Good morning! And a belated Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there—but especially the ones who drove us to late-night practices, helped us pick out the perfect cleats, and rearranged their weekend plans so we could play travel ball. This Brew is for you.

What else are we tossing into today’s Brew?

⚾ Monarchs clinch bid for Sun Belt tourney
🚣 AAC Championships over the weekend
👑 And much, much more!

📈 STOCK UP 

🔼 Ending Strong. It took extra innings, a clutch throw and tag in the bottom of the ninth, and home runs from two guys who don't usually start—but Old Dominion denied James Madison a weekend sweep and clinched a bid to the Sun Belt Conference Tournament this weekend with an 8-5 win yesterday.

The Monarchs scored three runs in the top of the 11th, and Joey DeChiaro came out of the bullpen to get the save, as ODU rallied from a 4-0 deficit and defeated JMU at Eagle Field.

Combined with Coastal Carolina's victory over South Alabama, the ODU win guaranteed the Monarchs will finish no worse than 10th in the Sun Belt standings. The top 10 teams all go to next week's tournament in Montgomery, Alabama.

🔼 Looking Forward. Old Dominion rowing wrapped up its season this weekend at the American Athletic Conference Championships on Lake Melton in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The Monarchs had three boats race in the championships, a varsity 4, and two varsity 8 boats.

The first race that ODU took part in was the varsity 4. The boat that featured Libby Guindon as the coxswain and her crew Kelly Bailey, Gillian Battersby, Bekka Kimman, and Gabby Cook took sixth with a time of 8:43.99.

The second race for the Monarchs was the second varsity 8 race that featured Ellie Gortz as the coxswain and her crew was made up of Emma Spinelli, Ainsley Diesi, Afton Stahl, Lauren Norris, Haven Habhab, Marie Ahern, Mary Rust, and Jenna Protacio. This boat finished in sixth with a time of 7:20.11.

The final race for Old Dominion was the first varsity 8 with a boat made up of Sydnee Blackburn, Lily Baumann, Maddie Enns, Jay Weber, Anniemarie Hoff, Lucy Brennan, Kinley Zink, Sophia Bespalova and the coxswain was Illianna Romanzo. They finished in sixth place as well with a time of 6:53.05.

Sophia Bespalova was named first team All American Athletic Conference and has been a top performer in the first varsity 8 boat all season for the Monarchs.

🔼 Christmas In Hawai’i. Old Dominion men's basketball will get to spend this coming winter on the islands of Hawai'i now that the Monarchs are officially set to participate in the 2023 Diamond Head Classic. The 14th edition of the ESPN Events men's college basketball tournament will be at the SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu on December 21, 22, and 24 with times and schedule to be announced at a later date.

Joining the Monarchs on the islands will be Georgia Tech, Nevada, Saint Mary's (CA), TCU, Temple, UMass, and host Hawai'i—notching one win in four combined games against this batch of opponents.

🤔 MONARCH TRIVIA

Bounce back. After a series loss this past weekend, Old Dominion baseball won’t have to wait long to get back on the diamond. They’ll face visiting VCU for the 61st time in program history.

Our question today — with 60 games against each other in both programs’ histories, do you remember the year these two teams first played each other?

Think you got it? Scroll down to the bottom of this email for the answer!

👑 ONE BIG THING

Claim to fame. ODU Associate Director of Athletic Communications, Jim Heath, has earned a spot in the Apprentice School Hall of Fame. He joined the ODU Athletics Department in the fall of 2021 and works with the men's basketball team, as well as men's and women's soccer and men's and women's tennis and he’s been a part of two women's tennis championships, a women's soccer championship, and a men's tennis championship since joining in 2021.

Learn more about Jim Heath’s impact at ODU and in college athletics as a whole.

📬 STICK WITH US

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📅 THE DAYS AHEAD

Monday 5/15

No events scheduled

Tuesday 5/16

⚾ Baseball vs. VCU @ 4:00pm ET on ESPN+ | Live Video | Live Stats | Tickets

🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: 1977!

The interstate rivalry between Old Dominion and VCU started 46 years ago in February 1977 with back-to-back wins for the Monarchs, who hold a 32-28 margin in the series history.

Have a great Monday, y’all!