Sports

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SPORTS 4/4/25 9:07pm

Elon University softball beats Charleston in extra innings in top-ranked CAA clash

By Miles Hayford

Elon University softball defeated the College of Charleston 3-2 in an extra innings, walk-off thriller in a battle of the Coastal Athletic Association’s best. The two teams entered the game tied for first place in the CAA as they both boasted a 9-3 conference record, but it was Elon who came out on top after nine grueling innings of play that almost lasted three hours.  Both teams strangely mirrored each other in the first inning with a flurry of baserunners getting on base, but few runs were actually scored. Charleston started the game off hot with a leadoff double, followed by a walk. Sophomore pitcher Lia Miller looked shaky early on, triggering a mound visit from her coaches and her catches, hoping to settle her down and prevent any further damage. After getting one out, Miller walked another, loading the bases. Charleston drove one run in, but Miller got out of the jam, stranding two runners. 

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SPORTS 4/2/25 9:40pm

Elon University women’s basketball leading scorer transfers to Wake Forest

By Miles Hayford

Elon University women’s basketball star Raven Preston announced on social media April 2 that she is transferring to Wake Forest for the 2025-26 season. Preston, a redshirt sophomore, led the team in scoring this season with 12.3 points per game and also led the team’s effort on the glass with a team-high 8.7 rebounds per game. She was also first in steals and second in assists. Freshman Alyssa Ervin announced on March 31 she will be transferring to Furman next season. Redshirt freshman Ava Leroux and juniors Regina Walton and Hannah Dereje have entered the transfer portal.

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SPORTS 4/2/25 4:08pm

Senior midfielder breaks career points record, leads Southern Alamance boy's lacrosse past Eastern Alamance

By Evan Bennett

Talan Cook’s journey to becoming Southern Alamance’s all-time points leader began long before his name topped the record books. As a young player, he was already invested in the team's culture, watching his older brother play before joining the team himself. On April 1, Cook’s four-goal performance in a 15-1 win over Eastern Alamance not only led his team to victory but also secured his place in the program’s history as he broke the career points record. Cook reflected on the milestone with a sense of gratitude. 

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SPORTS 4/2/25 10:09am

Elon athletes turn their names into brands with help from Elon University NIL store

By Anjolina Fantaroni

Elon University student-athletes can now be seen wearing their names not only on the field, but off. The name, image, likeness store empowers student athletes to represent their brand by creating merchandise, such as jerseys and sweatshirts, with $6 per shirt, $8 per crewneck, $10 per hoodie, and $12 per jersey going back to the student athlete. Elon University has recently partnered with the NIL store and has contracted with 86 out of the Elon 503 student-athletes. There are 44 men’s and 42 women’s customized items seen on the Elon NIL website. 

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SPORTS 3/30/25 6:37pm

Elon football stars hope to play in the NFL

By Miles Hayford

Six players including Chandler Brayboy and Kevin Burkett have declared for the NFL Draft and are hoping to make an NFL roster next season. Burkett excelled in his final year at Elon, earning first team All-CAA honors and being ranked by Pro Football Focus as the top pass protecting offensive lineman in all of FCS Football. Wide receiver and kick returner Chandler Brayboy also has his sights set on the NFL. Nationally recognized, he earned Second Team All-American honors from the Associated Press and was named the Phil Steele FCS Special Teams Player of the Year. 

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SPORTS 3/29/25 5:22pm

Elon University lacrosse holds off Campbell for 13-10 Senior Day win

By Miles Hayford

Despite a late comeback by Campbell, the Elon University lacrosse team held on to secure a 13-10 Senior Day victory, thanks to hat tricks from both freshman Lillian Austin and redshirt sophomore Ana Lee Vandiver. The win continued a 7-game conference win streak dating back to last season for Elon, the longest in program history. The Phoenix moves to 3-0 in conference play and remain atop the Coastal Athletic Association standings alongside Drexel and Stony Brook. Elon plays next at Delaware on April 4.

