Miles Hayford

Sports Editor

Miles Hayford '27 is studying journalism with a minor in sport management. Hayford currently serves as the Sports Editor. Hayford has an interest in all areas of journalism, but is especially passionate about sports journalism. Find his best work on his portfolio.

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Recent Articles

SPORTS 9/14/24 10:13pm

Elon University football falls to Western Carolina

By Miles Hayford

The Elon University football team lost its home opener 24-17 to Western Carolina University in a game defined by turnovers and mistakes. As the players ran onto the field, smoke trailing them, the excitement for the home opener Sept. 14 was palpable. A generous crowd had shown up to Rhodes Stadium. This crowd was rewarded early with some entertaining play. Elon started their first drive with a spark of trickery, employing an end-around rush by wide receiver senior Chandler Brayboy that resulted in 16 yards. Elon continues a four game home stretch, playing East Tennessee University next week.

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SPORTS 9/14/24 3:42pm

Former Elon volleyball player returns to coach

By Miles Hayford

The Elon volleyball team has a familiar face this year. Two years after leaving Elon with numerous accolades from her time on the volleyball team, Haylie Clark has returned to Elon’s campus as an assistant coach. During her time at Elon as a student-athlete, Clark played volleyball under head coach Mary Tendler from 2018-22. She earned many achievements during her time, including being named to the 2021 All-Coastal Athletic Association Second Team and the 2021 CAA Setter of the Year. She also racked up 349 kills, 879 digs, 142 blocks and 113 aces during her time at Elon.

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SPORTS 9/12/24 10:16am

Elon University soccer program remains undefeated, stands atop Division I

By Miles Hayford

Elon University’s soccer program is red-hot right now. The first few weeks of games have gone extremely well for the Phoenix, and both soccer teams are playing incredible on the field. Between the men’s and women’s combined 9-0 record, the program is on a tour of wins as the soccer season begins. Elon soccer is the only current program in all of Division I to be undefeated and untied. Additionally, men’s soccer is ranked No.  20 in the nation by the United Soccer Coaches Poll — the first time the team has reached the top 20 since 2015.

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SPORTS 9/10/24 9:09pm

Elon University volleyball pulls out four-set win

By Miles Hayford

Elon volleyball defeated Norfolk State University in a difficult, four-set affair on Sept. 10 at Schar Center. The Spartans got off to a hot start, jumping to a quick 7-3 lead thanks to a flurry of kills to begin the match. A lengthy point at 8-6 got Elon’s motivation back up, and after a strong serve by senior Sydney Love, the Phoenix tied it up. After Elon tied it up, the two teams traded points in a back-and-forth volley. Despite Elon’s comeback to tie it up, Norfolk State didn’t relent their attack, notching 11 kills to Elon’s three halfway through the first set.

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SPORTS 9/5/24 4:48pm

2024 Fall Sports Preview

By Benjamin Berfield and Miles Hayford

Elon University's football team seeks to claim a conference title alongside starting quarterback Matthew Downing — who just started his seventh year in collegiate football. Men's soccer also has its sights set on conference, while women's soccer welcomes back graduate student defender Katie Lowe for her fifth year. The volleyball team prepares to make the 2024 season better than last year's, while the cross country team adapts to a new head coach. And after a first place finish at nationals in 2022, followed by two, consecutive second place wins in 2023 and 2024, the dance team seeks to continue its momentum. Check out Elon News Network's fall 2024 sports preview for more insight.

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SPORTS 8/30/24 11:01pm

Elon University football falls to Duke, offense fails to find rhythm

By Miles Hayford

Despite the gaping difference between the two programs — Duke was in a Power Four conference in Football Bowl Subdivision football and Elon in the Football Championship Subdivision — the Phoenix came into the game with a fighting chance. They faced a Blue Devils squad that reeked of inexperience due to a brand new head coach and quarterback debuting against Elon. Yet, Elon couldn't pick up momentum on offense and lost 26-3. The phoenix will now look to face North Carolina Central on the road at 6 p.m. on Sept. 7.

