Sports

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SPORTS 3/23/25 3:46pm

Mitrovich’s mindset, execution and excellence

By Lilly Molina

When junior Justin Mitrovich stands firm on the mound one word is going through his head: execution. He scans the field and remembers his set plan for every single person on his opponents team. Mitrovich researched and studied the team a few days before and now watches as the team’s next hitter took their place at the home base. All he can do now is hope he can execute and perform his job as the Friday night starting pitcher for Elon’s baseball team.

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SPORTS 3/23/25 9:42am

Women’s tennis senior embraces journey as a social media influencer

By Benjamin Berfield

Senior Miray Konar can be seen doing two of her favorite interests on the tennis court since coming from Izmir, Turkey. During games, she is contributing to the Elon University women’s tennis team’s 8-3 record. When the tennis team isn’t playing, she is attracting a huge following online as a social media influencer. Konar regularly posts content of her daily life on her Instagram and TikTok accounts which have generated over 320,000 combined followers. Her reels on Instagram regularly get hundreds of thousands of views, sometimes millions.

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SPORTS 3/22/25 11:05am

Icelandic golfer tees off final season

By Monika Jurevicius

Elon women’s golfer senior Andrea Asmundsdottir is one of six international students on her team, but the only one who has played Iceland’s midnight golf. From the hometown of the “world’s most northerly 18- hole golf course,” the Icelander has teed off her final collegiate season. Golfing didn’t start as a personal interest for Asmundsdottir. Her grandfather started playing golf and brought her grandmother onto the range as his team member for partner golf. At the age of 6, Asmundsdottir began playing with her family, transitioning to competitive tournaments at 12 years old.

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SPORTS 3/21/25 3:13pm

Art of the draw: Elon Lacrosse draw specialist poised for sophomore leap

By Miles Hayford

Elon Women's Lacrosse draw specialist MJ Santa Barbara is coming off a spectacular freshman campaign where she was one of the best draw specialists in the country. She was named the Coastal Athletic Association Rookie of the Year after breaking school and conference records with 151 draw controls on the season. She also broke Elon’s single-game draw control record with 15. She was ranked seventh in the country with 8.88 draw controls per game — which was the highest average for a freshman in the country. She was recently named an honorable mention preseason All-American.

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SPORTS 3/20/25 10:55am

Softball team aims to bounce back after rocky start to the season

By Benjamin Berfield

With the season underway for the Elon University softball team, the Phoenix has undergone a tough schedule against nonconference teams after starting the season with two non-conference tournaments at Hunt Softball Park. They have a 7-10 record, as of March 3, but head coach Kathy Bocock believes there is still room for growth. Bocock said hitting is one particular area where Elon needs to grow going forward. Elon’s 12 home runs ranks second in the Coastal Athletic Association; it has had a boom or bust style as the team is sixth in RBIs and second in strikeouts. 

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SPORTS 3/18/25 2:41pm

Men’s tennis hopes to serve up a strong season

By Kathan Gandhi

Following Elon Men’s Tennis former head coach Michael Leonard's two-decade coaching legacy, the new men’s tennis coach Maciek Sykut has big shoes to fill. Sykut adds a plethora of experience to the Phoenix team. The former pro played for three years on the Association of Professional Tennis tour, reaching a career high doubles ranking of 145. After leaving the pro-circuit, Sykut became an assistant for the North Carolina State University and University of Arizona tennis team. In 2020, he joined the staff at Duke University, where the team competed in the NCAA tournament four times during his tenure at Duke.

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SPORTS 3/16/25 9:51pm

Elon University men’s basketball star brothers reportedly plan to enter the transfer portal

By Miles Hayford

Elon men’s basketball twin brothers TK and TJ Simpkins reportedly plan to enter the transfer portal, sources told the recruiting database On3. If the twin brothers were to leave Elon, the Phoenix would be losing a significant part of its offense as the two of them made up for almost 37% of Elon’s points this season. This is the first time either player has entered the portal since joining Elon, however both players transferred from Northwest Florida State College to Elon using the transfer portal. TJ transferred last offseason and TK joined Elon after the 2022-23 season.

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SPORTS 3/16/25 4:23am

Track & field transfers aim to break records, capitalize on Elon education

By Miles Hayford

After competing at Catawba College from 2021-24, Mikayla Jones was ready for something new. While looking for universities in North Carolina to transfer to, she discovered Elon University’s data analytics program and masters’ program and decided to take a visit to the campus and meet the coaches. Similarly, Arianna Alexander — a sprinter — was looking for a program to transfer to after spending five years at California State Northridge. Despite Elon offering her a full ride scholarship for her athletic ability, Elon’s academics is what really stood out to her and attracted to the university.

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SPORTS 3/15/25 9:51pm

Baseball looks to bounce back from 2024 season, rely on offensive weapons

By Miles Hayford

After starting the season in College Station against the No. 1 ranked team in the country in Texas A&M, the Elon baseball team is ready to compete for a regular season championship. The team has gotten off to a 5-6 start to the season after bouncing back from the A&M series in a big way by beating Presbyterian 16-3, and head coach Mike Kennedy has been impressed with what he’s seen so far. Elon’s strength lies in its offense and ability to score runs from the top of its lineup, led by seniors Charlie Granatell and Kenny Mallory Jr. Granatel.

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SPORTS 3/8/25 3:11pm

Elon University men’s basketball loses to Drexel in CAA Tournament, 23 point halftime deficit too much to overcome

By Miles Hayford

Despite one of its best regular seasons in years, the Elon University men’s basketball season ended early as it lost to Drexel in the second round of the CAA Tournament 91-74 where the Drexel Dragons dominated from opening tip off. Elon was coming off a 3-game losing streak amid the absence of two of its top three scorers this season in sophomores Nick Dorn and TJ Simpkins. Simpkins, sporting an ankle brace, made his return against Drexel, hoping to provide a spark to Elon. 

