 – The women’s basketball team earned its first victory over perennial Southern Conference power Chattanooga with a 74-66 decision from Alumni Gym.
May 14, 2010 – A 6-3 victory over UNC Greensboro in the Southern Conference Softball Tournament title game gave Elon its first NCAA Division I Regional berth in that sport. It also marked the first women’s team SoCon tournament title.
November 13, 2010 – The volleyball team defeated Western Carolina in three sets to clinch its first-ever SoCon North Division title.
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March 17, 2011 – The women's basketball team recorded a 103-72 victory over USC Upstate to earn its first-ever NCAA Division I post-season game. Elon's inclusion in the 2011 Women's Basketball Invitational was the first post-season bid since the 1981-82 season at the NAIA level. The Phoenix finished the year with a program D-I record 20 wins.
April 4, 2011 – Elon officially dedicated Alumni Field House prior to is annual spring football game. The building was completed in January of 2011 and contains offices for coaches and administration, as well as a training room, weight room, equipment room and football locker room.
April 23, 2011 – Softball coach Patti Raduenz became the school's all-time wins leader, recording victory number 270 with a 7-6 decision over Western Carolina at East Field.
April 24, 2011 – Elon baseball head coach Mike Kennedy earned his 500th career win as the Phoenix defeated Georgia Southern 9-0 in Statesboro, Ga.
May 19, 2011 – Tracksters Veronica Day and Amy Salek both qualified for NCAA East Preliminary competition. Day finished 26th in the triple jump while Salek placed 31st in the 400-meter dash.
May 20, 2011 – In its final game of the regular season, the baseball team knocked off Furman 14-0 to clinch its fourth Southern Conference crown and third in four seasons. Elon concluded the year by matching a program record with 23 SoCon wins and posted an overall mark of 36-21.
November 15, 2011 – On Nov. 15, 2011,
Phoenix fans stormed Robertson Court in Alumni Gym as the final horn sounded and the scoreboard glowed Elon 58, South Carolina 53. After taking an 11-point halftime advantage, the Elon men’s basketball team did not trail en route to its first-ever victory against an SEC team, handing the Gamecocks (1-1) their first loss of the young season.
March 20, 2012 – Elon announced the addition of women's lacrosse as its 17th varsity sport and begin play in the 2014 season. Josh Hexter was named the first head coach on April 28.
February 20, 2013 – Elon officially opened Hunt Softball Park against Campbell. The Phoenix fell 7-5. The park was dedicated February 28 against #23 Virginia Tech.
March 17, 2013 – The Elon men's basketball team earned its first-ever NCAA Division I post-season berth. The Phoenix was included in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT) and faced Canisius in Buffalo, N.Y. on March 20.
May 23, 2013 – Elon announces that it will join the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) as of July 1, 2014.
May 29, 2013 – Elon’s softball’s Tomeka Watson becomes the program’s first All-American and the Phoenix’s first female All-American in the Division I era with her third team selection by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA).
November 21, 2013 – The 18th-ranked Elon men's soccer team hosted the school's first-ever NCAA Division I tournament event. The Phoenix played #24 Clemson to a 1-1 draw before advancing to the second round for the first time in program history on penalty kicks. The Rudd Field attendance of 3,348 fans was the largest of any NCAA first round game in the country.
February 7, 2014 – The Elon women's lacrosse team played its first-ever game. The Phoenix dropped a decision to #6 Duke.
March 1, 2014 – With a 16-7 win over Saint Francis (Pa.), the women's lacrosse program claimed the program's first-ever victory. The squad would finish the year with an 8-9 record, including a 4-1 mark in Atlantic Sun Conference play. Elon went 5-0 at home in its inaugural season.
April 12, 2014 – Elon baseball head coach Mike Kennedy claimed career victory number 600 as Elon defeated Wofford 12-2.
April 19, 2014 – The Elon women's tennis program defeated Samford 4-2 to win the program's first Southern Conference Tournament crown and automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
July 1, 2014 – Elon officially joins the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) following 11 seasons as a member of the Southern Conference.
November 22, 2014 – Men's cross country runner Luis Vargas becomes Elon's first NCAA Division I All-American in the sport after placing 25th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Terre Haute, Ind. Vargas posted a time of 30:45 in the 10K. The senior claimed victories in six out of seven races during the season.
