Sports

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SPORTS 11/30/24 12:55pm

New Eastern Alamance athletic director hopes to keep community connected

By Kathan Gandhi

Brad Costa, a former three-sport athlete from a small town near Buffalo, New York, always knew he wanted to pursue a career in sports. At first, he thought having a career in sports would be playing professional football. But after an underwhelming stint as his high school’s quarterback, he realized professional sports may not be feasible. Still, he wanted to keep the competition.  Eastern’s 15-year athletic director, John Kirby, decided to retire this spring. Costa was given the chance to fill his shoes.

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SPORTS 11/29/24 11:39am

Southeast Alamance High School athletic program continues to evolve in second year

By Benjamin Berfield

When Southeast Alamance High School opened in 2023, BJ Condron had been considering joining the athletic administration. He had coached women's basketball at Orange High School for 10 years, but started to have interest in the athletic department. Condron said he wanted to establish multiple principles after being named the athletic director. He listed one of his goals as forming a beneficial experience for all students playing sports. In doing so, Condron said it’s necessary to prioritize setting a culture around the sports program.

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SPORTS 11/28/24 1:51pm

Elon University punter has historic year amid return to Phoenix

By Miles Hayford

Many football teams look to their quarterback, running back, wide receiver or maybe a player on defense to be their star. Redshirt junior punter Jeff Yurk has been a bright spot for Elon in a position that often goes unnoticed and underappreciated. Yurk has had a great year so far with 20, 50+ yard punts, including a season-long of 72 yards. As of November, Yurk led the FCS in yards per punt with 48.9, which is on pace to break the FCS single-season average record. Yurk’s career average is also in the top 20 in FCS history.

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SPORTS 11/26/24 11:48am

Elon University men’s basketball coach returns to alma mater, captures historic victory

By Miles Hayford

When Elon University men’s basketball head coach Billy Taylor arrived at Purcell Pavilion for the team’s Nov. 22 matchup against Notre Dame, he led the team through the back garage door — walking through the tunnel like all visiting teams do when they come to play the Fighting Irish. But as Taylor walked through the tunnel, he noticed his old locker room on his right — the locker room that had held his jersey, shoes and all the gear he needed for the four years he spent playing for the Irish in the 1990s.

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SPORTS 11/24/24 7:17pm

Women’s basketball player looks to build off successful freshman campaign

By John Houlahan

Within team environments, there has to be a leader to step up to the task. Sophomore Maraja Pass said she hopes to step up to the role this season. Pass, coming off of an extremely strong freshman season, found herself on the Coastal Athletic Association All-Rookie team. She also earned three CAA Rookie of the Week honors. The 5-foot-4 guard averaged 8.6 points per game, along with 4.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists across 30 games played. She led all CAA freshmen in assists. She found her career high in points in a game against Marshall last December where she notched 21 points for the Phoenix.

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SPORTS 11/24/24 2:50pm

Senior forward for Elon women’s basketball transfers experience to team’s younger players

By Benjamin Berfield

With the 2024-25 collegiate season underway for the Elon University women’s basketball team, senior forward Iycez Adams represents the only senior on the team. Adams is in her second year with the Phoenix having transferred from East Carolina University at the end of her sophomore year. Last year, Adams started in all 27 games played. She made an immediate impact leading the Phoenix in points per game with 10.3 and rebounds per game with 7. Adams enters her senior year with five first-year players on the roster and said she embraces the opportunity to provide veteran experience to the team.

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SPORTS 11/24/24 12:47am

Elon University men’s basketball captures historic win over Notre Dame

By Miles Hayford

The Elon University men’s basketball team captured a historic victory by beating Notre Dame 84-77 on Nov. 22 for the program’s first Power Four win since 2012. It was a monumental victory for the men’s basketball program as it was their first ever win over Notre Dame and their first win over an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent since 2005. The win was also significant for head coach Billy Taylor, as it was his biggest win in his time at Elon so far and was his first win over his alma mater after playing and coaching at Notre Dame in the 1990s.

