GORHAM, Maine    –   A four-year member of the historically successful University of Southern Maine Huskies' women's basketball team (1995-1999), Husky alumna Angel Elderkin '99 helped lead the Huskies to four Little East Conference Regular Season Championships, three Little East Conference Tournament Championships, and four NCAA Tournament berths, including a trip to the NCAA Division III Final Four during the 1997-98 season.
 
An accomplished coach, former United States Basketball Writers' Association (USBWA) Pat Summitt Most Courageous Award winner, and advocate for cancer research, Elderkin is returning to the Gorham campus of the University of Southern Maine as a keynote speaker as Huskies' Athletics celebrates National Girls & Women in Sports Day. With over 30 years of experience in intercollegiate athletics as a student-athlete, coach and consultant, Elderkin will address members of the student-athlete body on Friday, February 7 (8:30 am) on: From the Court to Life: What I Wish I Knew as a College Athlete.
 
Friday, February 7, 2025
National Girls & Women in Sports presentation featuring USM Alum Angel Elderkin '99
 
Keynote:  Angel Elderkin
Topic:       From the Court to Life:  What I Wish I Knew as a College Athlete
Time:       8:30 am – 9:30 am
Location: Costello Sports Complex
 
 o   8:00am–8:25am    Networking session with fellow student-athletes and staff
      Continental breakfast (bagels, select pastries, fruit & juice) available
o   8:25am – 8:30am   Welcome and Introduction of Keynote speaker
o   8:30am – 9:15am    Keynote Presentation
o   9:15am – 9:30am     Q & A
 
 
Earning her degree in sociology in 1999 from Southern Maine as a two-time William B. Wise Scholar Athlete, Elderkin embarked on a tremendous coaching career that included stops at East Tennessee State, Siena, University of Tennessee, Virginia, Louisiana State University (LSU), St. John's University and Appalachian State. Elderkin was named the eighth head coach in program history at NCAA Division I Applachian State on October 1, 2014 and she successfully led the Mountaineers for 10 seasons before announcing her retirement from coaching in 2024. 
 
Over her 10 seasons with the Mountaineers, Elderkin's teams had tremendous success as a program and individually, including a program-best 22 wins in the 2018-2019 season, and 10 Sun Belt Conference All-Conference Team selections, while having developed five players (Maryah Sydnor, Pre Stanley, Madi Story, Lainey Gosnell, Joi Jones) each of whom are in the top-20 in program history in total points scored. Stanley also holds the distinction of the first App State player to earn a contract with a WNBA franchise. Off the court, Elderkin's teams finished first in the NCAA Team Works Helper Community Service Competition, and she and her team had helped raise more than $10,000, including over $5,000 combined through the Kay Yow Fund and the American Cancer Society.
 
Based upon her coaching career alone, Elderkin's achievements are praiseworthy; however, her resiliency and attitude after receiving a cancer diagnosis in 2016 – her third season as head coach -  truly makes her story noteworthy. Elderkin and her team took on the motto "ETG: Embrace the Grind" and Elderkin did just that as she successfully battled endometrial cancer without missing a single practice, film session or game all while traveling to Chapel Hill, North Carolina for treatments. At the conclusion of that season, which included a successful completion of treatments, Elderkin was given the USBWA Pat Summitt Most Courageous Award for her strength and character. Upon her retirement from coaching, Elderkin left App State after compiling the second-most wins in program history.
 
Now, Elderkin is using her experiences as a student-athlete, coach, philanthropist and mentor as a Leadership and Performance Coach, and in recent months, she has been working with coaches at the University of Southern Maine one-on-one to help maximize performance, and drive culture.
 
"We are so fortunate to have one of our Huskies, Angel Elderkin, come back to campus and share her story, her perspective and her experience with our student-athletes and staff," said Kim Turner, Associate Director of Athletics/Senior Woman Administrator. "She is an outstanding person to lead our National Girls & Women in Sport Celebration keynote address. I am confident all of our student-athletes, and staff, will find her messaging inspirational."