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ELON, N.C. – The Elon University Athletics Department today announced the Elon Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2025, with six members scheduled to be inducted during Hall of Fame and Champions Weekend from January 30 to February 30 is. 1. This class includes Stephen Fortman ’15 (tennis), Sidney Griffin ’16 (track and field), David Harrison ’10 (football), Clay Hassard ’85, ’89 (athletes, coaches, and administrators). ), and Casey Jones ’15. (baseball).
Additionally, the Fightin’ Christian mascot will be inducted into the Hall of Fame to commemorate the retirement of the university’s previous mascot identity in 1999.
“We are excited to welcome this group of deserving members to the Elon Athletics Hall of Fame,” said Director of Athletics Jen Stroley. “We look forward to bringing them home and celebrating their incredible accomplishments from January 31 to February 1, 2025.”
Stephen Fortman ’15, tennis, 2012-15
Stephen Fortman, the 2015 CAA Player of the Year, won 117 matches with Elon Tennis over his four-year career.
Fortman quickly rose to prominence, going 17-8 in single play, including 8-2 in conference play, and was named Southern Conference Newcomer of the Year in 2012. He then teamed with 2022 Elon Sports Hall of Fame inductee Cameron Silverman in 2013, earning first-team all-conference honors in doubles and ranking as high as 22nd in the nation. As a team, Elon won the Southern Conference regular season championship that year.
In 2014, Fortman went 8-0 in league play and was named first team all-conference in singles and second team in doubles. Elon won the Southern Conference Tournament and faced No. 2 Tennessee in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. That season, the team went 19-6, including 9-0 in the SoCon.
Even after Elon moved to the CAA, Fortman continued to attack on the court, earning first-team all-conference honors in both singles and doubles and CAA Player of the Year honors in 2015.
Fortman’s 61 singles wins rank fourth in school history, and her 56 doubles wins rank seventh.
Sydney Griffin ’16, Track and Field, 2012-16
A 2016 Basnight Award winner, two-year team captain and multiple conference champion, Sydney Griffin set more than eight school records during her career at Elon.
During the indoor season, Griffin set indoor track and field school records in the 60 hurdles, 200 hurdles, 300 hurdles, and 60 hurdles. His time of 8.48 seconds in the 60 hurdles is still the top mark, placing him fourth in the 60 hurdles, second in the 200 hurdles, and second in the 300 hurdles.
In outdoor track and field, he set records in the 100, 200, 100 hurdles, and 400 relay. She is the record holder in the 100 hurdles with a time of 13.53 seconds and ranks third in the 100 meters, fifth in the 200 meters and second in the 400 meter relay. She was a three-time NCAA regional qualifier in the 100 hurdles.
As a freshman in 2013, Griffin earned All-Conference and All-Freshman honors in both the Southern Conference indoor and outdoor seasons. She won the conference championship in the 60 hurdles during the indoor season.
In 2014, before Elon departed for CAA, she was again named all-conference by the SoCon for both the indoor and outdoor seasons. She again won the Southern Conference championship in the 60 hurdles and added an outdoor title in the 100 hurdles.
In 2015, she was named All-CAA in both the 100-meter hurdles and 400-meter relay, and had a breakout season in 2016 that included three league championships. She won the 100 hurdles, 200 and 400 relay at the CAA Championships and was named Most Outstanding Athlete of the meet. She led Elon to the CAA Team Championship in both 2015 and 2016.
David Harrison ’10, Football, 2006-09
A four-year starter on the offensive line, David Harrison received All-American recognition during his career at Elon.
Harrison served as a team captain for two years, was a two-time All-Southern Conference first-teamer as an offensive lineman and was named a Stats FCS Second Team All-American as a senior. College Sports News also named him the National Player of the Year in 2009.
According to head coach Pete Lembo, Harrison is “the emotional leader of the team” and was named the team’s Most Outstanding Lineman in 2008. He started 42 games over four years, including 12 in each of his final two seasons.
