Good Monday Morning Monarchs. For the first time since the end of May, we can finally say that we’ll be seeing our Monarchs in real, live action this week!

That’s right, the wait is finally over.

Our women’s soccer team is preparing for game week, our football guys are working on the gridiron and in the community, and we’ve got more new faces heading to Norfolk.

What else can we stir into today’s edition of the Brew? Check it out!

⚽️ Game Week Is Here
🤝 Helping Hands
🏈 Countdown to Kickoff
👑 And much, much more!

📈 STOCK UP

🔼 Game Week Is HERE!. It’s been over nine months, but the reigning Sun Belt Conference Champions are ready to take the pitch for the 2023 season opener.

The Monarchs are back looking for a third straight trip to the NCAA Tournament and the quest to reach the postseason begins on Thursday with a trip up the interstate to in-state and longtime rival, George Mason for a 6 p.m. showdown.

⚽️: Coach Hind previews the 2023 season with Monarch Media

⚽️: Boe Thrysøe, Watts, Turkoglu Named Team Captains

🗓: The Full 2023 ODU Women’s Soccer Schedule

🔼 Helping Hands. “Success isn’t just about what you accomplish in life, it’s about what you inspire others to do.”

For ODU football players, the summer has been filled with hard work on the field and in the weight room. But their most important work is nothing close to football.

Now in it’s third year of the mentoring program, ODU football players have been spending time with the students at Blair Middle School, talking to them about school, life, and maybe even a little football tossed in there.

The latest edition of Max with MInium takes a deep dive into the relationship between the Monarchs and Blair.

🖊 Max with Minium: Monarchs and Blair Form Special Bond

🎥: Hometown Hero - LaMareon James Giving Back To His Community

🔼 And Another One. At this point, we’re not sure we have enough space to list all of the preseason accolades and recognition that LB Jason Henderson has received.

You know the best part? He deserves every single bit of it.

Late last week, he added another one to that list as he was named to the Butkus Award Watch List, given to the top linebacker in the country.
 
The day before camp opened, Henderson was named to the Nagurski Trophy Watch List which is given to the best defensive player in the country. Henderson also added preseason first-team All-Sun Belt Conference and Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year honors, and third-team All-America honors from the Phil Steele preseason magazine.

The number of linebackers on the watch list, 51, is a nod to the storied "51" pro jersey worn by the award's namesake, Dick Butkus, who was named by NFL Films as the greatest defensive player in football history.
 
Henderson is the only player from the Sun Belt on the list and one of 10 non Power-Five players.

🔼 Fresh Face. The word is out. People are chasing after opportunities to join the Monarch family.

The latest addition comes with Ashley Ball joining the ODU Rowing staff as an assistant coach, alongside Brian Conley and first assistant Zoe Adamson.
 
Ball was part of the women's rowing team at Tennessee from 2017 to 2021. Following here rowing career at Tennessee she became a Finance and Accounting outsourcing senior associate with RMS US LLP in Washington, D.C.
 
Ball obtained many accolades in her four-year career for the Vols. She stroked the 2v8 to a 16^th place finish in the 2021 NCAA Championships and helped contribute to the Volunteers placing 17^th overall at the 2021 NCAA Championships.
 
She was named University of Tennessee Female Rookie of the Year in 2019, was named most valuable rower for the team in 2019 and in 2021 was named most inspirational rower.

📝 ICYMI

🔼 Save Those Dates. We’ve got save the dates for you and we didn’t even have to pose for any corny pictures in meadow fields.

That’s right, the ODU men’s and women’s basketball teams released their full 2023-24 slates this week and you don’t want to miss out on all the exciting action coming to Chartway Arena this winter.

🏈 SEE YOU THIS FALL!

Preparing your fall schedules? We’ve got plenty of promotions coming this fall at Ballard Stadium that we promise you don’t want to miss!

Game 4: Oct. 21st vs. App State
73rd Annual Oyster Bowl

Game 3: Sept. 23 vs. Texas A&M Commerce, 3:30 p.m.
HOMECOMING

Game 2: Sept. 16 vs. Wake Forest, 12 p.m.
Youth Day

Game 1: Sept. 9 vs. Louisiana, 6 p.m.
First Responders Day

🤔 MONARCH TRIVIA

Over the weekend, Megan Watts was one of three Monarchs named captain for the ODU women’s soccer team.

It’s the second straight season that Watts will be wearing the “c” on her arm.

Throughout her time in Norfolk, Watts has displayed that clutch gene over and over again, leading the team in game-winning goals in three of the past four years.

How many game-winning goals does Watts have in her four seasons at ODU?

Got a guess?

Scroll down to the bottom of this email and see if you had the right answer!

🏈 COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: 19 DAYS

One of the more exciting new names and talents in ODU camp this summer has been #19 Jeremy Mack Jr.

The rising junior safety is a welcome addition to the backfield and brings a ton of collegiate success to Norfolk after spending one year at East Mississippi Community College and last season at Colorado.

Last year with the Buffs, he finished fourth on the team with 46 tackles, including two double-digit tackle games against two of the best the PAC 12 had to offer in USC and Utah.

The Clinton, Miss. native adds versatility, aggressiveness and a new level of tenacity to a defensive secondary that hopes to cause a lot of matchup issues for opposing offenses.

📬 STICK WITH US

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🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: 9.

Nine of Watts’ 15 career goals are of the game-winning variety. She’s had three or more game-winners in two of her four seasons (2019 and 2021).

What do you say we get a few more this year Meg?

Let’s start the week strong, ya’ll!