December 10, 2014 – Senior men's cross country standout Luis Vargas as honored as the CAA's Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Year. The award is the first player of the year accolade in any sport for an Elon player in the CAA.
May 2, 2015 – The Elon women's track and field team wins its first conference title, and the athletic department's first CAA crown. Five individuals captured titles in six events as the Phoenix bested second-place William & Mary by 15.50 points.
October 31, 2015 – Elon freshman Nick Ciolkowski clocks a time of 24:22.3 in the men's 8K race at the CAA Men's Cross Country Championship to win the individual title. Ciolkowski was named CAA Rookie of the Year and Athlete of the Year in men's cross country.
November 19, 2015 – Elon men's soccer hosts Winthrop in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and wins, 3-0. Elon had the highest attendance (2,419) of any first-round match.
November 30, 2015 – Elon men's basketball rallies from eight points down in the final 15 seconds against Kennesaw State to complete an improbable comeback win in overtime, 103-93.
December 13, 2015 – Elon women's basketball tops NC State, 69-66, at Broughton High School for its first win over a member of the ACC.
August 19, 2016 – Chris Neal becomes the winningest head coach in Elon women’s soccer history, earning his 75th win with a 2-0 victory over Charleston Southern on Rudd Field. He surpassed Paul Webster's (1995-2003) 74 victories.
February 25, 2016 – Elon women's lacrosse earns a 7-6 victory at 10th-ranked Duke for its first-ever win over a ranked opponent in only the third year of existence for the program.
March 2, 2016 – Elon University Director of Athletics Dave Blank is named one of four national recipients of the 2015-16 Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Under Armour Athletic Director of the Year Award by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).
April 20, 2016 – Elon men's tennis head coach Michael Leonard and women's tennis head coach Elizabeth Anderson are named CAA Coach of the Year in their respective sports. Elon freshman Felipe Sarrasague is named CAA Men's Tennis Rookie of the Year.
May 7, 2016 – Elon women's track and field repeats as CAA Women's Track and Field champions. Elon wins the meet at the Jerry and Jeanne Robertson Track and Field Complex with a conference program-record 193 points. Sydney Griffin was named the Most Outstanding Performer of the Meet after winning championships in the 100-meter hurdles and the 200-meter dash as an individual. Griffin was also a member of the Phoenix's 4x100-meter relay team that finished first.
June 2, 2016 – Elon baseball's Nick
Zammarelli is named a third-team All-American by Louisville Slugger.
June 2, 2016 – Elon Director of Athletics Dave Blank is named to the NCAA Division I Baseball Committee.
June 10, 2016 – Nick
Zammarelli is drafted by the Seattle Mariners with the 11th selection in the eighth round of the 2016 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
June 11, 2016 – Chris Hall is drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays with 26th selection in the 14th round of the 2016 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
July 1, 2016 – Elon officially begins a multi-year partnership with Under Armour.
October 21, 2016 – The official groundbreaking ceremony for Elon's new 5,100-seat basketball and volleyball arena, the Schar Center, was held.
November 30, 2016 – The men’s basketball program records its best start to a season in 29 years and the best mark in the school’s Division I era defeating Florida International in overtime, 84-81, inside Alumni Gym to improve to 6-1 overall.
December 31, 2016 – Elon names Curt Cignetti the 22nd head football coach in program history.
Feb. 18, 2017 – Robbie Welhaf throws Elon baseball's first no-hitter at the NCAA Division I level as he faced just one over the minimum and struck out eight hitters in a 7-0 victory over Longwood.
Feb. 21, 2017 – The women's basketball program receives votes in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll for the first time in program history. The Phoenix finished the season receiving multiple votes in the poll while also finishing No. 3 in the final CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll.
March 1, 2017 – Women's basketball defeats UNCW 82-48 inside Alumni Gym to win its first-ever Division I conference championship, finishing the regular season with a 16-2 record in Colonial Athletic Association play.
March 1, 2017 – The women's lacosse squad travels to Blacksburg, Va., and defeats No. 19 Virginia Tech 13-12 in overtime for its second win over a nationally-ranked team on the season.