Elon’s offense during Harrison’s tenure was the most explosive in program history. The 2009 team holds single-season program records for total offense (5,099 yards) and first downs (267 yards). The 2007 team set a program record in points per game (36.4) and the same record in total points (400).
The team went 8-4 in his junior year, with wins over No. 14 Georgia Southern, No. 15 Furman, and No. 21 The Citadel. He led the 2009 team to a 9-2 regular season and the first FCS playoff appearance in Elon history, but lost in the opening game to No. 4 Richmond. In Harrison’s four years, his teams defeated six ranked teams.
Casey Jones ’15, Baseball, 2012-15
Casey Jones, the 2014 Southern Conference Player of the Year, had a Hall of Fame career that included one of the best single seasons in program history.
Jones hit .418 with a .502 on-base percentage and a .668 slugging percentage and was named a second-team All-American by both the Louisville Slugger and Rawlings/ABCA in 2014. His batting average of .418 is 4th in the country. Jones added 31 extra-base hits, including 20 doubles and seven home runs. His batting average remains the highest single-season average in program history. At one point, he had a 26-game hitting streak, an Elon record.
Jones was a finalist for the Greg Olson Award, given to the nation’s breakout player in 2014, and earned second-team honors as a third-team NCBWA All-American.
Heading into 2015, Jones was named a Louisville Slugger First Team Preseason All-American, proving he was no one-hit wonder. He batted .313 with 15 doubles and six home runs as a senior, again earning first-team all-conference honors. He finished his career with 47 doubles, sixth in program history, and 106 walks, seventh most in Elon history.
In 2013, Elon Baseball won the Southern Conference Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. As a sophomore, Jones batted .409 with five runs scored and four RBIs, helping his team advance to the NCAA Tournament. He was then named to the All-Charlottesville Area team after batting .667 with a double, one run, and an RBI.
Clay Hassard ’85 ’89, Football/Coach/Administrator, 1982-2022
Clay Hassard, an outstanding athlete, coach and administrator, served the Elon Athletics Department for 36 years before passing away on February 9, 2024 at the age of 62.
A 1985 graduate of Elon University, Hassard earned All-South Atlantic Conference and Academic All-American honors as an offensive lineman. He spent five seasons on the Elon football staff as an assistant coach while earning his MBA in 1989. He joined the department’s administrative staff in 1990 and was promoted to associate director of athletics in 1995.
Hassard will retire as senior associate director of athletics in 2022. He was deeply dedicated to the personal growth and overall success of his student-athletes.
For many years, Mr. Hassard served as Elon’s Chief Athletics Compliance Officer, overseeing NCAA regulations and ensuring that administrators, coaches and student-athletes uphold the highest standards of integrity.
Fightin’ Christian
For 78 years, Fightin’ Christians have served as Elon University’s mascot and the school’s visual identity. It took physical form in the 1970s and had a presence in the emergence of Elon Athletics through the NAIA and NCAA ranks, rooting Elon to multiple conference titles and four national championships. In 1999, the university retired its mascot identity, and in 2000 Fightin’ Christian was awarded a diploma by Elon.
The identity “Christian” was first used during the 1921 sports season when Elon played Guilford College in a major football game labeled “Christians vs. Quakers.” The term “Fighting Christian” was first used during the 1922-23 football season and became the customary name for the track and field team, but it was never formally adopted by the university or its trustees. did. The Fighting Christian mascot wasn’t created until the early 1970s and has become a beloved symbol of the Elon community.
Elon was a member of the NAIA until 1993, and the mascot cheered on four national championship teams during that era. Even as the department moved to the NCAA Division II ranks, the mascot remained. When Elon announced its move to NCAA Division I in the late 1990s, the Board of Governors decided it was the right time to retire the Fighting Christian nickname and mascot and usher in the Elon Phoenix.
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