Sports

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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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SPORTS 3/15/25 9:51pm

Baseball looks to bounce back from 2024 season, rely on offensive weapons

By Miles Hayford

After starting the season in College Station against the No. 1 ranked team in the country in Texas A&M, the Elon baseball team is ready to compete for a regular season championship. The team has gotten off to a 5-6 start to the season after bouncing back from the A&M series in a big way by beating Presbyterian 16-3, and head coach Mike Kennedy has been impressed with what he’s seen so far. Elon’s strength lies in its offense and ability to score runs from the top of its lineup, led by seniors Charlie Granatell and Kenny Mallory Jr. Granatel.

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SPORTS 3/8/25 3:11pm

Elon University men’s basketball loses to Drexel in CAA Tournament, 23 point halftime deficit too much to overcome

By Miles Hayford

Despite one of its best regular seasons in years, the Elon University men’s basketball season ended early as it lost to Drexel in the second round of the CAA Tournament 91-74 where the Drexel Dragons dominated from opening tip off. Elon was coming off a 3-game losing streak amid the absence of two of its top three scorers this season in sophomores Nick Dorn and TJ Simpkins. Simpkins, sporting an ankle brace, made his return against Drexel, hoping to provide a spark to Elon. 

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SPORTS 3/7/25 10:30pm

Elon Baseball falls to Charleston Southern in first game of series

By Divesh Anchaliya

In a challenging matchup at Latham Park, the Elon Phoenix faced off against Charleston Southern, ending the game with a disappointing 7-2 loss. Despite showing promise in the early innings, Elon’s three defensive errors in the seventh and eighth inning cost the Phoenix the game. The game started off with the Buccaneers scoring off a combination of a walk, a stolen base and a fly-out — which advanced a runner home. Despite this, starting pitcher Justin Mitrovich was able to hold the Buccaneers’ score after that initial hiccup, ending with 6 strikeouts. 

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SPORTS 3/5/25 9:44am

Sombreros and Sluggers: Eastern Alamance soars to 17-1 victory with explosive offense

By Aidan Powley

Eastern Alamance Softball secured a 17-1 victory over Person High School on March 4, fueled by a strong offensive showing. After a slow start and not scoring the first inning, the Eagles broke through with a four-run second inning. After their scoreless first inning, the Eagles scored four runs in the second thanks to a two-run shot. A grand slam in the third put the game out of reach, and a dropped catch ended the game early after only three innings.

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SPORTS 3/4/25 6:25pm

Chapel Hill shuts out Williams behind 17-strikeout performance

By Sydney Spencer

Williams High School batters stepped up to the plate on Monday night. Most, however, didn’t stay for long. Chapel Hill’s starting pitcher Channing Clark was unhittable in the team’s game against Williams. She retired 17 of 21 batters faced via the strikeout, leading her team to a 10-0 shutout victory over Williams. After surrendering a leadoff walk, Clark retired the next seven batters in a row, all by way of striking out. Williams will face off against Western Alamance at 5 p.m on March 4. 

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SPORTS 3/2/25 7:31pm

Elon women’s basketball team stuns No. 1 seed NC A&T with late comeback on Senior Day

By Benjamin Berfield

Through the first 36 minutes of the game, not much was going right for the Elon University women’s basketball team. Despite multiple comeback attempts, North Carolina A&T always seemed to have an answer. Yet head coach Charlotte Smith refused to accept defeat. She kept telling her players to believe they would come back even during the fourth quarter where it seemed like A&T would notch its 18th win of the season. 

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SPORTS 3/2/25 5:12pm

Elon Lacrosse falls short to Notre Dame 8-4

By Divesh Anchaliya

Elon Lacrosse faced a tough opponent in ranked Notre Dame, showcasing glimpses of tactical brilliance but ultimately fell short with a final score of 8-4 in favor of the Fighting Irish. The game was closely contested in the first half with Elon being down by a goal, but momentum shifted in the second half. 

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SPORTS 2/27/25 10:56am

Former softball star returns to Elon in new role

By Miles Hayford

Carley Davis was getting ready for her final season of college softball last January, but bigger things were on her mind. She was thinking about life after her collegiate experience at Elon University. She was looking to become a graduate assistant coach and was exploring different opportunities at schools across North Carolina. She had been discussing her plans with Elon head coach Kathy Bocock throughout the entire process, and when the opportunity to stay at Elon after her final season presented itself, the choice was obvious.

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SPORTS 2/22/25 10:45pm

Elon University men’s basketball falls short in final home game, loses to William & Mary

By Miles Hayford

Despite almost coming back late in the second half, Elon University men’s basketball team fell just short in its final home game of the season, losing 79-70 to William & Mary. An 23-3 run going into the half for the Tribe proved too much to come back, despite Elon’s attempt to claw back late in the game. “Certainly, a lot of things that we could have done better, but in terms of our competitiveness, our fight, our defense in the second half, I was really pleased and hopeful for things to come,” said head coach Billy Taylor.

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SPORTS 2/22/25 6:38pm

Elon women’s tennis crushes Salem in a 7-0 victory

By Divesh Anchaliya

In a display of skill and coordination, Elon women’s tennis excelled in a commanding display against Salem, achieving a clean sweep across all courts with three 6-0 victories during doubles play. They also won handedly in singles. The team’s success on the courts can be attributed to a focused and individualized training program implemented in recent weeks, head coach Elizabeth Anderson, said. 

