Elon University Athletics will be inducting the 50^th and 51^st classes of the Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday, Nov. 6 during Hall of Fame Weekend. The Elon football team will host Villanova at 2:00 p.m. that day in CAA Football action. The induction ceremony, which is free to attend, will take place at 11:00 a.m. in Schar Center.
 
Elon will induct six members into the Sports Hall of Fame, three from the 2020 class and three more from the 2021 class. They include Veronica Day ’11, Aaron Mellette ’13 and Chris Thomas ’13 from 2020 and Matt Garner ’04, Danielle Mills ’09 and Tomeka Watson ’13 from 2021.
 

Veronica Day Profile
Aaron Mellette Profile

Leading up to Nov. 6, we will highlight each of the inductees. Today we profile Chris Thomas. 
 
Thomas is the first-ever member of the men’s soccer program to be inducted into the Elon Sports Hall of Fame, ending his career as the Phoenix’s all-time leading scorer in career goals (53) and career points (116).
 
He also helped the Maroon and Gold to back-to-back Southern Conference tournament titles in 2011 and 2012 while the Phoenix clinched its first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament.
 
“What an honor this is,” Thomas said. “And as the first member of the soccer program to make the Hall of Fame — it’s unbelievable. I have so much appreciation for Elon University as a whole. It shaped me into who I am today.”

In his first year at Elon, Thomas was named the SoCon Freshman of the Year in 2009 and was then recognized as the league’s Player of the Year in both 2010 and 2012. He also earned first-team All-SoCon honors twice and was selected to the conference’s All-Tournament team in 2012.

 

“I have to give a big thank you to my family and friends, coaches and trainers, and of course, my teammates,” Thomas said. “Without any of them this wouldn’t have been possible. Their support, love, and friendship along the way was consistently a major factor. I think about this all of the time but the relationships and memories that were made since the day I stepped foot on Elon’s campus are what means the most to me. Because those live on forever.”

 

During his senior season in 2012, Thomas led the NCAA in goals scored with 23 while setting the school record for most points in a single-season at 51. He was later named a third-team All-American by the NSCAA and was a semifinalist for the Hermann Trophy, presented annually to the nation’s best soccer player.