March 6, 2017 – Women’s lacrosse cracks the Top 20 in the Inside Lacrosse media poll, marking the first time in program history the Phoenix ranks among the top 20 in the major national rankings.
March 7, 2017 – Charlotte Smith becomes Elon’s first CAA Coach of the Year in women’s basketball in 35 years while Shay Burnett garners First Team All-CAA honors for the second consecutive season. In doing so, she became the first Phoenix to earn consecutive First Team All-Conference honors since Ali Ford did it all four years of her college career from 2009-12.
March 11, 2017 – Behind four double-figure scorers, the top-seeded Elon women's basketball squad clinched its first Division I conference tournament title with a 78-60 defeat of second-seeded James Madison on its home floor in Harrisonburg, Va. The win clinched Elon’s first trip to the NCAA Tournament.
March 16, 2017 – Lacrosse's Stephanie Asher and Rachel Ramirez are named to the Tewaaraton Trophy Watch List, becoming the first two players in program history named to the watch list for the sport’s highest honor awarded to one player at season’s end.
March 17, 2017 – 11th-seeded Elon women's basketball takes on sixth-seeded West Virginia in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in College Park, Md. Elon led most of the first half and only trailed by one at halftime, only to take a three-point lead late in the third quarter after a jumper by Shay Burnett. But West Virginia went on a run in the fourth quarter to extend the lead to double digits with less than five minutes to go.
May 5, 2017 – The women's lacrosse team comes back from a late two-goal deficit to take No. 17 Towson to overtime in the CAA Semifinals on the Tigers’ home field at Johnny Unitas Stadium. In overtime, Stephanie Asher scores the game-winning goal to lift the Phoenix to its first-ever conference tournament win.
May 7, 2017 – In just its fourth season of competition, Elon women's lacrosse receives an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament.
May 12, 2017 – No. 20 Elon women's lacrosse battles No. 13 Virginia in Chapel Hill, N.C. in its first NCAA Tournament game. Though Virginia went up 8-2 early in the second half, Elon outscores UVA 7-3 in the final 22:31 of game action to cut the deficit to just two, but the comeback attempt fell just short with an 11-9 loss to the Cavaliers.
May 17, 2017 – Stephanie Asher is named an All-America Honorable Mention by Inside Lacrosse after setting a new program record with 58 goals on the season, which led the CAA.
June 2017 – Elon finishes the 2017 season ranked No. 19 in the IWLCA Coaches poll and No. 20 in the Inside Lacrosse media poll.
June 10, 2017 – Elon junior Bryanna Hames competes as the first athlete from the women’s track and field team at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, earning honorable mention honors in the discus.
November 21, 2017 – Elon football head coach Curt Cignetti is named the 2017 CAA Coach of the Year. He went on to finish fourth in the Robinson Coach of the Year voting, which honors the nation's top head coach at the FCS level.
November 25, 2017 – After playing for a share of the 2017 CAA Football regular-season championship a week earlier, Elon football makes just its second FCS Playoff appearance and hosts its first playoff game at Rhodes Stadium with No. 22 Furman visiting. Elon dropped a back-and-forth 28-27 contest to the Paladins.
February 18, 2018 – Already the winningest head coach in program history, head men's tennis coach Michael Leonard earns his 200th career victory at Elon with a sweep of Appalachian State.
April 17, 2018 – Elon baseball head coach Mike Kennedy claimed career victory number 700 as Elon defeated North Carolina A&T 5-4 at Latham Park.
Aug. 28, 2018 – Elon volleyball plays the first collegiate athletic event inside Schar Center, beating North Carolina A&T 3-0 in front of a then-program record 1,465.
Oct. 6, 2018 – On the road against No. 2 and back-to-back national finalist James Madison, No. 9 Elon football defeated the Dukes 27-24 at Bridgeforth Stadium for its first win over a Top 5 program at the Division I level. With 1:17 to play, Davis Cheek's pass hit Avery Jones for the game-winning touchdown, snapping JMU's CAA Football record of 22 consecutive wins against conference teams and 19 straight victories at home.
