Chemical Spill at Koury Fieldhouse Delays Elon Lacrosse Senior Day Game

A chemical spill at the entrance to Koury Fieldhouse sent emergency crews to Elon University's campus Saturday morning, delaying the women's lacrosse senior day game against William & Mary by four hours and triggering a contractor-led cleanup that cleared just after noon.

The incident traced back to remnants from containers used to clean athletic gear. Those remnants reacted with nearby pine straw outside the fieldhouse entrance, producing carbon dioxide gas and a reported odor, university spokesperson Eric Townsend confirmed. No injuries resulted.

Elon Campus Security and Police issued the first E-Alert at 9:11 a.m., notifying the campus community of an ongoing investigation at Koury Fieldhouse. A second alert followed at 10:56 a.m., reporting that emergency personnel were on-site assisting with cleanup and that sections of the building remained restricted. The adjacent athletic fields were cleared as safe to use.

Faith Shearer, Elon's senior associate athletics director and senior woman administrator, noted at the time of the second alert that it was not yet known when the investigation would conclude.

A few members of Elon's track team were near the facility when the spill was first reported, assistant track coach Mark Rinker said. Members of both the track and baseball teams were ultimately able to retrieve their equipment from the building.

Townsend said the university brought in a contractor to manage the remediation process, which may include soil removal. The Environmental Protection Agency classifies remediation wastes as solid and hazardous waste managed for cleanup implementation. At 12:05 p.m., Townsend confirmed the work was complete and Koury Fieldhouse had reopened.

The four-hour delay fell squarely on the women's lacrosse program, which had scheduled its Coastal Athletic Association home game against William & Mary as a senior day celebration. The game is played at Rudd Field, directly adjacent to the Koury Fieldhouse complex; the 12 p.m. start was pushed to 4 p.m. Head coach Josh Hexter did not respond to a request for comment.