ELON – Elon Athletics has partnered with Onrise, a clinician-backed, peer-driven care platform built for athletes and high-pressure performers, to provide mental performance services for student-athletes. Elon will also launch an innovative injured-athlete group led by Alec Kann, a Onrise Peer Support Specialist and former professional soccer player.
 
The partnership expands Elon's commitment to supporting student-athletes through the full reality of sport, including performance pressure, confidence, identity, and the mental and emotional demands associated with injury and recovery.
 
"From a sports medicine perspective, we see how closely recovery is tied to confidence, identity, and mental readiness," said Shaina Sondakh-Dorantes, Elon Assistant Athletics Director for Sports Medicine. "Partnering with Onrise allows us to support our student-athletes with mental performance resources and a dedicated injured-athlete group, so they don't have to navigate the hardest parts of injury alone."
 
The injured-athlete support group, led by Kann, is designed to create a consistent, trusted space for athletes to be seen and heard while navigating time away from competition. Kann, who played professional soccer for FC Cincinnati following a collegiate career at Furman, brings experience navigating elite sport and the mental health challenges that come with competing at the highest level.
 
Onrise's model combines athlete-specific support with peer-led care, helping organizations deliver services that athletes actually use, with built-in privacy, credibility and cultural alignment.
 
"As a student-athlete, it can be hard to find time to focus on mental health and it always ends up being a lower priority than it should be. But with this partnership, mental health support is so much more accessible," said Cami Glebocki, an Elon junior distance runner and the Mental Health Committee Chair for Elon's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). "The injured athletes support group and peer support will offer us a safe space to focus on mental health, which can greatly impact performance and overall well-being."
 
ABOUT ONRISE
Onrise provides modern, clinician-backed, peer-driven mental health and performance support for athletes and high-pressure professionals. With a network of trained peer support specialists and licensed providers, Onrise helps organizations deliver confidential, culturally competent care that reduces stigma and improves outcomes. Learn more at https://onrise.care/.
 
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