Happy Hump Day. Summer plans? What summer plans? The Monarchs are back on campus prepping for a big year next year—and you can check out all the action and much more below!

👏 Monarchs lend a helping hand
🏋️ The summer grind never stops
🏈 87 days until kickoff
👑 And much, much more!

📈 STOCK UP

🔼 Giving > Receiving. While Old Dominion University is a secular institution, the gist of the philosophy that ODU passes down to student-athletes is summed up in Luke, 12:48: "To who much is given, much will be required."

"We're all pretty blessed," Amy Lynch, ODU's director of student-athlete services and community engagement said of ODU's 466 student-athletes. "We're all trying to get an education and we're all playing a Division I sport. So, we have a lot of blessings and a responsibility to share those gifts that we have.

And the message of giving back has resonated with ODU student-athletes.

This past year, ODU athletes completed over 5,300 hours of community service time feeding the homeless, mentoring or reading to school children, gathering Christmas presents for kids, and dozens of other volunteer opportunities—an increase of more than 1,800 hours from last year’s total!

✍️ Read more about just how much the Monarchs are giving back to the local community in the latest Max With Minium

Summer Plans. While some of us may be preparing for trips to the beach or vacations with families, our Monarchs were back grinding away for next year. Our fall seasons will be back before we know it! The football team is hitting the weight room, and the men’s basketball team is putting in the work on the court. (Kind of makes us feel bad about sitting on the couch and complaining about the coffee burning our tongue this morning.)

🏈 COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: 87 DAYS

87 days. That’s right folks, start getting those tailgating menus together! We are just 87 days from Old Dominion football being back.

Speaking of 87, did you know that S.B. Ballard Stadium opened for the very first time when Virginia and William & Mary faced off back in 1936?

The Cavaliers prevailed 7-0 that day.

🤔 MONARCH TRIVIA

A stadium by any other name would be as sweet. We mentioned above that what we know today as S.B. Ballard Stadium opened 87 years ago. But when ground broke (and up until 2018) it was known by another name.

Do you remember what it was?

Think you’ve got it? Scroll down to the bottom of this email and see if you had the right answer!

👑 ONE BIG THING

Serve’s up. The Intercollegiate Tennis Association announced that Old Dominion women's tennis senior Shahar Biran was named the Atlantic Region Most Improved Senior recipient.

Biran went 19-5 in singles and 13-13 in doubles this season. She finished the year winning her last ten matches and didn't lose a set in that run. Biran went 7-0 in Sun Belt play and had non-conference wins over LSU, Princeton, Georgia, Delaware and William & Mary.

She teamed with Alesya Yakubovich in doubles where they ran off a five-match winning streak that had victories over Florida State, Princeton, Kansas, Louisiana and Marshall.

📬 STICK WITH US

Did someone send you the Monarch Brew? Subscribe here and get it in your inbox every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning just in time for your first cup of coffee!

🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: Foreman Field!

Read Harry Minium’s farewell letter to the 82-year-old Foreman Field. It’s worth every second.

Have a great Wednesday, everyone.