Sports

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SPORTS 5/4/16 10:00am

Veteran runners lead track & field in defense of CAA crown

By Jordan Spritzer

Mark Elliston, director of Elon University’s women’s track and field, has cautioned the Elon community to not miss the Phoenix’s defense of its Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) championship. “What we’ve done through the year is get them ready for this very moment that we’re about to come to and I believe they’re as ready as they’ve ever been,” he said. Track and field picked up Elon’s lone conference championship last year in its debut season in the CAA, behind junior distance runner Kimberly Johansen’s Most Outstanding Track Athlete of the Meet performance.

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SPORTS 5/3/16 7:00pm

LGBTQIA athletes find match at Elon

By Alex Simon

The first time senior Jess Farmer and Aly Quintana ’15 met was a typical weekend evening for college students. In March 2013 — Quintana’s sophomore year, Farmer’s freshman year — some members of the Elon University women’s basketball team and softball team got together before heading out to parties for the evening. After spending time watching each other on the court and field, the two were finally able to connect, exchanging phone numbers before the night ended. The friendship then quickly developed into something more — but not without its fair share of thought.

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SPORTS 5/3/16 6:30pm

Men's ultimate frisbee hosts regional tournament

By Alex Simon

The Elon University men's club ultimate frisbee team hosted the USA Ultimate Division III Atlantic Coast Regional tournament last weekend. Elon's team, which goes by Big Fat Bomb, hosted seven other schools over the two-day event, with four schools from North Carolina, two from Virginia, one from Maryland and one from Washington D.C. As club president of Big Fat Bomb, senior Evan Miceli was the coordinator of the tournament and felt that the Campus Recreation department's club sports division helped him immensely with running the tournament. "I'm really happy with club sports," Miceli said.

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SPORTS 5/3/16 5:00pm

Softball seniors shine in upset win

By Maddy MacKenzie

The goal for softball pitchers is to throw about 80 to 90 pitches in a normal seven-inning game, but what would the goal be for a 15-inning game? Apparently, for senior pitcher Kayla Caruso, that number is 197. That’s how many pitches she threw in a complete game victory against No. 6 James Madison University Saturday, leading the Phoenix to a 5-4 victory in Game 1 of a doubleheader. “I’ve never pitched that many innings in a game before,” Caruso said. Caruso has been pitching at Elon all four years of her collegiate career, and it seems only fitting that she had one of her best outings of her career on her Senior Day.

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SPORTS 5/1/16 5:52pm

Softball splits doubleheader with No. 6 JMU

By Maddy MacKenzie

The Elon University softball team split a doubleheader against No. 6 James Madison University Saturday, winning 5-4 win in 15 innings in the first game and losing 8-1 in the second game. The first game saw four lead changes occur throughout the marathon three-hour, 41-minute endeavor.

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SPORTS 4/27/16 9:06pm

Softball falls to Virginia Tech ahead of huge weekend clash

By Alex Simon

After coming back from two deficits to tie the game, the Elon University softball team could not do it a third time, falling to Virginia Tech 5-3 Wednesday afternoon at Hunt Softball Park. The Phoenix made four errors in the game, make two of the five runs unearned.

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SPORTS 4/27/16 10:22am

Elon announces athletic apparel agreement with Under Armour

By Alex Simon

The Elon University athletic department formally announced its partnership with Under Armour Wednesday morning. The agreement makes the Baltimore-based apparel company the official outfitter of Elon's athletic teams, coaches and staff.

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SPORTS 4/26/16 5:00pm

Tiebreak defeat gives men’s tennis hope for future

By Alex Simon

Four hours and 11 minutes after freshman Mario Paccini and Elon started the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) semifinal match against the College of Charleston, Paccini found himself defending for the team’s life. The young, upstart Phoenix had a 3-1 lead over the Cougars as Paccini went to a third-set tiebreak on Court No. 2 against junior Rodrigo Encinas.

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SPORTS 4/26/16 3:30pm

Ogren, Zammarelli drive Elon's offensive prowess

By Tommy Hamzik

Elon University head baseball coach Mike Kennedy chalked up his team’s recent offensive success to a handful of players, but more notably, two spots in the lineup. The first two. Kennedy noted freshman infielder Ryne Ogren’s ownership of the lead-off spot, along with junior utility man Nick Zammarelli’s emergence in the two-hole, as keys to Elon’s offensive prowess that plated 51 runs in a span of four games last week. Ogren and Zammarelli have formed a one-two punch, and with senior infielder Tyler McVicar’s 12-game hitting streak and freshman outfielder Liam O’Regan’s stretch of five straight games with a home run, the Phoenix is the midst of its longest conference winning streak in seven years. Elon’s won seven straight in Colonial Athletic Association play, and has climbed to third place in the league after stumbling early to a 2-7 start in the league. Ogren’s hit in the leadoff spot in every game during this hot stretch, and was a catalyst in the victory that started the streak.

