What the Elwood

Sam Hovan sat down with women's basketball head coach Rebecca Tillett to talk about the 2021-22 Lancer women’s basketball team.

Find out more at https://what-the-elwood.pinecast.co

Ever wonder how pitches work? What are the physics going on? How do pitcher's make adjustments? Could you design a perfect pitching motion?

On this episode of the podcast, Sam Hovan sits down with softball ace Sydney Backstrom, her head coach Dr. Megan Brown and biomechanics expert Dr. Tim Coffey for a deep dive into how pitching actually works.

Find out more at https://what-the-elwood.pinecast.co

FARMVILLE, Va. – With basketball season just around the corner as the calendar rolls to November, Sam Hovan, Voice of the Lancers, sat down with head coaches Griff Aldrich and Rebecca Tillett to talk all things Longwood basketball.

The trio discuss how each team's fall has gone so far as well as what practice looked like in the midst of an uncertain summer. In addition, Aldrich and Tillett describe how they stayed in contact with their teams during the COVID-19 pandemic. The two also talk about life off the court after things were locked down in the spring.

Both Aldrich and Tillett are entering their third seasons at the head of the men's and women's basketball programs, and both are coming off strong 2019-20 seasons. On the men's side, the Lancers finished a program-best fourth in the Big South, and the women's team hosted a home playoff game for the first time in team history after winning nine more games than the season prior, one of the top turnarounds in the NCAA.

Stay tuned for the next episode of "What the Elwood?" or check out previous episodes for more insight into the people that make Longwood athletics what it is.

For the full archive of the podcasts, complete with downloadable links, visit the "What The Elwood?" archive.

FARMVILLE, Va. – Fall is here, and with it a new face in the Longwood softball dugout in Dr. Megan Brown, who takes over the program following the retirement of legendary head coach Kathy Riley. Sam Hovan, Voice of the Lancers, had a chance to sit down with Brown to discuss Longwood softball on LongwoodLancers.com's "What The Elwood?" podcast. 

FARMVILLE, Va. – With summer in full swing, Sam Hovan, Voice of the Lancers, had a chance to do a deep dive into the past of Longwood athletics with Rohn Brown ‘84 in the latest edition of the What The Elwood Podcast. Brown is a Longwood alum who has seen more than 40 years of Longwood athletics, and he recently started a podcast devoted to chronicling the history of Lancers in the past.

Brown describes what he enjoys about hosting a podcast and why he chose to focus on Longwood’s past. He also tells some of his favorite stories and memories through the past four decades, and he explains how he has stayed involved with Lancer athletics through the years.

Brown has written historical features for LongwoodLancers.com and currently serves as the president of the Lancer Club Advisory Board, which is dedicated to supporting a broad-based intercollegiate athletics program at Longwood University by providing student-athletes the opportunity to achieve academic and athletic excellence.

Stay tuned for the next episode of "What the Elwood?" or check out previous episodes for more insight into the people that make Longwood athletics what it is.

FARMVILLE, Va. – With virtual meetings still the current standard, Sam Hovan, Voice of the Lancers, had a chance to sit down, virtually of course, with a storied alum for a special edition of the What The Elwood podcast. Julie Dayton, a member of both the Longwood Hall of Fame and the U.S. Lacrosse Hall of Fame, was awarded the William Henry Ruffner award by the Longwood alumni office, which is the highest honor given by the office.

During the podcast, Dayton describes what her initial response when she found out. Likewise, she recalls some memories from her time at Longwood, and she discusses how her current role as an athletic director has changed how she watches games.

Dayton played for the U.S. Lacrosse national team for 10 years that included a trip to the 1984 Olympic Exhibition and the 1986 World Cup after playing as a two-sport athlete for Longwood. She graduated from Longwood in 1981 after being a two-time All-American in lacrosse while also playing field hockey. In addition to Longwood’s Hall of Fame and the U.S. National Lacrosse Hall of Fame, Dayton is in the Virginia Lacrosse Hall of Fame as well as the Delaware Sports Hall of Fame.

Currently, Dayton works as the Director of Athletics at St. Catherine’s School in Richmond after serving as a head coach in field hockey at both the University of Virginia and at Dartmouth.

Stay tuned for the next episode of "What the Elwood?" or check out previous episodes for more insight into the people that make Longwood athletics what it is.

For the full archive of the podcasts, complete with downloadable links, visit the "What The Elwood?" archive.

FARMVILLE, Va. – The latest episode of the What The Elwood podcast goes all virtual, as Sam Hovan, Voice of the Lancers, talks with assistant field hockey coach Megan Miller about her unique role as both an assistant coach at Longwood and a player on the U.S. Developmental Field Hockey team.

During the podcast, Miller describes how her mindset has to shift from one spot to another as well as how coaching has influenced how she sees the game as a player. Plus, she describes how she became connected with the national team in the first place.

Miller is in her second season at Longwood after a standout career on the field with the Richmond Spiders as an All-Atlantic 10 player. She played for Team USA at the U21 PanAm games in 2016.

Stay tuned for the next episode of "What the Elwood?" or check out previous episodes for more insight into the people that make Longwood athletics what it is.

FARMVILLE, Va. – With the athletics world at a standstill, Sam Hovan, Voice of the Lancers, had a chance to sit down and talk academics with Nick Sparacino and Damarion Geter as both pursue their master’s degrees while also working in the athletics department.

The two describe what challenges they face on a daily basis as well as why they wanted to get a master’s degree in the first place. Plus, they both explain how they juggle playing, coaching, working, interning, student-teaching, etc… as they go through the semester.

Sparacino has worked as a graduate assistant coach for the men’s basketball team over the past two seasons while also working on his master’s in special education.

Geter played his final collegiate season in 2018-19 for the men’s basketball team after overcoming a pair of season-ending injuries in his first year of work on his master’s. This year, he is working in the athletic academic services department while also interning with the CAPS program on campus as he finishes his master’s in mental health counseling.

With women's basketball halfway through conference play, we sat down with Dayna Rouse and Akila Smith. The duo are the most formidable pair of shot-blockers in the Big South for a Lancer squad that is in the top 10 in the nation in blocked shots per game.

On the Thanksgiving edition of the What the Elwood podcast, host Sam Hovan dives into what life is like on the road during holiday season with Juan Munoz, Jaylon Wilson, Ilija Stefanovic and Leslie Nkereuwem from the men's basketball team. They discuss what some of their favorite memories are as well as which coaches they would trust to make Thanksgiving dinner.