Newspapers / Elon University Student Newspaper / Nov. 12, 2008, edition 1 / Page 22
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Page 22 / Wednesday, November 12, 2008 SPORTS SoCon awards pour in for men’s soccer team Michelle Longo Sports Editor For the first time in program history, Elon junior forward Justin Wyatt was named 2008 Player of the Year for the Southern Conference. Head coach Darren Powell was not far behind, chosen as the league’s 2008 Coach of the Year. For Powell, it was his second such honor in four seasons with the Phoenix. “The award is really a team award," Powell said. “That comprises the players, coaching staff and support staff. It is everyone that helps contribute to the success of the team. I would defer that award to everyone else. “ Wyatt has scored at least one goal in all seven SoCon tilts this season. He leads the SoCon with 12 goals, seven assists and 31 points. He is seventh and eighth in goals and points, respectively, for the highest total of any Elon player in history. Wyatt’s name also sits high on the all-time goals list, in fourth with 25, and his 62 points rank him fifth on the all-time list. And he is only a junior. “I’ve known [Wyatt] for a long time now,” Powell said. “He has played for me even before Elon and now at Elon and it is nice to see him grow up and get an achievement like that.” Wyatt leads a host of Elon players selected to All-SoCon teams. Elon’s eight selections marks the most from one school since 1988. FILE PHOTO Elon junior forward Justin Wyatt (15) has scored at least one goal in all seven SoCon games this season. He has the highest total number of points of any Elon player in history. It also marks the first time in SoCon history that two goalkeepers from the same team were selected. “It feels really good,” Wyatt said. “It’s nice to get rewarded for stuff like that. It feels good that everyone that deserves to get their rewards finally got it. No one is being overlooked like in the past.” Junior midfielder Erfan Imeni, junior defender Steven Kinney, and senior goalkeeper Kyle Boerner were also all selected to the First Team All- SoCon. The Second Team All-SoCon includes senior forward Aaron Parker, junior midfielder Clint Collins, senior defender Will Mason and sophomore goalkeeper Clint Irwin. Defender James Carroll was also named to the SoCon All-Freshman squad. Rather unconventionally, Powell decided early in the season that the two goalkeepers would split time evenly, one playing the first half and one playing the second half. The process worked and both were eventually honored for it. “I was most excited to see our two goalkeepers recognized," Powell said. “It was the first time in 34 years of men’s soccer in the Southern Conference that that happened and those two in particular represent this team very well. W'hen I saw that I was so happy.” His fourth year at the helm, Powell has accumulated a 36-32-9 record and led Elon to its first-ever NCAA Division I league title and undefeated mark in conference play FILEPHOIC Elon junior Justin Wyatt was named 2008 Player of the Year for the So Con. Wyatt leads the conference with 12 goals and seven assists. during the regular season. In his first three years with the Phoenix, the program produced 12 All-SoCon performers. This season alone, Powell has seen eight members come out of his squad. “It is a year-long commitment for these players,” Powell said. “They have worked hard throughoul the spring, the fall and it is nice to see these guys get honored. It gives the players a little bit of confidence to be recognized by the coaches in the league and hopefully that confidence can now be reflected in the games. “ Stadiums around the NFL in trouble In a time of financial crisis, some well-known sports stadiums may be forced to change names Michelle Longo Sports Editor There are many jinxes in the professional sports realm. Many believe if an NFL player is on the cover of Madden, he will either get injured or have a sub-par year. Likewise, players featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated may experience a bad year because of the curse. In recent years, a new curse has taken shape in sports, but this time, it only affects the facilities. At the height of the Dot Com age, many companies began buying into the idea that slapping their name across a professional sports arena would help their business. Instead, it looks more and more like buying a stadium name is a fast track to financial trouble. Especially now, in a time of economic turmoil, the possibility of changing stadium names is almost inevitable. The Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, home of the Sixers and the Flyers, was an inch away from having to change its name to Citibank Center. Companies pay an incredible amount of money to display their names in lights for all sports fans to see. PSINet Stadium, CMGI Stadium and the Network Associates stadium were supposed to become household names, in households that cared about sports. In January 1999, PSINet struck a 20-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens that involved PSINet getting the naming rights to the NFL stadium at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Md., along with the primary sponsorship of all team events and the ownership of the Ravens' Web site. Three years later, the company went bankrupt and could not afford to pay the lucrative contract anymore. More and more contract bail-outs and name changes may be inevitable if the economy, especially the banking situation, does not return to a normal state of operation in the near future. Baseball fields, hockey stadiums, basketball arenas and even college stadiums are not exempt from this name-changing crisis either. It hits all venues of the sports world. Gillette Stadium - Home of the New England Patriots - formerly CMGI Field (2002)^ M&T Bank Stadium - Home of the Baltimore Ravens - formerly PSl Net (1999-2002) - $75 million a year for 15 years Invesco Field - Home of the Denver Broncos - $120 million a year for 20 years Oaskland Coliseum - Home of the Oakland Raiders - formerly Network Associates (1998-2004) - formerly NfeAfee (2004-2008) Lincoln Financial Beld - Horae of the Philadelphia Eagles - . - $139.6 million for 21 years Candlestick Park - Home of the San Francisco 49ers - formerly 3Com Park - formerly Monster Park Bank of America Stadium - Home of the Carolina Panthers - formerly Ericcsson - S7 million through 2024 Edward Jones Dome - Home of the St. Louis Rams - $2.65 million through iOl3 Raymond James ^igKum - Home of the Tampa Bay Bucc^p^ers -S 3.1 million flirough 2026 Want to go to one of the most anticipated Southern Conference contests of the season? Students can pay $10 and get a game ticket to Elon vs. Appalachian State at 3:30 p.m. Saturday in Boone, N.C. A charter bus will leave Elon at 10:30 a.m. and return immediately following the game. The price also includes pregame tailgating. Tickets are limited and the only way to go is to enter a lottery by going to the student Web site. The lottery closes today at noon and selections will be made at 12:10 p.m. How to get a ticket: 1. Log on to the student Web site and enter your username and password 2. Click on Request/Claim ticket 3. Select the highlighted @ Appalachian State game 4. Enter 1 for ticket 5. Wait for the request period to end and the lottery to run If selected in the lottery, you will receive an e-mail detailing the claim process, payment for the ticket and the travel arrangements. If you not selected in the lottery, you will also receive an e-mail outlining other options available.
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