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SPORTS 4/26/16 1:00pm

DB picks right time to shine

By Alex Simon

After the Elon University football team’s spring game ended, rising sophomore quarterback Connor Christiansen smiled a knowing smile when asked about rising sophomore defensive back Greg Liggs Jr. “Greg Liggs has not made one play all spring until tonight,” Christiansen said through laughter. Standing just five feet away, Liggs’ eyes lit up at Christiansen’s words, and asked, “Is that on the record?” The laughter shared between these two after the exchange happened following Liggs’ phenomenal spring game, where he picked off rising sophomore quarterback Daniel Thompson three times. And it comes at the end of an admittedly difficult spring for the Greensboro native and Southeast Guilford High School graduate.

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SPORTS 4/24/16 5:22pm

Baseball sweeps Hofstra as Daniels turns in strong outing

By Tommy Hamzik

As the Elon University baseball team's offense stayed hot, freshman right-hander Mason Daniels turned in his longest outing of the year and the Phoenix completed its sweep of Hofstra University with a 10-5 victory on Sunday at Latham Park. It's Elon's eighth straight Colonial Athletic Association victory, its longest conference winning streak since 2009. Daniels went seven and one-third innings, making it past the dreaded sixth inning that's been hindering him, striking out six and allowing just two earned runs (five total) on five hits with three walks.

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SPORTS 4/24/16 2:57pm

Maroon shuts out White in football Spring game

By Alex Simon

In the Elon University football team’s spring game, Maroon beat White 23-0, with rising sophomore defensive back Greg Liggs, Jr.

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SPORTS 4/24/16 11:07am

Women's tennis falls in CAA semis to James Madison

By Jordan Spritzer

Elon University head women’s tennis coach Elizabeth Anderson said her team came up just short in the Phoenix’s 4-3 defeat to James Madison University in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) tennis championships April 23. No. 3 seeded JMU rattled off three straights singles victories to stun the No. 2 seeded Phoenix on its home courts.

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SPORTS 4/24/16 11:00am

Baseball keeps roll going, sweeps doubleheader Saturday

By Alex Ofori

The offense kept rolling for the Elon University baseball team as the Phoenix swept a doubleheader with Hofstra University Saturday afternoon at Latham Park, winning 14-8 and 7-2. “I thought offensively we just carried over what we did at High Point [University] and with UNCG,” said Elon head coach Mike Kennedy.

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SPORTS 4/24/16 11:00am

Men's tennis falls in CAA semis at home to CofC

By Alex Simon

The Elon University men’s tennis team lost to the College of Charleston 4-3 in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) semifinals, with a 30-point tiebreaker being the decisive moment in the match. On Court No. 2, freshman Mario Paccini battled Cougar junior Rodrigo Encinas to a third set tiebreaker, then fought back and forth through a 30-point tiebreak.

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SPORTS 4/22/16 6:36pm

Men's tennis breezes into CAA semifinals with shutout of Hofstra

By Jordan Spritzer

The Elon University men’s tennis team cruised past Hofsta University 4-0 in the quarter-finals of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) tennis championship April 22 from the Piedmont Indoor Tennis Center. The Phoenix won each of its singles matches, winning in straight sets at the top four singles positions to advance to tomorrow’s semi-finals. Petar Tomic clinched the victory for the Phoenix without dropping a single point 6-0, 6-0.

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SPORTS 4/22/16 6:34pm

Women's tennis moves on to CAA semis with win over Drexel

By Alex Simon

WINSTON-SALEM — The Elon University women’s tennis team defeated Drexel University 4-1 in the quarterfinals of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championship Tournament Friday afternoon. “We were pushed against Drexel a lot,” said head coach Elizabeth Anderson.

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SPORTS 4/21/16 4:00pm

Q&A: Elon trustee enjoys minor league ownership

By Alex Simon

Elon University gave an honorary doctorate to Wes Elingburg, PhD, at its Spring Convocation March 31. Elingburg retired as chief financial officer (CFO) at LabCorp in 2005 and has served on Elon’s Board of Trustees since 2005, spending time as chair of the board from 2010 to 2012. He and his wife, Cathy, have given to Elon on numerous occasions, and helped develop the internship program between Love School of Business students and LabCorp. But when he retired from LabCorp, Elingburg found himself looking for something new to do.

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SPORTS 4/21/16 2:00pm

Tennis teams on fire before CAA Tournament

By Alex Simon

As all of the schools in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) arrive on Elon’s campus, the Elon University men’s and women’s tennis teams enter the CAA Championships with some striking similarities. Both teams are on fire. The men’s team has won nine of its last 10 matches, with the lone loss a close defeat to conference foe College of Charleston.

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SPORTS 4/21/16 1:00pm

Coming off sweep, Elon gears up for CAA run

By Tommy Hamzik

It started with a walk. There were two outs, and the game was seemingly lost. But then came a walk. And a dropped third strike.

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