ELON, N.C. –  This week marks the start of the spring season for men's golf, softball, lacrosse and women's golf.

The Elon University softball team will be home all weekend, hosting the Elon Softball Classic and playing in five games from Thursday to Sunday.

Each Monday, Rising Phoenix will preview the week ahead in Elon athletics. Here is a look at each Elon team competing this week.

Men's Golf
The Elon University men's golf team is set to make its spring season debut on Monday, Feb. 3 in the Battle at Briar's Creek, hosted by College of Charleston. The Phoenix will compete in two rounds, one on Monday and one on Tuesday, Feb. 4. The last time Elon competed, the team finished third overall at the Elon Phoenix Invitational. Senior Juan Callejo Ropero was the top Phoenix finisher, tying for second place with a 10-under par. 

Softball
For the first time this spring, the Elon University softball team will be back on the diamond at Hunt Softball Park. The Phoenix have an action-packed week ahead, hosting the Elon Softball Classic and playing five games over the course of four days. Elon begins the season by playing Ohio on Thursday, Feb. 6 at 1:30 p.m. Over the weekend, Elon will face UConn on Friday, Feb. 7 at 2:30 p.m., Ohio State on Saturday, Feb. 8 at 2:30 p.m., NC Central on Saturday, Feb. 8 at 5 p.m. and UNCG on Sunday, Feb. 9 at 2:30 p.m. Fifth year first baseman Gabi Schaal, junior outfielder Mauri Murray and senior pitcher McKenna McCard were selected to the preseason All-CAA team, while senior third baseman Allee Seering was named a preseason honorable mention.

Men's Basketball
After a commanding 71-60 victory over the Northeastern Huskies, the Elon University men's basketball team will complete a two-game road trip this week. Sophomore guard Nick Dorn led the Phoenix in scoring efforts against Northeastern with 19 points, but graduate student center Matthew Van Komen stole the show for the Phoenix on both ends of the court. Van Komen earned a double-double with a season-high 14 points and 14 rebounds. He also added four blocks. The Phoenix will face off against Campbell on Thursday, Feb. 6 at 7 p.m., followed by a trip to Charleston to face the Cougars for the second time this season on Saturday, Feb. 8 at 6 p.m.

Track & Field
Following an extremely successful weekend at the Brant Tolsma Invitational, which saw seven top-ten finishes in program history, the Elon University track & field team is set to compete again this weekend. Junior Lizzie Lopez earned a career-high 3,386 points in the pentathlon, which ranks fourth in program history. Lopez also had a career-high 1.64 meter high jump, which is 10th overall in program history. Sophomore pole vaulter Caden Cerminara also had a career day with a 3.72 meter vault, which ranks third in program history. The Phoenix will split this weekend, with members of the team competing in Winston-Salem at the Camel City Invitational from Friday, Feb. 7 to Saturday, Feb. 8 and members competing in Blacksburg, Virginia at the Doc Hale VT Meet from from Friday, Feb. 7 to Saturday, Feb. 8.

Lacrosse
The Elon University lacrosse team is set to begin its spring season in Durham on Friday, Feb. 7  at 3 p.m. against Duke. Following her stellar freshman campaign as the CAA Rookie of the Year, sophomore midfielder MJ Santa Barbara was named as an All-American preseason honorable mention. Senior attacker Sammy Fisher was named to the preseason All-CAA team while sophomore defender Reagan Kuehn was recognized as a preseason honorable mention. 

Men's Tennis
The Elon University men's tennis team is taking a trip to Knoxville, Tennessee to face Tennesse on Saturday, Feb. 8 and UPenn on Sunday, Feb. 9. Despite the loss against Virginia Commonwealth University, sophomore Jack Curtis and junior Oskar Antinheimo picked up their first singles wins of the spring, both in three sets. Freshman Rafael Ymer also earned the first victory of his collegiate career in the No. 2 singles spot, winning 6-3, 2-6, 6-3. 

Women's Tennis
For the first time this spring, the Elon University women's tennis team will host at home in the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center. The Phoenix will compete against Belmont Abbey in two matches on Saturday, Feb. 8  at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. The last time Elon competed, the team defeated Bellarmine but fell to Wake Forest. Sophomore Mariana Reding earned CAA Player of the Week honors, going 1-1 in singles play. Reding and sophomore Simone Bergeron were named CAA Doubles Team of the Week after going 1-1 for the week and 3-1 on the season. 

Women's Golf
The Elon University women's golf team will compete in West Palm, Florida at the Advance Golf Partner Collegiate, marking the start of the spring season for the team. The Collegiate begins on Sunday, Feb. 9 and will continue with rounds on Monday and Tuesday of the following week. To finish out the fall season at the Terrier Intercollegiate, junior Ashley Lafontaine placed third individually as the Phoenix ended fourth overall as a team.

Women's Basketball
Following two home games last week, the Elon University women's basketball team will be playing its next game on Sunday, Feb. 9 at 2 p.m. against Towson. Against William & Mary, redshirt sophomore guard Raven Preston posted a double-double with 12 points and a career-high 19 rebounds. Freshman guard Ashlee Shaw also posted a career-high seven rebounds with seven points.
 

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'Rising Phoenix' is a student-led initiative to cover Elon Athletics. Through innovative content creation and storytelling, Elon University students will have the opportunity to highlight the moments, people and events that make an impact, leveraging the athletic department's various web and social media platforms for distribution. Follow Rising Phoenix on X (@EURisingPhoenix) and Instagram (@elonrisingphoenix). Interested in joining this initiative as a content creator (video, graphics, writing, storytelling, or more)? Contact Chase Strawser at cstrawser@elon.edu.

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