Elon, the Southern Conference regular season and tournament champion, sports a 1-1 record versus the regional field this season. The Phoenix fell to Wake Forest 5-2 on Feb. 3 and defeated Charlotte 5-2 on Feb. 22. Clemson and the Phoenix, currently riding a 14-match winning streak, will square off for the first time as NCAA Division I opponents.

Elon learned its fate at its NCAA Division I Men’s Tennis Championship Selection Show party Tuesday afternoon at Wings To Go in Burlington. Nearly 100 spectators joined the Phoenix in viewing the live ESPNews announcement of the entire 64-team tournament field and 16 regional sites.

“We are extremely excited about this opportunity and to be playing so close to home,” Elon coach Michael Leonard said. “We have some of the best fans any team can ask for and we know that they are looking forward to joining us in nearby Winston-Salem next week.”

First Team All-SoCon selection Damon Gooch (17-4 at No. 1 this spring), First Team All-SoCon pick and SoCon Tournament MVP Anuwat Dalodom (18-3 at No. 2), Mason Schermerhorn (18-3 at No. 3), team co-captain Sebastian Bredberg (16-5 at No. 4), Second Team All-SoCon honoree Gustaf Asplund (18-3 at No. 5) and team co-captain and Second Team All-SoCon player Austin Fenn (18-4 at No. 6) lead the Phoenix.

Nkang tops a list of 25 Elon athletes to work their way into the National Football League, but he becomes the first Phoenix football player to be drafted since wide receiver Joe Randolph in 1992. Minnesota drafted Randolph as the 322nd pick during the 12th round.
 
Prior to Randolph, running back Jimmy Smith was the most recent NFL Draft pick from Elon. Smith was drafted by Washington as the 102nd pick during the fourth round of the 1984 Draft.

“We were hopeful that things would work out and Chad would get an opportunity to fulfill his dream,” Elon coach Pete Lembo said. “He came one step closer today. It looks like Jacksonville will be a good fit for him, both with their defensive scheme and the size of their linebackers. I continue to believe that Chad’s ability to fit in on special teams as well as the defensive side of the ball will enhance his chances of making the Jaguars’ roster this summer.”

Nkang played all 45 games during his career at Elon, the first 12 at fullback and the last 33 at linebacker. In those 33 defensive starts, he amassed 414 tackles for an average of 12.5 stops per contest.

Nkang also collected 54 tackles for loss, nine sacks, two interceptions, three pass deflections, seven forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries during his last three seasons. He also scored two touchdowns during his college days – one as a starting fullback in his first collegiate game and one on a 47-yard interception return in his 44th career contest.

The first, second and third teams recognize a combined 48 student-athletes, representing 37 different NCAA Division I institutions in the sports of men’s cross country, men’s indoor track and men’s outdoor track and field. Athletes nominated by their sports information directors were recently selected to Academic All-District squads by a vote of members of the College Sports Information Directors of America within each of the eight districts, placing 80 candidates on the national ballot for the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Team.

Tumbleston’s honor marks the 10th time that a Phoenix athlete has reached CoSIDA Academic All-America status since Elon officially entered the NCAA Division I ranks seven years ago, joining the University Division for the 1999-2000 academic year. He becomes the first Elon athlete to obtain first-team recognition as both a junior and a senior since men’s tennis player Peter Lindstrom did it back in 1993 and 1994. Tumbleston, the University of Wisconsin’s Nathan Brown and the University of Arkansas’ Jaanus Uudmae are the only repeat honorees on the first team this year.

Tumbleston graduated summa cum laude from Elon in May with a 4.00 cumulative grade-point average as a double major in physics and science education. The three-time TIAA-CREF Academic All-Southern Conference team member has also been inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi, Phi Beta Delta (International Studies), Pi Gamma Mu (Social Sciences), Chi Alpha Sigma (Athletics) and Phi Eta Sigma national honor societies.

This spring, the two-time team MVP earned both the 2006 Southern Conference/Dave Hart Postgraduate Scholarship and an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. Last month, Tumbleston was honored as the A.L. Hook Scholar-Athlete at Elon’s annual athletics banquet for the second consecutive year. He also received the Omicron Delta/John W. Barney Memorial Award last month, which is presented annually to the Elon senior with the highest career GPA.

