Dear Eagle Nation,

I hope this note finds you well as we start the first full week of December. 

On Sunday, we were elated to find out that our football team will participate in the Myrtle Beach Bowl against Ohio University on Saturday, Dec. 16. Tickets are officially on sale now, and we hope to see many of you in South Carolina! Any ticket bought through this link helps Georgia Southern Athletics. More information on hotels, parking and events will be released soon!

I know the way we ended the regular season was very disappointing. We got off to a great 6-2 start, only to go winless in November. As I reflect on the coaching transition from two years ago, I knew that reaching our full potential would take time, especially in a league where a record number of teams are playing in bowl games. We have work to do. We are aligned across the board and putting in the work daily to better the program. I am confident that, working together, we can meet and exceed our goals for the program on a yearly basis. I am thankful to Eagle Nation for supporting our team throughout the season, particularly at Paulson Stadium, and I look forward to the 2024 season!

Women's basketball is currently 6-2 and on a four-game winning streak. Senior Terren Ward tops Division I with six double-doubles and has been the Sun Belt's Player of the Week two of the season's first three weeks. Georgia Southern also ranks third in the country in rebounds per game (51.38) and first in offensive rebounds per game (19.8).

Men's basketball opened its 2023-24 home schedule this past Saturday with a last-second loss to Jacksonville. Under first-year head coach Charlie Henry, the Eagles spent November on the road but will play most of their remaining schedule in Statesboro.

Women's soccer secured a program-best No. 47 national ranking this past season. The Eagles ended the regular season with a seven-match win streak, the second-longest in program history, to finish second in the league standings. They also tallied 35 goals and 31 assists on the year, the most since 2002.

Volleyball is also having an outstanding fall as it secured the program's first 20+ win season since 2013. The Eagles also earned the program's first bid to the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC), winning its first two matches in the tournament last Friday and Saturday at East Carolina University. The Eagles now host South Florida in the Elite 8 on Thursday at 6 p.m. in Hanner Fieldhouse. I encourage you all to come out and support this team … they are fun to watch! Additionally, our 10 Sun Belt wins were a program record while also securing a program-record No. 67 RPI ranking during the season. You can find information on Thursday's match, as well as ticket pricing, at this link.

Women's golf ended the fall with a program-best ranking of No. 59! The Eagles secured three top-3 finishes in fall tournaments, highlighted by a team win at the Southern at the Savannah Golf Club. This year's roster is very deep, and I look forward to seeing the Eagles return to action in February.

Our rifle team is currently ranked in the top 5 in the nation! They rose to No. 3 in November, a school record that positions them well for making its first NCAA team championship in March. Recapping the fall, the Eagles broke virtually every team school record and picked up historic wins against four top-25 programs, highlighted by two top-10 wins on the road against No. 3 Ole Miss and No. 9 Memphis. This team is poised for a tremendous spring!

Men's soccer increased its RPI by 28 spots from last year, winning its first conference match since 2019 with a road win over Old Dominion. The team also earned a draw on the road against No. 2 West Virginia, which has advanced to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament.

Our women's cross country team placed in the top three in two of its four meets, winning the Georgia Southern Fall Classic. Five Eagles set personal bests in the 5K as well this fall.

In closing, for Georgia Southern to reach its desired goals, I will continue to highlight four (4) actions that individuals and companies can take to help us:

1. Financially support the Athletic Foundation and the Erk Russell Fund
2. Buy season tickets and create a home-field advantage
3. Support the Eagle Nation Collective (EagleNationNIL.com)
4. Get others to do the same!

Jared Benko