Sports

SPORTS 2/8/26 12:32pm

Breakout performances power Elon athletics

By Kathan Gandhi

Across multiple sports, several Elon athletes are stepping into larger roles and delivering pivotal performances. From breakout scorers on the court to record-setting runs on the track, the Phoenix have found impact players up and down the roster, offering a snapshot of the depth and momentum building across Elon athletics. In the past two weeks, these four athletes have showcased themselves as predominant parts of their teams and Elon athletics overall. 

SPORTS 2/7/26 4:59pm

Turnovers, 3-pointers lead to third straight loss for Elon

By Benjamin Berfield

The Elon University men’s basketball team lost 82-77 to Drexel University in what is now their fifth loss in the last six games. Elon never led and now falls to a 5-7 record in the Coastal Athletic Association. Drexel, who entered the game last in conference scoring, put up 82 points in front of an energetic crowd that saw a season high 2,021 people in attendance.

SPORTS 1/31/26 4:46pm

2nd half rally comes up short against Stony Brook

By Benjamin Berfield

For much of the first half and early in the second, Stony Brook seemed to have an answer for every comeback attempt by Elon. The men’s basketball team trailed by double digits for the majority of the game, and despite clawing their way back, it wasn’t enough as Stony Brook held on for a 72-68 win. 

SPORTS 1/30/26 10:59pm

Elon University women’s basketball falls to conference-leading Charleston

By Kathan Gandhi

In Elon women’s basketball’s 77-69 loss to the College of Charleston Cougars, strategic positioning, discipline and physicality took center stage. The game, which was pushed from a 7 p.m. to 6 p.m. tip-off due to weather, was a rematch from earlier in the season, when Elon fell to Charleston 87-64. Charleston entered the game on a nine-game win streak, undefeated in the Coastal Athletic Association. The team is the best offensive, rebounding and three-point shooting team in the CAA. Head coach Charlotte Smith said she wanted to present the Cougars with a 3-1-1 zone, which she said is unorthodox against a good shooting team.

SPORTS 1/29/26 11:11pm

Elon University men’s basketball storms back to top William & Mary

By Kathan Gandhi

In a battle between the Coastal Athletic Association’s top two offenses, it was Elon men’s basketball’s defense that stood strong in a 79-76 win for the Phoenix against the College of William & Mary Tribe. There was a season-high crowd of 1,815 fans in attendance for Elon’s annual “jersey night,” where the first 200 attendees received a free team jersey after the game. The Phoenix delivered the audience a thrilling comeback victory. 

SPORTS 1/23/26 12:05pm

Elon University men’s basketball loses back-and-forth match vs. Towson

By Sam Weiss

In a battle of power, all that matters is the end result. For Elon’s men’s basketball team, that result was a loss against the Towson Tigers. Elon fought until the very end, but came up short, losing a physical game 59-72 Jan. 22 at Schar Center. Elon started the game locked on defense, forcing a turnover on the first possession. They then scored the first bucket of the game on a layup by graduate student Chandler Cuthrell. This combination of defensive pressure into points on the board would continue for Elon, as they were able to open the game 13-9 in the first 10 minutes. After a quick exchange of points by both teams, Elon would see its 4-point lead evaporate as Towson scored 11 unanswered to take a 22-15 lead over the Phoenix.

SPORTS 1/12/26 8:56am

Elon University’s star quarterback transfers to Louisiana State University

By Kathan Gandhi

Elon’s starting quarterback Landen Clark is transferring to Louisiana State University, commonly known as LSU. Clark announced his decision on social media Jan. 11, ending a recruiting battle among multiple Power Four programs, commonly considered the toughest conferences in college football. Clark was named the Coastal Athletic Association Co-Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2025. In his first full season as a starter, he emerged as one of the conference’s premier dual-threat quarterbacks, passing for 2,231 yards and 18 touchdowns while rushing for 11 more. 

SPORTS 1/10/26 11:17pm

Elon University men’s basketball completes comeback in Saturday night thriller

By Miles Hayford

A euphoric cheer. Earbursting levels of crowd noise. A steady flow of “defense!” chants. Those were some of the scenes in Schar Center on Jan. 10 a minute before the ending of an absolute thriller for the Elon University men’s basketball team. In the team’s first home game since winter break, 1,743 fans were in attendance delivering a powerful home court advantage as Elon won 83-82. Head coach Billy Taylor said he was happy with the team’s resilience.

SPORTS 1/8/26 11:56am

Western Alamance football coach shares lessons from 34-year tenure

By Benjamin Berfield

After Jeff Snuffer retired from coaching the Western Alamance Warriors football team for 16 seasons, he described his biggest accomplishment was less about wins but rather about the connections among his players. “I wanted to impact people the way I was impacted,” Snuffer said. “I love working with coaches but you don’t get into this business for the approval of adults. If you’re a teacher or a head coach, you should be doing it for the people learning from you.”

SPORTS 12/8/25 12:41pm

Elon University punter outlines path for NFL Draft

By Benjamin Berfield

Elon University redshirt senior punter Jeff Yurk announced on Nov. 28 that he was declaring for the NFL Draft, but he said the decision was brewing for almost a year. Yurk said he knew there was an opportunity to declare for the draft with the season he had. Entering his final season, he said if he was going to make a decision, this would be the time to do so. “I knew all along after having a good year last season,” Yurk said. “Since I was running out of eligibility this season, I felt that it was a good idea to declare for the draft.”