A four-year letterman and two-year team captain, Tumbleston holds five of Elon’s all-time top-10 cross country times, including one tied for the school record. He has competed in the conference championship meet and the NCAA Southeast Regional meet all four years. He was named the Southern Conference Runner of the Week as well as the TIAA-CREF SoCon Student-Athlete of the Week during his senior season last fall.

Tumbleston has competed in 29 of Elon’s 30 races over the past four years, scoring in 28 of those meets while emerging as the top Phoenix finisher on 14 occasions. He earned his team’s Massey Family Sportsmanship Award in 2003 and ran to Southeastern Collegiate Invitational champion status in 2005. He represented his team on the Elon Student-Athlete Advisory Council the last three years.

An eight-time President’s List and Athletics Director’s Honor Roll student at Elon, Tumbleston has served as a North Carolina Teaching Fellow, an Elon Honors Fellow and a physics 消消犯 and research assistant. He plans on attending graduate school this fall, pursuing his master’s degree and Ph.D. in physics on his way to becoming a university professor.

A second team selection last year, Marshall becomes the first Phoenix honoree on a CoSIDA Academic All-America first team in three years. He is also Elon’s first such honoree since the Phoenix joined the University Division as part of its official move to the NCAA Division I ranks last year.

Marshall, a two-time First Team Academic All-District athlete and a two-time GCAA All-America Scholar, was chosen to the 15-member Academic All-America First Team from 80 finalists. Of the 15 members, only three were golfers including Georgia Tech’s Bryce Molder, the 2001 Academic All-American of the Year. Other members were standouts in lacrosse, tennis and track and field.

Marshall excelled on the golf course during his senior campaign, averaging 76.50 strokes over 16 rounds this spring. The Montgomery, AL resident and 1997 Lakeville High School (MN) graduate recorded a season-low round of 71 to go with three rounds of 74 this past season.

The four-year starter and four-year letterman helped the Phoenix to 10 team tournament titles during his career while claiming nine top 10 individual finishes. He tallied four top 25 finishes in Elon’s seven tournaments this spring.

Off of the golf course, Marshall was a double major in computer science and mathematics who graduated suma cum laude last month with a 3.93 cumulative GPA. During his career at Elon, he spent seven semesters on the President’s List, one on the Dean’s List and all eight on the Athletics Director’s Honor Roll.

In April, Marshall became Elon’s first-ever Big South Conference Scholar Athlete of the Year in any sport. The four-time Academic All-Big South golfer was also a member of three National Honor Societies (Alpha Chi, Phi Eta Sigma and Phi Kappa Phi).

Treme excelled on the tennis court during her senior season, posting an 8-5 record at her number three singles position including a 5-1 mark in the Big South Conference. The Salisbury, NC native and 1997 Salisbury High School graduate also registered an 8-5 slate at number two doubles with a 4-2 league ledger.

This spring, the four-year starter and four-year letterwinner helped the Phoenix to a winning 9-5 record and a third-place finish in the Big South. For her career, Treme was 36-11 in singles and 19-8 in doubles.

Off of the tennis court, Treme was an economics major who graduated suma cum laude last month with a 3.96 cumulative grade-point average. During her career at Elon, she appeared on both the President’s List and the Athletics Director’s Honor Roll all eight semesters while collecting six perfect 4.0 semesters.

Treme was the 1999-2000 and the 2000-2001 A.L. Hook Scholar Athlete, recognizing Elon’s female scholar athlete of the year from all nine Phoenix women’s sports combined. The Big South slated her to its Presidential Honor Roll as well as its All-Academic Team.

The Verizon Academic All-America Teams are selected by a vote of the 1,800-member CoSIDA. To be eligible for nomination, an athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve who maintains a cumulative GPA of at least 3.20 on a 4.00 scale. CoSIDA has been selecting Academic All-America teams since 1952.

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The 6-0, 214-pound Nkang was recently named to an All-America first team by both the Walter Camp Football Foundation and The Sports Network. He then received second team All-America accolades from The Associated Press.

