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LANCASTER, PA – Franklin & Marshall College Director of Athletics & Recreation Tim Downes has announced the resignation of women’s basketball and golf coach Beth Elbon. Elbon, who leaves Franklin & Marshall to spend more time with her family and pursue other educational opportunities, joined the F&M staff prior to the 1998-99 academic year as head coach of women’s basketball and added responsibilities as head coach of the women’s golf program prior to the 1999-00 academic year. “The student-athletes at Franklin & Marshall are extraordinary, and coaching them over the past eight years has been an honor,” noted Elbon. “This has been an extremely difficult decision because of the special people with whom I've had the opportunity to work." During her tenure at Franklin & Marshall, she led the Diplomats to a 96-77 record in women’s basketball to rank second in career victories at the College behind Mary Fleig (122-60 from 1984-90) and guided the team to the 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2004 Centennial Conference semifinals and appearances in the 2001 and 2002 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) playoffs. In 2001, she led the team to a 17-8 record, a berth in the Centennial Conference playoffs for only the College’s second CC postseason appearance and a spot in the ECAC playoffs. The Diplomats improved on the mark in 2002 as Franklin & Marshall finished 20-7 on the year for the first 20-win season since 1991. Further, the team earned a #25 national ranking, advanced to the Centennial Conference playoffs for the third consecutive year and appeared in the ECAC championship game. After coaching the team to 13-10 and 12-12 marks in 2003 and 2004, respectively, she missed the 2005 season due to maternity leave before returning in 2006 to lead the team to a 10-15 mark. Historically, the Diplomats were consistently recognized on the national level during her tenure as point guard Amy Kreitz ’02 (2001, 2002), center Amy Abernathy ’04 (2003, 2004) and point guard Dana Johns ’06 (2005) earned All-America honors. In addition, Kreitz (2002) and Johns (2005) were named the Centennial Conference Player of the Year, while Johns also earned a 2006 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. In women’s golf, Elbon led the team to a runner-up finish at the 2002 Centennial Conference Championships and coached Elizabeth Boyer ’08 to medalist honors at the 2006 Championships. Appointed to replace Noreen Pecsok as women’s basketball coach, Elbon came to Lancaster after serving as head women’s basketball coach at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, Ga., for three seasons. While at Oglethorpe, she served as a member of the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball South Region Advisory Committee, an instructor of Fitness for Living courses, served on the campus wellness committee and started a women's varsity golf team.
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