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SPORTS 3/29/25 10:50am

Southeast Alamance girls soccer avenges loss, defeats Northwood

By Evan Bennett

Southeast Alamance High School had one thing on its mind Thursday night: redemption. Following a tough 1-0 loss at Northwood High School two weeks ago, the Stallions approached the conference rematch with a determined mentality, emphasizing physicality and defense. The outcome? A gritty 3-2 win that not only avenged its previous loss but also demonstrated its growth and resiliency. With confidence soaring, the Stallions will aim to build on this momentum when they travel to North Moore for another pivotal conference showdown against the Mustangs on April 1.

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SPORTS 3/28/25 6:31pm

Southern Alamance dominates in run-rule win over Chatham Central

By Sydney Spencer

With runners at first and second and one out in the bottom of the fifth, senior shortstop Mark King delivered a win for the Southern Alamance High School baseball team in royal fashion. The Patriots entered the inning with an 8-0 lead over Chatham Central. Down 0-2 in the count, King smashed a double into left field, scoring both runners and securing the walk-off 10-0 run-rule win. Southern Alamance improved to a 10-2 record and will look to build upon the non-conference victory before its next conference match at home against Person High School at 7 p.m April 1.

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SPORTS 3/28/25 4:04pm

9 Elon University men’s basketball players enter transfer portal, only two scholarship players left on roster

By Miles Hayford

Despite coming off one of their best seasons in years, Elon’s men’s basketball team has seen a flurry of activity in the transfer portal with nine players entering the portal since it opened March 24, leaving only two scholarship players on the roster. Junior TK Simpkins, sophomore TJ Simpkins, graduate student Matthew Van Komen and sophomore Nick Dorn have officially entered the transfer portal. Redshirt sophomore Andrew King, junior Jameel Rideout, redshirt freshman Brayden Crump, junior Deandre Smart and sophomore Kendall Campbell announced on social media that they have all also entered the transfer portal.

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SPORTS 3/27/25 12:33pm

Graham girls soccer falls to Northwood 10-1

By Christian Holland

Graham High School’s girl's soccer team fell to Northwood, 10-1, in conference play on March 26 at Graham High School. While the score was lopsided, the determination and teamwork in communication has significantly improved for Graham as the team entered the game 1-4. The victory against Graham was a solid bounce back for the Chargers after falling to Seaforth in such a lopsided score. The win improves Northwood to 5-5 overall and 4-1 in conference. Meanwhile, Graham falls to 1-5 overall and 1-4 in conference. The Red Devils will reevaluate and take lessons learned into their next match. 

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SPORTS 3/25/25 10:14pm

Elon University baseball falls to Wake Forest 10-0

By Benjamin Berfield

The Elon University baseball team was mercy ruled in its yearly home matchup against Wake Forest 10-0. The Demon Deacons, who are ranked 16th in the country, notched 13 hits, while preventing Elon’s starting lineup from gaining any momentum. Its win comes after two consecutive seasons in which Elon pulled off upset wins at Latham Park. The loss gives Elon a 9-15 record. It will open a three game series against Delaware at 6 p.m. March 28 at Latham Park.

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SPORTS 3/25/25 6:19pm

6 Elon University men’s basketball stars enter the transfer portal

By Miles Hayford

Elon men’s basketball’s star duo, junior TK Simpkins and sophomore TJ Simpkins, have officially entered the transfer portal, and sophomore Nick Dorn is reportedly entering the transfer portal, he told the recruiting database On3. Both redshirt sophomore Andrew King and junior Deandre Smart announced on social media on March 25 that they have also entered the transfer portal. Entering the portal does not guarantee that they will leave Elon, but it would grant a release so that other schools are allowed to contact them about playing for other teams next season. 

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SPORTS 3/23/25 3:46pm

Mitrovich’s mindset, execution and excellence

By Lilly Molina

When junior Justin Mitrovich stands firm on the mound one word is going through his head: execution. He scans the field and remembers his set plan for every single person on his opponents team. Mitrovich researched and studied the team a few days before and now watches as the team’s next hitter took their place at the home base. All he can do now is hope he can execute and perform his job as the Friday night starting pitcher for Elon’s baseball team.