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SPORTS 2/22/25 3:29pm

Elon University lacrosse captures first win of the season, beats VCU

By Miles Hayford

After only scoring 11 goals through the first two games, Elon University’s lacrosse team exploded offensively, winning 17-6 against Virginia Commonwealth University. VCU opened the game with a couple of promising looks but were thwarted by the Phoenix as VCU caused a few early turnovers. Four minutes into the game, Elon capitalized on its early energy as senior Lila Ceribelli opened the day’s scoring, mirroring how she scored the first goal of the season against Duke.

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SPORTS 2/21/25 10:18pm

Elon Baseball falls to Binghamton in 8-4 loss

By Divesh Anchaliya

Elon Baseball experienced a challenging game against Binghamton, displaying moments of brilliance but ultimately falling short. A ninth inning rally by Binghamton resulted in an 8-4 defeat for the Phoenix. Looking forward, head coach Mike Kennedy expressed confidence in the team for the rest of the series against Binghamton. "Nothing different, we try to be ourselves, take care of ourselves and be ready to go each time we go out there, there won't be an overhaul of the game plan by any means,” Kennedy said. The Phoenix continue its battle with Binghamton at 2 p.m. Feb. 22 at Latham Park.

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SPORTS 2/20/25 11:27pm

Elon wins 69-63 thriller against top-ranked Towson

By Benjamin Berfield

The Elon University men’s basketball team defeated Towson in an exciting game that featured 10 ties and 14 lead changes. It was an impressive victory for the Phoenix who recently defeated University of North Carolina, Wilmington on the road. This marks consecutive wins for Elon over the CAA’s top two teams. The win improves Elon’s record to 17-11 which gives it the most wins in a season since the 2016-2017 season, when it won 18 games. Elon will play its final home game of the season against William & Mary at 7 p.m. Feb. 22 at Schar Center.

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SPORTS 2/20/25 12:13pm

Men’s basketball looks to finish season strong amid recent struggles, injury of leading scorer

By Miles Hayford

Going into its final four games of the season, the Elon men’s basketball team is looking to shake off a late-season skid and capitalize off a massive road win over the University of North Carolina, Wilmington and enter the conference tournament strong. The team has entered a rough patch as of late, losing six of its last nine games, including a recent three game losing streak. The streak was just broken with a monumental bounce-back win over UNCW. Elon has had one of its best seasons in many years, winning 16 games — the most since the 2015-16 season. 

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SPORTS 2/16/25 6:44pm

Elon falls to Campbell due to poor shooting, rebounding struggles

By Lilly Molina

All eyes are on junior Hannah Dereje as she shoots the ball with mere seconds on the clock. As the buzzer goes off the ball lands in the middle of the net and the crowd goes wild. A 1000-watt smile grows on Dereje’s face as players circle her with cheers. This was the tone Elon set in the first quarter going against Campell on Feb. 16. A team known for its defense, Campbell brought angst to the game, but it underestimated the ability for the Phoenix to bring that same fire.

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SPORTS 2/13/25 11:33pm

Elon University men’s basketball upset by North Carolina A&T, loses by 1 point

By Lilly Molina

The Elon University men’s basketball team fell to North Carolina A&T 60-59 on Feb. 13. The team left the game hurt with head coach Billy Taylor saying one of the reasons they lost was due to passive play. This is Elon’s third consecutive loss after losing to Charleston in overtime last week. Senior Sam Sherry played under the weather, and sophomore Nick Dorn was not present at the game due to a lower extremity injury. Taylor said they have a lot to figure out and will keep working toward ending the season strong. 

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SPORTS 2/12/25 10:17pm

Williams girls’ basketball shines on Senior Night

By Matt Shiffman

The Williams girls’ basketball team dominated on Senior Night, defeating Cedar Ridge 48-32 thanks to the efforts of their five seniors. The Williams Bulldogs would improve to 14-8, and 6-5 in conference play. The Cedar Ridge Fighting Red Wolves would drop to 7-13 and 3-9 in conference play. Jordyn Taylor, the Bulldogs top scorer in the 2024-25 season, showed out in her final regular season home game. She led her team with 17 points, showcasing her elite touch around the rim with a flurry of layups.

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SPORTS 2/8/25 10:53pm

Elon University softball splits Elon Softball Classic doubleheader, falls short against Ohio St., explodes against NC Central

By Miles Hayford

The Elon University softball team split a doubleheader in the Elon Softball Classic, losing 4-3 to Ohio State University and dominating 13-7 against North Carolina Central. Elon was coming off an 0-2 start to the season after losing to the University of Connecticut and Ohio University in the first two games of the Elon Softball Classic tournament. Elon plays its final game of the Elon Softball Classic at 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 9 at Hunt Softball Park versus UNC Greensboro.

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SPORTS 2/8/25 5:49pm

Elon University women’s tennis handles Belmont Abbey

By Benjamin Berfield

The Elon University women’s tennis team started their doubleheader against Belmont Abbey on a high note, winning 7-0 this Saturday morning. In doubles, Elon withheld multiple comeback attempts by the Crusaders in each of the first two games. Freshman Lisa Kranec and junior Simone Bergeron won the first set, while freshman Heidi Bulger and junior Madison Cordisco battled back to win the second set. Elon’s success in doubles gave every player a winning record in doubles matches for the season. They then took control in singles with a mix of forehands and returns, winning every set 2-0. 

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