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SPORTS 8/30/24 12:00am

Elon University men’s soccer looks to finish the job, win conference

By Miles Hayford

After losing in the Coastal Athletic Association Championship two times in the last three years and falling short in a penalty shootout in the CAA Tournament semifinals last year, the Elon University men’s soccer team is entering the 2024 season with a sense of determination. Head coach Marc Reeves said the team is aiming to finally win the CAA Tournament for the first time and get an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Reeves said considering the small margins of college soccer, the team needs to maximize the strength of the players they’ve got and set them up to be successful.

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SPORTS 8/30/24 12:00am

Elon volleyball comes into season with new mindset, experience

By Miles Hayford

A reinvigorated Elon University women’s volleyball team will be stepping onto the court this season — hoping for a better result than last season. The team, led by head coach Mary Tendler, ended last season with a 5-22 record. With six new additions to the program last year, inexperience was one of many pitfalls the team faced throughout the season. The players’ inexperience in the tough environment of college athletics was clear with the team going 0-11 at away games. However, Tendler doesn’t think that will be as much of a problem since those freshmen will now have the experience needed to find success.

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SPORTS 8/30/24 12:00am

Elon University football quarterback grows from adversity

By Miles Hayford

Matthew Downing, the starting quarterback for Elon University’s football team, said going into his seventh year has created a lot of doubt from others, but he remains steadfast in his decision to keep coming back to football. Downing’s seven year college football journey is not normal by any means. College football quarterbacks typically only get four years of eligibility. But Downing was plagued by a lack of playing time, injuries and playing through COVID-19. All three roadblocks provided a path for the NCAA to grant Downing more years of eligibility as his college career went on.

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SPORTS 8/30/24 12:00am

Elon University cross-country team embraces change as season approaches

By Miles Hayford

After five straight years of dominance, the Elon cross-country team faces a new challenge this year. Following five CAA championships by the women and sustained success by the men, the team now has an uncertain future under new leadership. After seven years at Elon, head coach Kevin Jermyn resigned and became Duke University’s head coach. Former Eastern Michigan University head cross-country coach Mark Rinker was hired in the offseason and has big shoes to fill. Rinker acknowledges there is already an expectation of success, but he said he hopes to bring his personality and technique to the table.

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NEWS 8/23/24 9:28am

Elon University freshmen cite easy move in process in Historic Neighborhood

By Miles Hayford

It’s a busy day on Elon University’s campus with freshmen moving into their dorms all across campus. In Historic Neighborhood, Priya Shah, a freshman from New Jersey, said she thinks that the move-in process has been organized and exciting. She also said she is excited for new experiences as she starts college. 

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NEWS 8/23/24 6:38am

Elon University athletic director shares cultural, coaching changes for upcoming year

By Miles Hayford

Coming off her inaugural year as Elon University’s athletic director, Jennifer Strawley has big plans for this academic year and has many goals she wants to accomplish. Strawley said she is excited for the upcoming year and is eager to implement some exciting plans such as a healthy culture within the athletic department, a new ticketing system and two new head coaches.

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SPORTS 8/21/24 10:17am

Elon University alumni work 2024 Summer Olympics

By Miles Hayford

Elon alumna Zora Stephenson ’15 got to spend her summer exploring the streets of Paris with her husband and witnessing history. As a reporter for NBC Sports, she got a front-row seat to moments such as Simone Biles’ All-Around gold medal win. Caroline Brehman ’18 also spent her summer in Paris covering the Olympics and photographed various events for EPA Images. And while she wasn't in Paris, Ellie Whittington ’18 further represented Elon at the Summer Olympics through working in Stamford, Connecticut, at NBC Sports headquarters — helping create in-studio content and running various social media accounts.

