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 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 11/28/24 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 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 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 11/10/24 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 11/8/24 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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NEWS 11/5/24 8:12pm

North Carolina Democrats, Stein await election results

By Miles Hayford

In preparation for election results, particularly the results of the gubernatorial race, the North Carolina Democratic Party is hosting a watch party in Raleigh at the Marriott City Center. Attorney General Josh Stein and several key North Carolinian Democrats are expected to appear. As of 8:15 p.m., the event is in full swing. Droves of people, almost 100 so far, are piling in to see Stein and other Democratic politicians speak later. Gil Genn, a former member of the Maryland House of Delegates, is at the event and said he is most excited to see a transition from the old tonight.

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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 11/3/24 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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SPORTS 11/2/24 6:55pm

Elon University football dominates on 2024 Homecoming Weekend

By Miles Hayford

On Homecoming Weekend 2024, Elon University’s football team exploded for an offensive clinic. Elon beat Campbell University 50-27 thanks to the efforts of two career days. Senior Rushawn Baker had a career high with 154 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns. Redshirt senior Chandler Brayboy had a career day in his 309 all-purpose yards. Elon has struggled this year, having gone 3-6 and only finding their first home win of the season against Campbell, but much of it has been due to the team being handed the 17th hardest schedule in the FCS.

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SPORTS 11/1/24 3:18pm

Elon University women’s cross country ends streak of 5 consecutive CAA Championship wins

By Miles Hayford

After winning the last five Coastal Athletic Association Championships, the Elon University women’s cross country team has ended the streak, finishing third overall at the 2024 CAA Championship on Nov. 1. The men’s team improved from its sixth place finish last year, finishing fifth. The men’s 8k and women’s 6k races took place at the Elon Cross Country Course. The ending of the women’s streak comes amid the first season of head coach Mark Rinker after former coach Kevin Jermyn left for Duke University. Jones said the team wasn’t focused on continuing the streak, but rather performing as a team.

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SPORTS 10/24/24 9:39pm

Elon University women’s soccer falls to Campbell despite outshooting them

By Miles Hayford

Despite coming into the game as the Coastal Athletic Association’s best with a chance to clinch the regular season title, the Elon women’s soccer team fell to Campbell University 1-0. Campbell upset the Phoenix thanks to resistant defense, even as Elon outshot them 18 to 5. In the end, Elon played an almost perfect game. Few teams could have found more offensive opportunities than Elon did tonight, and their defense held firm most of the game. It came down to the Camels’ rigid defense and one single moment where Campbell’s offense saw an opportunity and took it.

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SPORTS 10/24/24 10:57am

Price of play: Impact of injury on Elon University athletes

By Miles Hayford

Season-ending injuries are an unfortunate, but common staple of collegiate athletics. Around 210,000 college sports-related injuries occurred from 2009-14, according to a Centers of Disease Control and Prevention study. Within that number, almost 4,000 athletes each year experience a season-ending injury, according to a study published in the Journal of Amateur Sport. These injuries are more than just a number, though. Each one affects a student-athlete in a different way, each student-athlete grapples with the absence of sport differently and each recovery process is different.

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SPORTS 10/23/24 11:08pm

Elon University men’s soccer drops fourth straight loss amid tough schedule

By Miles Hayford

Despite a strong start to the season, Elon men’s soccer dropped its fourth straight loss after falling to the University of North Carolina, Charlotte 2-0. After 10 minutes had passed, redshirt junior Ryan Manna had the first shot of the game, but Charlotte’s stalwart goalie Leo Stritter — who has nine shutouts this season — blocked it. That’s where it began to get tough for the Phoenix to climb out of the deficit. Against Charlotte’s nationally ranked defense — the team is first in goals allowed per game with 0.5 — the Phoenix’s offense stalled.

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NEWS 10/22/24 6:54pm

Railroad arms experience malfunctions in downtown Elon; intersections now cleared

By Miles Hayford

The railroad gate arms at the intersections of West Lebanon Avenue and North Williamson Avenue, West Lebanon and Church Street, and East Lebanon and Oak Street were down, according to Elon Police Chief Joe LeMire. According to an E-Alert sent at 7:21 p.m., the intersections at Oak, Williamson and Church have been cleared. These gate arms have been having issues all day and prevented the flow of traffic in downtown Elon.

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