Oct. 8, 2018 – Elon football reaches its highest national ranking since the 2008 season, climbing to No. 5 in the nation after beating No. 2 James Madison on the road two days prior.
Nov. 6, 2018 – The women's basketball team hosts the first basketball game inside Schar Center. In the game, Elon took on North Carolina, the alma mater of Elon head coach Charlotte Smith.
Nov. 9, 2018 – Elon hosts the Inaugural Men's Basketball Game inside Schar Center, taking on Roy Williams' seventh-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels in front of 5,245 fans to mark the largest home attendance at a game in Elon basketball history.
Nov. 24, 2018 – Elon football plays in its second-straight FCS playoffs, taking on No. 12 Wofford in South Carolina.
Dec. 17, 2018 – Elon tabs Tony Trisciani as the 23rd head coach of the football program.
January 16, 2019 – Already the winningest head coach in program history, Elizabeth Anderson claims her 200th victory as head coach of the women's tennis program in a doubleheader sweep of North Carolina A&T and North Carolina Central.
April 5, 2019 – Elon names Mike Schrage the 22nd head men's basketball coach in program history. He was introducted to the Elon community a few days later on April 8 inside Schar Center's Gill Room.
April 20, 2019 – Elon men's tennis captures its first CAA title with an epic victory over UNCW. After starting the match outdoors at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center, rain forced the match indoors with Elon trailing 3-2 and two singles courts remaining. Upon resumption, Kyle Frankel held on to win a second-set tiebreaker to tie the match at 3-3. Then, Camilo Ponce finished off the 4-3 victory with a convincing third-set victory to seal the title and Elon's first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2014.
April 27, 2019 – Going in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, standout offensive lineman Oli Udoh is drafted by the Minnesota Vikings.
May 21, 2019 – After running away with the 2019 CAA Regular Season Championship, Elon baseball's Mike Kennedy was named the 2019 CAA Coach of the Year with George Kirby earning CAA Pitcher of the Year accolades.
June 3, 2019 – Elon's George Kirby is selected in the first round (20th overall) in the MLB First-Year Player Draft to the Seattle Mariners. A day later, Kyle Brnovich was selected by the Los Angeles Angels and Ty Adcock by the Seattle Mariners, both in the eighth round of the draft. On Day 3 of the draft, Cam Devanney was selected in the 15th round by the Milwaukee Brewers.
March 7, 2020 – Elon comes back from a 14-point deficit in the opening round of the 2020 CAA Men's Basketball Tournament to defeat James Madison 63-61 on a last-second, game-winning shot by Marcus Sheffield II.
March 8, 2020 – Seven-seed Elon men's basketball becomes the first team seeded No. 5 or higher in the CAA Men's Basketball Tournament to upset a higher seed since the 2011 tournament, knocking off second-seeded William & Mary 68-63 to advance to its first conference tournament semifinal since 2013.
March 13, 2020 – Due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak across the globe, Elon and the Colonial Athletic Association cancels all remaining athletic competitions scheduled for Spring 2020 to ensure the safety and well-being of its student-athletes, coaches, staff members and fans.
Nov. 25, 2020 – Elon returned to action following the cancelation of sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Men’s basketball hosted and defeated North Carolina Wesleyan 82-52, while women’s basketball went on the road and dominated Gardner-Webb 88-60.
Dec. 16, 2020 - Elon men’s basketball defeats Campbell 66-56 to secure its first 3-0 start to a season in Division I program history.
Feb. 20, 2021 - Behind strong singles performances, Elon women’s tennis defeated Campbell, 5-2, to earn its first win against the Camels in program history.
Feb. 27-28, 2021 - Pitchers Spencer Bauer and Brian Edgington held No. 8 East Carolina to one run and Nick Cicci belted a two-run blast as the maroon and gold baseball team upset the Pirates, 2-1 at Latham Park. The pair of hurlers combined for 14 strikeouts in what marked the program’s 29th victory over a ranked opponent and the first over a Top-10 team since defeating then-No. 8 North Carolina State 24-12 on March 5, 2013.
March 2, 2021 – Volleyball’s Isabella Seman was selected as one of 30 candidates for the 2020-21 Senior CLASS Award. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the award was created in 2001 and honors NCAA Division I seniors who have notable achievements in the four C’s of community, classroom, character and competition.