SPORTS 12/4/25 12:09am

Strong start not enough in Elon University men’s basketball loss to Furman University

By Trevor Brader-Araje

The energy in Schar Center was palpable as the Phoenix built an early 18 point lead. However, the Phoenix couldn’t sustain momentum as Furman University surged in the second half to hand Elon a home defeat on Dec. 3. Head coach Billy Taylor said the Phoenix simply didn’t respond well when Furman started to take control. While there were encouraging moments during the game, Taylor stressed the importance of maintaining that level. “When they punched back, we didn’t respond the right way,” Taylor said. “We need more of those moments strung together over the course of 40 minutes.”

SPORTS 12/3/25 12:27pm

Elon University quarterback plans to enter transfer portal

By Nia Bedard

After winning Co-Offensive Rookie of the Year for the Coastal Athletic Association, Elon University quarterback Landen Clark plans to enter the transfer portal, according to a statement made by his agent. This past season Clark, a redshirt freshman, threw for 2,321 yards and rushed for 614 yards. Clark scored 29 total touchdowns during the 2025 season. The transfer portal for college football opens on Jan. 2, 2026 and closes Jan. 16, 2026.

SPORTS 12/1/25 6:37pm

Elon University women’s basketball transfer center hopes to bounce back after season-ending surgery

By Benjamin Berfield

Graduate center Quinzia Fulmore had nothing but painful memories of last season. After a productive start to last season as a transfer addition for the Memphis University women’s basketball team, she suffered a foot injury that sidelined her for the rest of the year. Fulmore said she had never been injured before and was sick of not being on the court. “It was painful,” Fulmore said. “Just a nerve-wracking feeling that I couldn’t finish the year out and had to sit and watch.”

SPORTS 11/28/25 7:00pm

Elon University punter declares for NFL Draft

By Benjamin Berfield

Elon University punter Jeff Yurk has declared for the NFL Draft following his redshirt senior season. Yurk announced his decision on his Instagram account Nov. 28. Yurk has totaled 9,645 yards punting throughout his collegiate career at Elon. During his freshman season in 2021, Yurk played all 11 games. The following year, Yurk was named to the third team all Coastal Athletic Association. Yurk’s performance in 2022 helped the Phoenix qualify for the Football Championship Subdivision playoff. During the last two years, Yurk also led the conference in punt yards per game at around 48 yards.

SPORTS 11/27/25 9:54am

Running toward opportunity: NIL helps Elon athlete build personal brand

By Max Wallace

Imagine a college student having 5 million dollars in the palm of their hand. For some student athletes like AJ Dybantsa — the point guard for the BYU Cougars — it is not something they have to imagine thanks to the NCAA’s Name, Image and Likeness policy. Caden Strickland, a senior on Elon University’s men’s cross country team, said it wouldn’t be possible to put the amount of hours into running that he does each day if he wasn’t able to make money from just being himself. “To have the opportunity to put my name out there and make money off of what I love doing helps me a lot financially,”  Strickland said.

SPORTS 11/26/25 11:06am

Women’s soccer team reaches its goals with CAA championship win

By Benjamin Berfield

In just two years, Elon University’s women’s soccer team has transformed from a three-win team in 2023 to Coastal Athletic Association champions, winning Nov. 9 against Stony Brook in a 1-1 match that came down to penalty kicks, where Elon prevailed 6-5. Their turnaround not only earned an NCAA Division I Tournament berth against Duke University, but it also came as a rewarding accomplishment for everyone who spent the last two years changing the team’s fortunes. “I’m so proud of how far this group of players have come because there were a lot of players on that team,” head coach Neil Payne said.

SPORTS 11/23/25 10:26am

Elon University graduate student finds fulfillment beyond the court

By Lilly Molina

Graduate student and redshirt senior Kamryn Doty stood at the end of the call line. At the beginning of a basketball game, the announcer tells the audience who is in the starting lineup. Those players run through a manmade tunnel before waving to the audience. Except, this time, Doty was waiting for them at the end, giving them a high five and wishing them good luck. “I’m just really thankful that I had the opportunity to come back,” Doty said. “I’m really just hoping to get a sense of fulfillment out of it.”

SPORTS 11/20/25 11:28pm

Elon men’s soccer falls to UNCG in penalty kicks

By Benjamin Berfield

In a thrilling, hard fought, matchup between the Elon University men’s soccer team and UNCG Spartans, one team had to lose and that was the Phoenix. Elon was defeated in penalty kicks 4-3, ending any chance of advancing in the NCAA Division I Tournament. head coach Marc Reeves said he could not be more proud of what his team accomplished. “I’m proud of our group,” Reeves said. “You can only win three trophies in a season – regular season, tournament championship and NCAA National Championship. To have two of them sit in our locker room is an incredible achievement by the boys.”

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LIFESTYLE 02/09/2026 11:13am
Mebane bookstore provides escape for readers

For just over five months, Mebane resident Taylor Collier has worked to create an inclusive space and community for book lovers inside a small corner in Sweet Grace Market in Mebane. Her new bookstore, No Bad Books, has been open since Nov. 1, selling a variety of books alongside hosting events like book clubs and book release parties. 

NEWS 02/07/2026 1:47pm
Elon University sees registration for Scholarship Weekend increase

Elon University’s Scholarship Weekend is expected to see 1,143 applicants on campus, with 130 interviewing virtually, for the Fellows programs, Accelerated programs and the 3+1 Dual Degree program. According to Vice President for Enrollment Greg Zaiser, registration is approximately 30% higher than last year.

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