NEWS
Sutphin to Return to Wildcats Next Season
One of the first things that caught my attention about Elle Sutphin was something that happened off the court. In the Fall of 2021 Sutphin finished fifth in the cake race, right behind four cross country runners. The look on her face as she crossed the finish line seemed to capture not only her stamina, but her fierce competitive nature.
Davidson Women’s Basketball redshirt-senior Elle Sutphin announced late Monday that she would return to the Wildcats’ roster next season.
“After navigating multiple decisions and opportunities I have decided to stay at Davidson College for my last year of both my academic and athletic career. I am ecstatic to continue to be part of this community and program, and to further build on the foundation we have set.”
The 6’3″ forward scholar-athlete from Pilot Mountain, N.C., started her collegiate career at N.C. State, transferring to Davidson in the fall of 2021. Her list of accomplishments before and after becoming a Wildcat is simply outstanding. Most recently, she was named to an Atlantic 10 All-Conference team.
Playing in a total of fifteen games this season, Sutphin scored 193 points for an average of 12.9 points per game.
In the Wildcats 3-game ACC series at the start of this season, Sutphin scored 18, 17, and 19 against Wake Forest, Carolina, and Duke respectively. The Wildcats won two of those games, and only dropped the game against Carolina at Carolina by 4 points. Sutphin was 4 for 5 with her 3-point shots behind the arc in Carmichael Arena.
Injured in late November, Sutphin missed games between November 21 and January 2. She returned to the court at the start of 2024 with relatively limited playing time for the next several games. However, due to other team injuries, she started playing in excess of 30 minutes less than two weeks later. She averaged 32.83 minutes in those next six games, including her season high 39 minutes vs. Duquesne on January 21.
Her injuries returned in late February, and Sutphin did not play in what would have been her final game at Davidson on February 28. However, with her recent announcement, fans can take heart that #33 will be back on Bob McKillop court next season.