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SPORTS 8/19/24 2:22pm

Elon University’s GLC assistant director analyzes Olympic women’s boxing controversy

By Miles Hayford

One of the biggest things to come out of the 2024 Paris Olympics was the division and social media backlash around Algerian and Taiwanese boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting — whose genders were questioned on an international stage. After Khelif defeated Italian boxer Angela Carini in 46 seconds early into the Games, a social media outburst arose questioning if Khelif and Yu-Ting were eligible to participate in women’s sports as biological women. Despite both being born as women and always having identified themselves as women, there are some who question their gender and the fairness of them competing.

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SPORTS 8/6/24 10:37am

Elon Athletics fosters academic excellence in student-athletes

By Miles Hayford

Elon University Athletics recently received some of its highest Academic Progress Rates scores in history from the National Collegiate Athletic Association. APR scores are a way for the NCAA to measure the academic performance of collegiate athletic departments. It is based on eligibility, retention and graduation of student-athletes. APR scores are based on a percentage of how much student-athletes retained from their total possible APR points. All 17 sports at Elon have multi-year APR rates of 980 — 98% — or above. The most recent scores are based on a multi-year rate that includes scores from the 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23 academic years.

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SPORTS 7/25/24 5:30pm

Elon University football player named preseason defensive player of the year

By Miles Hayford

Elon University safety Caleb Curtain has been named the Coastal Athletic Association Football’s Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. The prestigious award for the junior defensive back is the cherry on top of a long line of recognition this offseason. Curtain comes off a fantastic sophomore campaign where he led Elon with 80 total tackles, 54 solo tackles and four and a half sacks. At CAA Football Media Day on July 25, Curtain said he is excited about the award — as well as the opportunity to improve in this upcoming season. 

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SPORTS 7/22/24 9:25pm

Elon University announces partnership with Ticketmaster

By Miles Hayford

Elon University announced a new partnership with Ticketmaster, a leader in the ticketing industry. The partnership will allow for an enhanced ticket-buying experience for Elon Athletics, cultural programs and other campus events. With the help of Ticketmaster’s experience at selling tickets globally, the aim is that the user experience will be more streamlined and easy. Ticket purchasers will also be able to transfer tickets to friends or family and resell tickets through Ticketmaster’s technology. This streamlined site will be located at elontickets.com, where tickets for the first events on Elon’s Fall Cultural Calendar will go on sale Aug. 27.

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SPORTS 7/9/24 11:05am

New Elon men’s tennis coach looks to build culture of excellence

By Miles Hayford

Maciek Sykut has been named the next head coach for Elon University’s men’s tennis team. Sykut will take over for Michael Leonard, who retired at the end of the 2023-24 season following 20 storied years leading the program. Following a career in professional tennis, Sykut began coaching at North Carolina State University in 2012 where he served first as a volunteer assistant coach before getting a full-time assistant coach position. Sykut also spent time at the University of Arizona as the associate head coach and helped lead the team in 2019 to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2010.

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SPORTS 6/14/24 12:32pm

Elon University cross country coach resigns for position at Duke University

By Miles Hayford

Elon University Head Cross Country Coach and Associate Head Track and Field Coach Kevin Jermyn resigned from his position to accept the role of head cross country coach at Duke University. Jermyn was an instrumental piece in the recent rise of Elon’s cross country and track and field programs. Since arriving at Elon in 2017, Jermyn has helped the two programs break almost every distance school record in cross country, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field. Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Mark Elliston is leading the national search for Jermyn’s successor.

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SPORTS 6/3/24 12:48pm

Elon athletics feels impact of historic $2.8 billion NCAA settlement

By Miles Hayford

The NCAA and the Power Five conferences have agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit by former college athletes. The NCAA and its conferences within Division I will pay $2.8 billion in damages over 10 years to both former and current athletes. They also agreed to a revenue-sharing plan, which allows each Power Five school to share up to roughly $20 million per year with its athletes. This means schools can pay athletes directly for the first time in the NCAA’s 120-year history. The settlement will impact Elon athletics significantly by creating strains on their budget and recruitment opportunities.

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