Sports

---

SPORTS 9/13/25 9:11am

Elon football team looks to carry last season’s momentum after key offseason losses

By Miles Hayford

After starting the 2024-25 season 1-5 with four losses at home, the Elon University football team bounced back and won their last four games. Head coach Tony Trisciani said the team is hoping to carry that momentum into this season. “I expect us to be highly competitive,” Trisciani said at the Coastal Athletic Association Football Media Day on July 24. “We got a lot of juice, a lot of energy in our building, and these guys are ready to go.” 

---

SPORTS 9/12/25 3:23pm

Elon University dance team sets sights on maintaining team chemistry

By Benjamin Berfield

Going into her senior year for Elon University’s dance team, Olivia Ferranola said she would love to achieve a first-place finish in next year’s hip-hop and pom categories. However, she said that she doesn’t want competition to be the team’s only measure of success. She said she hopes everyone can show enough growth to the point where they will be able to make strong adjustments from last year. “If it does happen, that would mean the absolute world,” Ferranola said.

---

SPORTS 9/11/25 9:34pm

Western Alamance High School strikes a pose, striking down McMichael in three sets

By Emma Citro

Wednesday night, Western Alamance High School's volleyball team's front line struck more than just volleyballs. Flashy or not, the Warriors' momentum was proven effective as they swept Dalton McMichael High School in three straight sets. Western opened strong with a 25-16 win, edged McMichael 25-22 in a fiery second set, and sealed the win 25-14 in the third behind consistent offense from junior Reese Walker. "Reese has been a dominant force for us,"Nadeau said. "One hit from her can change the whole momentum of our team."

---

SPORTS 9/11/25 12:41pm

Elon University volleyball team enters season under new leadership

By Miles Hayford

The Elon University volleyball team is entering the 2025 season with a new face at the helm. Head coach Matt Troy is entering his first season as a coach for the Phoenix after coaching at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland, where he led them to a 2019 NCAA Division III Championship amid a 151-17 record. Troy said the players immediately welcomed him in at Elon and he didn’t feel like a stranger. “There was already a solid culture coming in, the players are very connected with one another,” Troy said.

---

SPORTS 9/10/25 10:53pm

Historic defensive performance lifts Elon University women’s soccer over South Carolina State

By Benjamin Berfield

The Elon University women’s soccer team defeated South Carolina State 6-0 to win their sixth game of the season, pushing the Phoenix to its seventh straight shutout. After a first half that involved lots of defense, the Phoenix scored five goals in the second half to seal the victory. Head coach Neil Payne said the team takes lots of pride in their defense and team performance. “We celebrate defending as much as we celebrate goals,” Payne said. “Every single player helps out and it’s not just defending our goal."

---

SPORTS 9/7/25 1:12am

Dominant team performance propels Elon University football to historic first win of season

By Benjamin Berfield

Nine days after their 45-17 loss against Duke, the Elon University football team made an immediate impact in its first home game of the season with a convincing 55-7 win over Davidson College. Even with multiple delays before the game due to inclement weather, Elon came out firing on all cylinders in what was the largest win of head coach Tony Trisciani’s tenure. “It was really just to be in the moment and win the moment,” Trisciani said. “These guys just went out and played one snap at a time."

---

SPORTS 9/6/25 5:42pm

Elon University football home opener postponed

By Nia Bedard

Elon University football’s home opener against Davidson College on Sept. 6 was postponed until 8 p.m. according to an e alert sent out at 6:20 p.m. The game officially started at 8:17 p.m. over two hours after the expected start time. In addition to the game being delayed, Rhodes Stadium did not open to the public until 7:30 p.m. The National Weather Service issued a flood advisory for Alamance, Davidson, Randolph and Guilford counties until 8 p.m. due to excessive rainfall 

---

SPORTS 8/30/25 9:32am

Elon University club sport presidents plan to recruit new members at Fall Organization Fair

By Benjamin Berfield

For most of the club sports teams at Elon University, the beginning of fall semester is an ideal time to recruit new freshmen. This includes the club baseball and frisbee teams, who eye events such as the Fall Organization Fair on Sept. 4 as an opportunity to get students to join their team. Club Baseball President and senior Case Marino described the organization fair as the team's biggest outlet for recruiting new members. 

---

SPORTS 8/29/25 1:05am

Elon football falls to Duke in season opener, gives up 35 points in second half

By Benjamin Berfield

Elon University’s football team was defeated by Duke University 45-17 in its first game of the season. Despite the loss, head coach Tony Trisciani said he was encouraged by the team’s performance.“When we play hard one snap at a time, and just trust each other, then we can be very successful,” Trisciani said. “We can win a lot of football games.” Next for the Phoenix, they will face off against Davidson College at 6 p.m. on Sept. 7 at Rhodes Stadium.

---

SPORTS 8/24/25 5:57pm

Freshman football players embrace life at Elon University

By Benjamin Berfield

As the Elon University football team prepares for its season opener against Duke on Aug. 28, freshman athletes are starting to navigate life on the team as well as the campus. Defensive back Tyler Hart and offensive lineman Sean Tanner arrived at training camp with different expectations, but they are each beginning to get a sense of not only being on the team, but students at Elon. “When I came here in January, I knew it was gonna be high intensity,” Hart said. “I used spring ball to help me get used to it.” 