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SPORTS 3/23/25 9:42am

Women’s tennis senior embraces journey as a social media influencer

By Benjamin Berfield

Senior Miray Konar can be seen doing two of her favorite interests on the tennis court since coming from Izmir, Turkey. During games, she is contributing to the Elon University women’s tennis team’s 8-3 record. When the tennis team isn’t playing, she is attracting a huge following online as a social media influencer. Konar regularly posts content of her daily life on her Instagram and TikTok accounts which have generated over 320,000 combined followers. Her reels on Instagram regularly get hundreds of thousands of views, sometimes millions.

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SPORTS 3/22/25 11:05am

Icelandic golfer tees off final season

By Monika Jurevicius

Elon women’s golfer senior Andrea Asmundsdottir is one of six international students on her team, but the only one who has played Iceland’s midnight golf. From the hometown of the “world’s most northerly 18- hole golf course,” the Icelander has teed off her final collegiate season. Golfing didn’t start as a personal interest for Asmundsdottir. Her grandfather started playing golf and brought her grandmother onto the range as his team member for partner golf. At the age of 6, Asmundsdottir began playing with her family, transitioning to competitive tournaments at 12 years old.

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SPORTS 3/21/25 3:13pm

Art of the draw: Elon Lacrosse draw specialist poised for sophomore leap

By Miles Hayford

Elon Women's Lacrosse draw specialist MJ Santa Barbara is coming off a spectacular freshman campaign where she was one of the best draw specialists in the country. She was named the Coastal Athletic Association Rookie of the Year after breaking school and conference records with 151 draw controls on the season. She also broke Elon’s single-game draw control record with 15. She was ranked seventh in the country with 8.88 draw controls per game — which was the highest average for a freshman in the country. She was recently named an honorable mention preseason All-American.

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SPORTS 3/20/25 10:55am

Softball team aims to bounce back after rocky start to the season

By Benjamin Berfield

With the season underway for the Elon University softball team, the Phoenix has undergone a tough schedule against nonconference teams after starting the season with two non-conference tournaments at Hunt Softball Park. They have a 7-10 record, as of March 3, but head coach Kathy Bocock believes there is still room for growth. Bocock said hitting is one particular area where Elon needs to grow going forward. Elon’s 12 home runs ranks second in the Coastal Athletic Association; it has had a boom or bust style as the team is sixth in RBIs and second in strikeouts. 

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SPORTS 3/18/25 2:41pm

Men’s tennis hopes to serve up a strong season

By Kathan Gandhi

Following Elon Men’s Tennis former head coach Michael Leonard's two-decade coaching legacy, the new men’s tennis coach Maciek Sykut has big shoes to fill. Sykut adds a plethora of experience to the Phoenix team. The former pro played for three years on the Association of Professional Tennis tour, reaching a career high doubles ranking of 145. After leaving the pro-circuit, Sykut became an assistant for the North Carolina State University and University of Arizona tennis team. In 2020, he joined the staff at Duke University, where the team competed in the NCAA tournament four times during his tenure at Duke.

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SPORTS 3/16/25 9:51pm

Elon University men’s basketball star brothers reportedly plan to enter the transfer portal

By Miles Hayford

Elon men’s basketball twin brothers TK and TJ Simpkins reportedly plan to enter the transfer portal, sources told the recruiting database On3. If the twin brothers were to leave Elon, the Phoenix would be losing a significant part of its offense as the two of them made up for almost 37% of Elon’s points this season. This is the first time either player has entered the portal since joining Elon, however both players transferred from Northwest Florida State College to Elon using the transfer portal. TJ transferred last offseason and TK joined Elon after the 2022-23 season.

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SPORTS 3/16/25 4:23am

Track & field transfers aim to break records, capitalize on Elon education

By Miles Hayford

After competing at Catawba College from 2021-24, Mikayla Jones was ready for something new. While looking for universities in North Carolina to transfer to, she discovered Elon University’s data analytics program and masters’ program and decided to take a visit to the campus and meet the coaches. Similarly, Arianna Alexander — a sprinter — was looking for a program to transfer to after spending five years at California State Northridge. Despite Elon offering her a full ride scholarship for her athletic ability, Elon’s academics is what really stood out to her and attracted to the university.

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