Smith Announces 2012 Elon Women’s Basketball Signing Class

ELON, N.C. – Elon head women’s basketball coach Charlotte Smith has announced that Autumn Carter (Reidsville, N.C./Rockingham County), Jessica Farmer (Asheville, N.C./Carolina Day), Lauren Hudson (Raleigh, N.C./Wakefield) and Nicole Razor (Stone Mountain, Ga./Southwest Dekalb) have all signed national letters of intent to join the Phoenix for the upcoming 2012-13 season. This group marks Smith’s first signing class as the head coach of the Phoenix.

Carter, a 6-5 forward, led the Lady Cougars of Rockingham County to the 3A state playoffs last season and an 18-10 record. Carter averaged 18.0 points per game as a senior to go along with 11.0 boards and 2.3 steals per game. She ended her high school career with 1,356 points and helped RCHS to the state tournament every season. A two-time team MVP, Carter earned all-conference honors three times and was named to the all-district and all-area first team her junior and senior seasons. She was also a three-time member of the academic all-conference team. Carter plans on majoring in exercise science when she arrives at Elon. She is the daughter or Joseph and Venus Carter.

“Autumn has great size and runs the floor extremely well,” said Smith. “She has the ability to change the complexion of the game with her shot blocking ability. She is a great addition to our post game and we are pleased to have her on board.”

Farmer, a 6-0 wing, attended A.C. Reynolds High School in Asheville from 2008-10 before graduating from Carolina Day School. At Reynolds, she was a two-time MAC 4A all-conference player and the offensive player of the year as a sophomore. Farmer helped Reynolds to two conference championships. While playing at CDS, she was a two-time all-state and all-conference player. Farmer was named to the Western North Carolina second team as a junior and to the first team as a senior. During her senior season, she received the MVP award, while also scoring her 1,000th career point. Farmer helped lead CDS to two conference and two N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association championships. Farmer plans to study pre-med when she arrives at Elon. She is the daughter of Rick and Beth Farmer.

“Jessica is an all-around player who can play multiple positions and get it done on both ends of the floor,” described Smith. “She is a proven winner with many championships to show for it. We are excited to have her in the Phoenix family.”

Hudson, a 5-9 guard, was a four-year member of the Wakefield High School varsity team. She was named to the all-conference team both her junior and senior years and earned academic all-conference honors all four seasons. Hudson helped Wakefield to the third round of the North Carolina state playoffs in her freshman, sophomore and junior seasons and to the second round her senior year. Hudson plans to major in biology when she arrives at Elon. She is the daughter of Rick Durham and Lisa Hudson-Durham.

“Lauren is a slashing scorer who will bring quickness and a defensive presence to our system,” said Smith. “We are thrilled as she is a great addition to the Elon program.”

Razor, a 5-6 point guard, helped Southwest Dekalb High School to a 4A state championship in both 2009 and 2010 and a runner-up title this past season. She earned Dekalb County Player of the Team honors as a senior, as well as being named to the Dekalb County All-Region third team and the all-academic Team. A four-year member of the Southwest Dekalb honor roll, Razor plans to major in exercise science when she arrives at Elon. She is the daughter of Gary Munson and Donna Razor-Munson.

“Nicole is a point guard who brings quickness and a scoring mentality to the game,” commented Smith. “She is very capable or orchestrating the offense as she has a great basketball IQ. We are excited about her future.”

All four players will be eligible to play for the Phoenix next season.