ELON, N.C. – Strong finishes for Elon University’s women’s athletic teams helped the Phoenix program finish second in the race for the Germann Cup, an award presented to the Southern Conference’s best overall women’s athletics program. Elon finished fourth in the standings for the Commissioner’s Cup, which goes to the top men’s program in the league. Both finishes are the best ever by Elon’s men’s and women’s programs.
Elon’s women’s teams finished just behind first-place Appalachian State in the standings after ending the year with 77 points. The Mountaineers finished the season with 77.5 points. Elon’s men’s teams placed fourth with 65 points, finishing behind Chattanooga (68), Davidson (71) and Appalachian State (92).
Phoenix women’s teams finished in the top half of the league in 8-of-9 sports in 2012-13, as the Phoenix women’s cross country team’s runner-up finish at the SoCon Championship garnered a program-high 11 points. Phoenix women’s basketball and women’s tennis also turned in banner years, earning a total of 10 points apiece.
Despite not sponsoring three of the league’s ten sports, Elon’s men’s programs took fourth in the Commissioner’s Cup and finished just six points off of second-place Davidson. After winning the SoCon’s regular season and tournament titles in the fall, Elon men’s soccer carried the torch for Phoenix men’s programs with 14 points. After winning the league tournament last weekend, Phoenix baseball earned a total of 12.5 points, while men’s tennis finished with 12 points after winning the SoCon regular season title. Men’s basketball earned 11 points after capturing the conference’s North Division crown this season.
In all, Elon had six teams and individuals make postseason appearances this season. Men’s soccer and baseball both advanced to the NCAA Tournament in their respective sports, while men’s tennis’ Cameron Silverman and Stefan Fortmann earned automatic bids to the NCAA Men’s Tennis Singles and Doubles Championships. Women’s track and field’s Caroline McCaslin qualified for the NCAA East Preliminaries in the 3,000-meter steeplechase after a stellar rookie season. The Elon men’s basketball team participated in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT), while the Phoenix women’s basketball team played in the Women’s Basketball Invitational (WBI) for the second time in the last three seasons.
Elon had three student-athletes earn Southern Conference Player of the Year laurels this season. Chris Thomas was named the men’s soccer player of the year, while Cameron Silverman picked up men’s tennis player of the year accolades in the spring. Most recently, Elon baseball’s Ryan Kinsella was named the league’s player of the year.
A total of five Elon head coaches picked up Southern Conference Coach of the Year honors this year as well. Darren Powell was named the league’s coach of the year in men’s soccer, while Chris Neal earned the same distinction in women’s soccer. Men’s basketball’s Matt Matheny was named coach of the year by the media, while men’s tennis’ Michael Leonard earned coach of the year honors for the fourth time in his career. Elon legendary men’s golf coach Bill Morningstar concluded his illustrious 41-year career at the university by earning SoCon Coach of the Year honors by his peers.
Commissioner’s Cup (final)
(Men’s Athletics)
1. Appalachian State 92 2. Davidson 71 3. Chattanooga 68 4. Elon 65 5. Samford 64.5 T6. Furman 54 T6. Western Carolina 54 8. College of Charleston 53 9. UNCG 52.5 10. The Citadel 50.5 11. Georgia Southern 47 12. Wofford 40
Germann Cup (final)
(Women’s Athletics)
1. Appalachian State 77.5 2. Elon 77 3. College of Charleston 75 4. Samford 74.5 5. Furman 68 6. Chattanooga 62.5 7. UNCG 60.5 8. Georgia Southern 60 9. Western Carolina 54 10. Davidson 38 11. Wofford 27 12. The Citadel 21