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SPORTS 11/23/24 2:38pm

Women’s basketball duo returns to court after season-ending injuries

By Monika Jurevicius

Elon women’s basketball guards Kamryn Doty and Raven Preston sat on the Elon bench for a full season, recovering from injury. They watched their teammates score 3-pointers, run across the court and imagined the day they could come back to contribute to the team. After a season of healing, the time for a comeback is here. They return to the basketball court after both suffering season-ending injuries last year and wish to keep the specifics of those injuries private. The experience has helped them grow as a power duo as they prepared to come back to play this women’s basketball season.

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SPORTS 11/23/24 10:07am

From tall to taller: Elon University men’s basketball towering duo prepares for season

By Miles Hayford

Reinforcements have arrived in the frontcourt for senior forward Sam Sherry. After being the primary big man for the Elon men’s basketball team the last couple of years, Sherry is ready to share the load this year with transfer Matthew Van Komen, who at 7-foot-four, is the third tallest player in the NCAA right now. Sherry, who stands at 6-foot-11, and Van Komen form a towering duo in the paint that will certainly have an intimidation factor. Van Komen joined Sherry to bolster the team’s interior defense and prowess on the glass, relieving Sherry of the sole responsibility of Elon’s control of the paint.

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SPORTS 11/22/24 4:26pm

Additions from transfer portal provide spark to Elon University men’s basketball

By Miles Hayford

From 2021 to 2023, the amount of NCAA athletes entering the transfer portal increased from 6,749 to 8,767. Since the creation of the transfer portal in 2018, the college sports scene has rapidly changed with teams’ use of transfers dictating their success and failures. Despite losing star guard Max Mackinnon to the transfer portal this past offseason, Elon men’s basketball has a bright season ahead thanks to an impressive cast of four transfer acquisitions. The 2024 signing class includes redshirt sophomore Andrew King, junior Jameel Rideout, sophomore TJ Simpkins and graduate student Matthew Van Komen.

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SPORTS 11/21/24 11:51am

Elon University women’s basketball enters season with high expectations, healthy roster

By Miles Hayford

If the Elon women’s basketball team’s 9-21 and 11-21 records over the past two seasons taught them anything, it would be resiliency, according to head coach Charlotte Smith. It’s been a tough couple of years as the Phoenix only won eight home games over the last two seasons. Last season was marred by the season-long injuries of two of the team’s brightest stars: redshirt sophomore Raven Preston and redshirt junior Kamryn Doty. Smith said the absence of Doty and Preston taught the team some valuable things.

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SPORTS 11/21/24 9:42am

Elon University men’s basketball looks to win conference

By Miles Hayford

After three straight losing-record seasons and two years under the leadership of head coach Billy Taylor, the Elon University men’s basketball team is ready for a Coastal Athletic Association Championship. According to senior Sam Sherry, the current squad is finally poised to make a run. The first two years in the Billy Taylor era weren’t successful record-wise but successfully developed key players like Sherry and junior TK Simpkins. Last year, the Phoenix just fell short in the first round of the CAA Tournament, losing to Hampton by one.

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SPORTS 11/16/24 11:22pm

Elon University women’s basketball wins thrilling game against Kent State

By Miles Hayford

Elon’s women’s basketball team captured a thrilling 66-63 victory over Kent State University in a game defined by two halves — one full of mistakes and the other with an offensive explosion. Elon defeated Kent State inside Schar Center on Nov. 16 for its third home win of the season.  Elon moves to 3-1 with its first win over Kent State since 2005. The Phoenix has a tough game next as it plays Virginia Tech on the road at 2 p.m. Nov. 23.

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SPORTS 11/16/24 6:59pm

Balanced offensive attack leads Elon football to victory

By Benjamin Berfield

Elon University’s football team defeated the University of Maine 31-25 in the team’s final home game of the season. With over 400 total yards, and three rushing touchdowns from senior transfer running Rushawn Baker and a resilient defense in the second half, Elon led for the entire game. Elon improves its record to 5-6 this season and 4-3 in conference play. The Phoenix play its final game against North Carolina A&T State University at 1 p.m. next Saturday, Nov. 23.