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SPORTS 3/7/25 10:30pm

Elon Baseball falls to Charleston Southern in first game of series

By Divesh Anchaliya

In a challenging matchup at Latham Park, the Elon Phoenix faced off against Charleston Southern, ending the game with a disappointing 7-2 loss. Despite showing promise in the early innings, Elon’s three defensive errors in the seventh and eighth inning cost the Phoenix the game. The game started off with the Buccaneers scoring off a combination of a walk, a stolen base and a fly-out — which advanced a runner home. Despite this, starting pitcher Justin Mitrovich was able to hold the Buccaneers’ score after that initial hiccup, ending with 6 strikeouts. 

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SPORTS 3/5/25 9:44am

Sombreros and Sluggers: Eastern Alamance soars to 17-1 victory with explosive offense

By Aidan Powley

Eastern Alamance Softball secured a 17-1 victory over Person High School on March 4, fueled by a strong offensive showing. After a slow start and not scoring the first inning, the Eagles broke through with a four-run second inning. After their scoreless first inning, the Eagles scored four runs in the second thanks to a two-run shot. A grand slam in the third put the game out of reach, and a dropped catch ended the game early after only three innings.

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SPORTS 3/4/25 6:25pm

Chapel Hill shuts out Williams behind 17-strikeout performance

By Sydney Spencer

Williams High School batters stepped up to the plate on Monday night. Most, however, didn’t stay for long. Chapel Hill’s starting pitcher Channing Clark was unhittable in the team’s game against Williams. She retired 17 of 21 batters faced via the strikeout, leading her team to a 10-0 shutout victory over Williams. After surrendering a leadoff walk, Clark retired the next seven batters in a row, all by way of striking out. Williams will face off against Western Alamance at 5 p.m on March 4. 

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SPORTS 3/2/25 7:31pm

Elon women’s basketball team stuns No. 1 seed NC A&T with late comeback on Senior Day

By Benjamin Berfield

Through the first 36 minutes of the game, not much was going right for the Elon University women’s basketball team. Despite multiple comeback attempts, North Carolina A&T always seemed to have an answer. Yet head coach Charlotte Smith refused to accept defeat. She kept telling her players to believe they would come back even during the fourth quarter where it seemed like A&T would notch its 18th win of the season. 

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SPORTS 3/2/25 5:12pm

Elon Lacrosse falls short to Notre Dame 8-4

By Divesh Anchaliya

Elon Lacrosse faced a tough opponent in ranked Notre Dame, showcasing glimpses of tactical brilliance but ultimately fell short with a final score of 8-4 in favor of the Fighting Irish. The game was closely contested in the first half with Elon being down by a goal, but momentum shifted in the second half. 

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SPORTS 2/27/25 10:56am

Former softball star returns to Elon in new role

By Miles Hayford

Carley Davis was getting ready for her final season of college softball last January, but bigger things were on her mind. She was thinking about life after her collegiate experience at Elon University. She was looking to become a graduate assistant coach and was exploring different opportunities at schools across North Carolina. She had been discussing her plans with Elon head coach Kathy Bocock throughout the entire process, and when the opportunity to stay at Elon after her final season presented itself, the choice was obvious.

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SPORTS 2/22/25 10:45pm

Elon University men’s basketball falls short in final home game, loses to William & Mary

By Miles Hayford

Despite almost coming back late in the second half, Elon University men’s basketball team fell just short in its final home game of the season, losing 79-70 to William & Mary. An 23-3 run going into the half for the Tribe proved too much to come back, despite Elon’s attempt to claw back late in the game. “Certainly, a lot of things that we could have done better, but in terms of our competitiveness, our fight, our defense in the second half, I was really pleased and hopeful for things to come,” said head coach Billy Taylor.

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SPORTS 2/22/25 6:38pm

Elon women’s tennis crushes Salem in a 7-0 victory

By Divesh Anchaliya

In a display of skill and coordination, Elon women’s tennis excelled in a commanding display against Salem, achieving a clean sweep across all courts with three 6-0 victories during doubles play. They also won handedly in singles. The team’s success on the courts can be attributed to a focused and individualized training program implemented in recent weeks, head coach Elizabeth Anderson, said. 

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SPORTS 2/22/25 3:29pm

Elon University lacrosse captures first win of the season, beats VCU

By Miles Hayford

After only scoring 11 goals through the first two games, Elon University’s lacrosse team exploded offensively, winning 17-6 against Virginia Commonwealth University. VCU opened the game with a couple of promising looks but were thwarted by the Phoenix as VCU caused a few early turnovers. Four minutes into the game, Elon capitalized on its early energy as senior Lila Ceribelli opened the day’s scoring, mirroring how she scored the first goal of the season against Duke.

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SPORTS 2/21/25 10:18pm

Elon Baseball falls to Binghamton in 8-4 loss

By Divesh Anchaliya

Elon Baseball experienced a challenging game against Binghamton, displaying moments of brilliance but ultimately falling short. A ninth inning rally by Binghamton resulted in an 8-4 defeat for the Phoenix. Looking forward, head coach Mike Kennedy expressed confidence in the team for the rest of the series against Binghamton. "Nothing different, we try to be ourselves, take care of ourselves and be ready to go each time we go out there, there won't be an overhaul of the game plan by any means,” Kennedy said. The Phoenix continue its battle with Binghamton at 2 p.m. Feb. 22 at Latham Park.

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