---

SPORTS 8/6/25 3:27pm

Elon University Athletics sees record high transfer numbers

By Kathan Gandhi

A successful college sports team requires many things such as premier coaching, experienced leadership and quality team chemistry. But since 2018, a new factor has become essential to building a winning program. The transfer portal. Every school has been impacted by the rise of the transfer portal, including Elon University. Elon’s Athletic Director, Jennifer Strawley, said she has seen that impact first-hand. “College athletics is operating in a more transactional nature, nationally and holistically, as opposed to  more relationship and development-based.” In 2024, 24 student-athletes transferred from Elon athletic teams. In 2025, the number increased to at least 33, a program high.

---

SPORTS 7/11/25 6:22am

Elon University athletic director outlines Phoenix Rising initiative

By Benjamin Berfield

When Elon Athletics released its new program initiative Phoenix Rising, it was with the intention of establishing a refreshed vision of the athletic program through a five-year strategic course plan. With elements such as name, image, and likeness, the transfer portal, and the House v. NCAA settlement ruling in favor of colleges to pay athletes, Phoenix Rising is an opportunity for Elon Athletics to become more innovative in their approach toward navigating the college athletics. “We have to bring it to life through the student athletes, coaches, and the people in our department, and engagement with the campus,” Athletic Director Jennifer Strawley said. 

---

SPORTS 7/5/25 2:02pm

Elon University athlete returns to his love of football

By Evan Bennett

It was 6 a.m. in a windowless basement gym tucked beneath a London student residence. While classmates slept upstairs, Tkai Wade lifted, ran and sweated in solitude. A week earlier, he’d made the Elon University football team. Now, across the Atlantic Ocean in the dead of winter, he refused to let the momentum slip. “It was definitely tiring the first few practices, confusing because I didn’t know the protocol,” Wade said. “But everybody was welcoming and they were genuine and they kind of gave me some time to acclimate.”

---

SPORTS 6/4/25 4:46pm

Elon Men's Ultimate Frisbee places fifth at D-III National Tournament

By Kathan Gandhi

Elon’s men’s ultimate frisbee team placed fifth in the 2025 USA Ultimate Division III College Championship. It was their first appearance at nationals in 10 years, and their second-best finish in team history. Of the 25 players on Elon’s roster, 23 made the cross-country trip to Burlington, Washington, where the tournament was held from May 17-20. Club president Brady Jackson said that while placing fifth was not what the team hoped for, he thinks the season was a success. "Zooming out and looking at the fact we hadn’t been there in 10 years, getting fifth is a pretty big accomplishment,” Jackson said.

---

SPORTS 5/29/25 8:11am

Elon University football stars headed to NFL, chase dreams

By Miles Hayford

Following the National Football League Draft two of the six Elon University football players that declared were drafted into the NFL. Former Elon University running back Rushawn Baker chose to sign with the New York Giants. Former Elon University wide reciever Chandler Brayboy chose to sign with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Brayboy said he is excited to have fun playing in the NFL and fulfill his dreams of making the pros. “My dream of playing football, living out that dream, I think, is what I’m most excited for, and actually having fun within the game,” Brayboy said.

---

SPORTS 5/27/25 12:18pm

Elon University women’s track and field wins sixth CAA outdoor championship

By Benjamin Berfield

After coming up short the previous season, Elon University's women's track and field team won the 2025 CAA Championship by 25 points. They clinched the title with 147 points — 25 more than Hampton, who finished second. It is the sixth championship for the Phoenix in their ten league meets. Director of track and field and cross country Mark Elliston said he loved watching his players rally together. “It was really great to watch everyone feed off each other, knowing that we had the strength and that we were going to make a run at the championship,” Elliston said.

---

SPORTS 5/17/25 5:50pm

Elon University baseball falls to UNCW in regular season finale

By Miles Hayford

Elon struggled to score early on in its Senior Day matchup against the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, losing its final regular season game 9-5. Elon finishes the regular season with a record of 24-30 and 13-14 in conference play. The loss gave the Seahawks the series sweep as it beat Elon the two previous nights. Elon will play May 21 in the CAA Tournament, hosted by the College of Charleston. Elon enters the tournament on a five-game losing streak.

---

SPORTS 5/13/25 4:34pm

Elon University softball captures first-ever CAA Championship

By Miles Hayford

Elon softball's win over Campbell on May 10 secured the program’s first ever CAA Championship and the second ever league title since joining Division I in 2000, with the last one coming in 2010. Senior Kaitlyn Wells was red-hot at the plate, getting a tournament-high eight runs batted in and was named the Most Outstanding Player at the tournament. She joined redshirt junior Chloe Hatzopoulos, senior Allee Seering and fifth year Meredith Wells on the CAA All-Tournament team. Elon’s conference championship earned them an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

---

SPORTS 5/12/25 7:14pm

Elon University men’s ultimate frisbee makes national tournament for first time in 10 years

By Kathan Gandhi

Elon men’s ultimate frisbee has qualified for the Division III Men’s National Tournament for the first time since 2015. Teams will compete in warm-up play before starting the national tournament on May 17 in Burlington, Washington. The Bomb held the No. 1 position in this year’s regionals. A dominant 15-12 victory over the University of Richmond, who beat them two years prior, earned the team an automatic bid to nationals. The tournament will be streamed live on the USA Ultimate's Facebook and YouTube pages. 

---

SPORTS 5/9/25 9:09pm

Elon men’s basketball starting center transfers to Marshall

By Miles Hayford

Elon men’s basketball’s starting center Matthew Van Komen is transferring to Marshall University. He announced his decision on social media May 9. Van Komen, who stands at 7-foot-4, was dominant in the paint for an Elon team that heavily relied on his size. He led the team in rebounds per game with an average of 7.9 and an impressive 75 blocks. That block total ranked in the top 20 in the nation and he was top 10 in blocks per game. He also added an average of 6 points per game.

---