Sports

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SPORTS 2/7/25 2:06pm

Women’s basketball star lights up the court in freshman campaign

By Miles Hayford

Freshman Jayda Angel began her Elon women's basketball career with a combined 35 points and 9 rebounds in her first two games. Angel, who boasts an impressive high school career as well, said a key factor in her decision to choose Elon was the fact that they were her second ever offer and never lost contact with her. She currently leads the team in 3-pointers with 18 and averages 10.6 points per game and has 44 steals — two categories that she ranks second on the team in. 

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SPORTS 2/2/25 4:18pm

Elon University women’s basketball team loses to Monmouth amid poor shooting

By Miles Hayford

After a brutal loss marred by turnovers to William & Mary on Jan. 31, the Elon University women’s basketball team fell 62-47 to Monmouth University. on Feb. 2. The Phoenix struggled to shoot efficiently, shooting 21-72 from the field. Elon’s defense attacked the ball on defense and made it hard for Monmouth to get shots off by utilizing a communication-driven defense that favored double teaming to overwhelm the Monmouth player with the ball. However, Elon’s ability to shoot well went away as they went on a sequence where they missed 10 of their last 11 shots.

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SPORTS 2/1/25 10:37pm

Elon University men’s basketball bounces back after two game skid, beats Northeastern

By Miles Hayford

The Elon University men’s basketball team got a crucial win over Northeastern after losing consecutive games for the first time all season. The 71-60 victory highlighted by graduate student Matthew Van Komen’s 14 points and 14 rebounds puts the Phoenix back on track to finish the regular season out strong. His efforts made way for an impressive effort on the glass by the Phoenix, as the team racked up 2 more rebounds than the Huskies. It is the first 15 win season for the program since the 2014-15 season.

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SPORTS 1/31/25 10:24pm

Turnovers plague Elon University women’s basketball, fall to William & Mary

By Miles Hayford

Despite almost a miraculous comeback late in the fourth quarter, the Elon University women’s basketball team lost to William & Mary 64-59. Elon’s 23 turnovers were hard to overcome and 11 straight missed shots to open the fourth quarter allowed William & Mary to secure the victory. Turnovers were a constant source of irritation for the Phoenix, as the Tribe forced 23 turnovers — 12 less than Elon. Smith attributed the turnovers to a lack of organization on their offense. 

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SPORTS 1/30/25 10:57pm

Hofstra’s depth, defense dooms Elon University men’s basketball team

By Benjamin Berfield

The Elon University men’s basketball team was defeated 74-63 by Hofstra in its second straight loss at home. Elon struggled to develop momentum offensively and never led after the first five minutes of the opening half. The Phoenix held an early 6-4 lead thanks to 4 points by graduate transfer center Matthew Van Komen. However, those were the only made field goals as the Phoenix went 2-11 through the first six minutes as Hofstra gradually began to increase its lead. They went up by double digits for the first time off a layup from freshman forward Joshua DeCady. 

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SPORTS 1/25/25 6:14pm

Elon University football suffers key transfer portal losses, adds five transfers

By Miles Hayford

The revolving door of the transfer portal has reached Elon University Football as the program has lost key defensive players to the portal, as well as adding five transfers after the winter transfer window opened Dec. 9.All six transfer losses were expected to start next year. The losses include former All-American Caleb Curtain, linebacker Marco Patierno, defensive lineman Chuck Nnaeto, edge rusher Cazeem Moore, linebacker Brandon Tyson and tight end Cody Hardy. Curtain and Moore were anchors of the 2024 defense that the program will need to fill through the portal and the incoming class of 14 freshmen.Curtain transferred to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Patierno went to Eastern Michigan University, Moore headed to the University of Virginia, Tyson transferred to Georgia Southern University, Hardy went to North Carolina State University and Nnaeto went to Boston College University. All six players are moving up from the Football Championship Subdivision to Football Bowl Subdivision programs, a valuable promotion.

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SPORTS 1/19/25 4:33pm

Elon University women’s basketball improves to second place in CAA after win over Hofstra

By Miles Hayford

Elon began the game where they left off on Jan. 17 in its win against Stony Brook with a heavy reliance on its transition offense, the aspect of its offense that has found some of the most success this season. Elon got its first points of the game this way after redshirt sophomore Raven Preston snatched the ball away from Hofstra and, through a couple of passes, was able to get it to sophomore Maraja Pass for a layup. Preston said the reliance of transition offense to start the game favored them. “We played fast paced in practice, so it's not really anything new to us,” Preston said. “Just got our legs warmed up for the game.”

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SPORTS 1/17/25 10:06pm

Second half surge pushes Elon University women’s basketball over Stony Brook

By Miles Hayford

Despite a 13-point first half, the Elon University women’s basketball team defeated Stony Brook in comeback fashion 60-48 thanks to an offensive eruption in the second half. The first half showcased a pitiful shooting performance from the Phoenix. Elon finished the first half 16% from the field and 0-9 from beyond the 3-point line, along with 10 turnovers.

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SPORTS 1/4/25 11:04pm

Elon University men’s basketball secures gritty, physical win over Hampton

By Miles Hayford

The Elon University men’s basketball team defeated Hampton University 70-62 in a game marked by fouls and stellar play from both beyond the 3-point line and in the paint. Sophomore Nick Dorn, who leads the team with 15.6 points per game, began the game by knocking down an early 3-pointer to get a noisy and energetic Schar Center crowd going. Dorn made another 3-pointer soon after thanks to redshirt sophomore Andrew King who stole the ball by intercepting a Hampton pass.

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SPORTS 12/7/24 10:40pm

Elon University men’s basketball dominates Wofford with strong shooting

By Miles Hayford

The Elon University men’s basketball team put on an offensive clinic, beating Wofford College 79-56 on Dec. 7 at Schar Center. It was another key win for an Elon squad that is on a hot streak as of late. Elon has won three straight, which is tied for the longest win streak under head coach Billy Taylor. Elon was recently ranked No. 82 in the NCAA NET rankings on Dec. 2, which is a program record. The Phoenix play next against Virginia University of Lynchburg at 7 p.m. Dec. 14 at Schar Center. 

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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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