Athletics

Pat Irvine's two-run homer in the top of the 11th inning lifted the Elon Phoenix to a 13-11 Southern Conference baseball victory over the Western Carolina Catamounts, clinching the second consecutive league title for the Phoenix and the third in four years for the program.

Marty Baker, associate athletics trainer, will join the board of directors of the National Athletic Trainers' Association at its meeting in June.

Trustee Jay Hendrickson ’71 and his wife, Amy ’69, of Raleigh, N.C., are among the 12 recipients of the 2009 Southern Conference Distinguished Service Award. The SoCon award recognizes individuals from its member institutions who have contributed to all aspects of the university.

Elon's men's basketball, women's cross country, women's golf, softball and volleyball teams are among the top teams in the nation in the 2009 NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores, which were announced April 22. The Elon teams rank in the top 10 percent of NCAA Division I teams in the nation in their sports.

Matt Matheny, a 16-year veteran assistant basketball coach at Davidson College, has been selected to lead Elon's men's basketball program. He was introduced as the 17th head men's basketball coach in Elon history at a March 29 news conference, vowing his goal is to ensure the academic success of the players and at the same time propel Elon to a spot in the NCAA Division I tournament.

Thirty-five Elon student-athletes received academic all-conference recognition by the Southern Conference during the fall season. Elon ranked #2 among the 12 SoCon schools in the number of athletes earning recognition. To be eligible, a student-athlete must possess at least a 3.2 cumulative grade point average entering the fall season and must have competed in at least one-half of their team’s competitions during the recently-concluded fall campaign.