ELON, N.C. — First-year Elon head football coach Rich Skrosky announced four team captains for the 2014 season on Monday, August 25. The captains for the year will be senior linebacker Odell Benton, senior quarterback Mike Quinn, senior offensive lineman Austin Sowell and junior defensive back Miles Williams.
Of the selections, Skrosky stated, “I am confident the four men chosen by their teammates will be great leaders as we embark on a challenging 2014 season and our inaugural season in the Colonial Athletic Association.”
Benton, who hails from Jacksonville, N.C., finished his junior campaign with 33 total tackles in 10 games. He matched a personal-best by recording seven tackles against #11 Coastal Carolina a year ago. Over his previous three seasons in the maroon and gold, Benton has appeared in 30 games and amassed 94 total tackles, including 10.5 for a loss. He has one sack and one interception for his career.
Quinn, native of Wayne, N.J., started all 12 games under center for the Phoenix a year ago. In his first year as the team’s starting quarterback Quinn set a Southern Conference record with 210 consecutive passes without an interception. He completed 62.2 percent of his passes for 2,618 yards and 17 touchdowns while also rushing for another score. Over the course of his career, Quinn has completed 299 of 477 passes for 2,765 yards and 19 touchdowns in 24 games.
Sowell has started every game over the past two seasons and has a total of 31 career starts along the offensive line in three seasons. The Knoxville, Tenn., resident was an Academic All-Southern Conference honoree in both 2012 and 2013 and was a SoCon All-Freshman Team selection in 2011.
Williams, who missed the 2013 season with an injury, was a member of the AFCA Allstate Good Works Team for his community service a year ago. As a true sophomore in 2012, Williams started all 11 games and made 59 tackles and tied for the team lead with two interceptions. The Spartanburg, S.C., native has tallied 82 total tackles, including 48 solo stops, in just 22 games.
The four will lead the Phoenix onto the field for the 2014 season opener on Saturday, August 30 as the maroon and gold visits Duke for a 6 p.m. contest.