March 2, 2021 - In her first collegiate tournament, freshman Apple Ngamwong placed fourth at the Kiawah Island Classic after shooting an even 216. Billed as the largest collegiate golf tournament in the country, the effort helped the Phoenix finish 10th in the field of 41 teams. The CAA’s top individual finisher, Ngamwong added Women’s Golfer of the Week honors on March 3.
March 5, 2021 – Women’s cross country won its second straight CAA Championship, scoring 35 points at the league meet. The team had five All-CAA athletes with Maria Ahm becoming the third straight Phoenix athlete to win the individual title.
March 6-7, 2021 – Elon volleyball defeated CAA foe UNCW 3-2 and followed with a 3-1 decision to complete the CAA series sweep of the Seahawks. It marked the first time since 1999 that Elon defeated UNCW twice in the same season.
March 7, 2021 – Elon men’s basketball overcomes a 15-point second half deficit to upset top-seeded James Madison 72-71 in the CAA Quarterfinals. The win advances the Phoenix to the CAA Semifinals for the second consecutive year.
March 7, 2021 – Elon lacrosse defeated No. 12 James Madison for the first time in program history, 6-5. The victory was the program’s fifth all time against nationally ranked opponents.
March 8, 2021 – Elon men’s basketball uses a strong second half to defeat Hofstra, 76-58, in the CAA Tournament semifinals. With the victory, the Phoenix earned its first appearance in the CAA Tournament Championship game in program history.
March 15, 2021 - Maria Ahm becomes the first Elon women’s cross country runner to qualify and compete at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. She finishes 82
nd overall out of 253 competitors at the national meet.
March 24, 2021 - Elon volleyball secured its first-ever win over James Madison with a 3-1 final. The final home match of the season, the victory capped off a five-match win streak as the Phoenix finished 4-1 at Schar Center.
March 27, 2021 – Softball defeated James Madison, 5-4, at Hunt Softball Park, handing the Dukes its only loss of the regular season as JMU would go on to advance to the NCAA College World Series.
April 2, 2021 - Leah Daniel became the first Phoenix to be named conference Player of the Year in the volleyball program’s Division I history. She led the league in attacks per set (12.05), kills per set (4.43) and points per set (4.76) and added All-CAA First Team honors for the second consecutive season.
April 3, 2021 – Elon women’s tennis outlasts William & Mary, 4-3, to secure its first victory against the Tribe in program history.
April 15, 2021 – Women’s soccer defeated No. 23 Hofstra for the first time in program history with a 1-0 victory that advanced the team to the CAA championship game.
April 17, 2021 – Elon women’s soccer earned its first-ever CAA Championship title after defeating UNCW in the finals, 1-0.
April 21, 2021 – Leah Daniel was named an All-American Honorable Mention by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) – a first for an Elon volleyball player. She was also the first student-athlete in program history to earn AVCA All-Region honors on April 13.
April 28, 2021 - The Phoenix women’s soccer team made its second-ever appearance in the NCAA Championship when it faced Milwaukee in Cary, N.C. Elon fell to the Panthers, 1-0.
May 1, 2021 – Track & Field won its third CAA outdoor championship in the past seven years after scoring 191.5 points at the meet.
May 9, 2021 - After trailing 2-0 after five innings, Elon scored five runs in the sixth to earn a 5-2 road win at Wake Forest. It marked the third straight win against the Demon Deacons when playing in Winston-Salem.
May 18, 2021 – Lacrosse goalie Paulina DiFatta was named USA Lacrosse Magazine All-American Honorable Mention. She is the first Elon player to earn the honor.
May 25, 2021 - Alex Iadisernia was named the CAA Co-Rookie of the Year, the first Phoenix baseball player to earn the honor since Kyle Brnovich in 2017.
June 9, 2021 – Alex Iadisernia was named to the 2021 Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American Team, making him the first Phoenix to earn Freshman All-American honors since Kyle Brnovich in 2017.
June 24, 2021 – Scolasticah Kemei becomes the first member of the track & field team to be named the CAA Track Athlete of the Year while Mark Elliston wins his third CAA Women’s Coach of the Year award.
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