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SPORTS 11/10/24 5:36pm

Elon University men’s soccer falls to Hofstra in CAA semifinals

By Miles Hayford

2021, 2022 and now 2024: all Elon men’s soccer postseason losses to Hofstra. It seems the Phoenix has met its match as Elon lost to Hofstra in the 2024 Coastal Athletic Association Tournament semifinals 2-0 on Nov. 10. This is the second straight year Elon has lost in the semifinals. Elon trails Hofstra 1-11-1 all-time. Despite Hofstra’s 4th seed being the lowest seeding in the CAA Tournament since 2017, the Hofstra Pride upset the top-ranked Elon squad. It was a heartbreaker for an Elon squad who is still searching for their first ever CAA Championship.

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SPORTS 11/10/24 12:58pm

Elon University men’s basketball team commands home opener win

By Benjamin Berfield

The Elon University men’s basketball team defeated Bluefield 103-66 to win their first game of the season Nov. 9. It was a strong outing for the Phoenix, who lost 90-76 against the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in a tough battle Nov. 4. Elon led wire-to-wire after the 12:28 mark in front of an energetic crowd for their first home game of the season. The victory gives Elon a 1-1 record. It is their sixth straight win at Schar Center to open the season. Elon will rest for six days before traveling to face Gardner-Webb at 7 p.m. Nov. 15.

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SPORTS 11/8/24 10:21pm

Elon University women’s basketball defeats Gardner Webb despite poor shooting

By Miles Hayford

Elon University women’s basketball secured a closely fought 69-61 victory over Gardner Webb University despite a rough shooting night. Elon was coming off its season opener on Nov. 4 against High Point University where they got a thrilling 66-65 comeback victory and was looking to get a 2-0 start at Schar Center on Nov. 8. The first half was tightly contested, but both teams exhibited sloppy play, chock full of turnovers and missed shots. Both teams were under 40% from the field, and the Phoenix was even missing a number of free throws.

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SPORTS 11/5/24 8:37am

Elon University men’s basketball gives North Carolina scare but falls short in season opener

By Miles Hayford

Light shows, a roaring crowd and a swarm of Carolina blue: It all seemed too much for the Phoenix to handle. The Elon University men’s basketball team stayed strong despite the adversity, giving the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill a scare but lost its season opener 90-76. It was their 13th loss when starting the season away from home, but it was a promising performance against the 9th ranked team in the nation and a sign of a bright future for the program. Elon started the season with nine returning players and brought back 54% of its scoring from last season.

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SPORTS 11/4/24 10:30pm

Fourth quarter surge gives Elon University women’s basketball season opener win

By Benjamin Berfield

The Elon University women’s basketball team defeated High Point University 66-65 to win its first game of the season Nov. 4. It was a roller coaster game as a hot start turned into a 15-point deficit in the third quarter. However, hot fourth quarter shooting proved to be the difference in a thrilling opening night victory. The Phoenix went into the season hoping to improve on its 11-21 record last year and wasted no time getting ahead in the opening minutes. They jumped out to a 15-7 lead thanks to redshirt sophomore guard Raven Preston.

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SPORTS 11/3/24 4:13pm

Elon Athletics has mixed results with Ticketmaster partnership

By Miles Hayford

According to Elon Athletics, 1,119 students used Ticketmaster on Sept. 14 against Western Carolina, whereas the estimated total student attendance was 1,519. Similarly, 427 students used Ticketmaster to attend the Sept. 21 game against East Tennessee State University, but a total of 927 were estimated to attend. On Family Weekend against Richmond University, many students entered with their families and just showed their ID without claiming their ticket through Ticketmaster. The number was massively skewed with 2,114 total students attending. but only 536 using Ticketmaster.

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