Last month, Nkang was named the 2005 Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Year by the league’s media and Co-Defensive Player of the Year by the league’s coaches. He was also tabbed to the 2005 First Team All-SoCon by both the coaches and the media after making the media’s first team and the coaches’ second team in 2004.

For the 2005 campaign, Nkang led both the Southern Conference and the NCAA-IAA with 13.82 total tackles per contest. He paced the conference and finished third in the country with 6.64 solo tackles per game. Nkang concluded the season with 152 total tackles, including 73 solo stops and 18.5 tackles for loss.

The Sports Network and Don Hansen’s National Weekly Football Gazette named Nkang their NCAA-IAA Defensive Player of the Week once each this fall. He also earned Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Week status once and Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Month distinction all three months this season.

After his performance Saturday, Nkang now leads the NCAA-IAA with 102 tackles in just seven contests, averaging 14.57 tackles per game. The Buck Buchanan Award Watch List member passed last week’s leader, Norfolk State’s Maguell Davis (13.17 tackles per contest), for the top position Saturday.

Nkang and the rest of the Phoenix (3-4) travel to Greenville, S.C. this weekend to battle No. 2 Furman (6-1) in a Southern Conference clash at Paladin Stadium Saturday. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.

This year’s confrontation between the Paladins and the Phoenix marks Elon’s third meeting with one of the NCAA-IAA’s top-two ranked teams. Top-ranked Georgia Southern overcame visiting Elon 31-17 on Sept. 5, 1998. No. 2 Georgia Southern rallied past the Phoenix 27-21 during Elon Homecoming festivities on Nov. 10, 2001.

2005 消消犯 Football Award Winners

Southern Conference Players of the Week

Sept. 5 Freshman of the Week – Zach McAlister

Sept. 19 Freshman of the Week – Zach McAlister

Oct. 17 Defensive Player of the Week – Chad Nkang

Oct. 17 Freshman of the Week – Joe Baptiste

Southern Conference Player of the Month

September Defensive Player of the Month – Chad Nkang

National Players of the Week

Sept. 19 Football Gazette National Offensive Lineman of the Week – Jamie Ownbey

Oct. 17 The Sports Network National Defensive Player of the Week – Chad Nkang

The first, second and third teams recognize a combined 46 student-athletes, representing 37 different NCAA Division I institutions in the sports of men’s cross country, men’s indoor track and men’s outdoor track and field. Earlier this month, athletes were nominated by their sports information directors and selected to Academic All-District squads by a vote of members of the College Sports Information Directors of America within each of the eight districts, placing 80 candidates on the national ballot for the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Team.

Tumbleston becomes the ninth Phoenix athlete to reach CoSIDA Academic All-America status since Elon officially entered the NCAA Division I ranks six years ago, joining the University Division for the 1999-2000 academic year. He becomes the third Phoenix star to earn Academic All-America accolades this year, joining football player Brandon Mason and men’s tennis player Pramote Malasitt. He’s the first Elon athlete to obtain first team recognition as a junior since men’s tennis player Peter Lindstrom did it back in 1993.

Tumbleston has fashioned a 3.99 cumulative grade point average during his three years as a double major in physics and science education at Elon. The two-time TIAA-CREF Academic All-Southern Conference member has also been inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi, Phi Beta Delta (International Studies), Pi Gamma Mu (Social Sciences), Chi Alpha Sigma (Athletics) and Phi Eta Sigma national honor societies. He is also a Teaching Fellow and an Honors Fellow.

A six-time President’s List and six-time Athletics Director’s Honor Roll student at Elon, Tumbleston was named the 2004-05 A.L. Hook Scholar-Athlete of the Year at Elon’s annual athletics banquet in May. This summer, he is conducting research with a physics professor at Wake Forest University. He served the Phoenix as a team co-captain last season and as one of the squad’s representatives on the Student-Athlete Advisory Council the past two years.

Tumbleston competed in six of Elon’s seven 2004 races, emerging as the squad’s top finisher on four occasions including at the Southern Conference Meet and at the NCAA Southeast Regional Meet on his way to earning team MVP honors. He finished 15th out of 75 runners at the Adidas Invitational at N.C. State, 58th out of 175 athletes at the Furman Invitational and 32nd out of 85 competitors at the Southern Conference Meet last fall.