Sports

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SPORTS 2/20/25 11:27pm

Elon wins 69-63 thriller against top-ranked Towson

By Benjamin Berfield

The Elon University men’s basketball team defeated Towson in an exciting game that featured 10 ties and 14 lead changes. It was an impressive victory for the Phoenix who recently defeated University of North Carolina, Wilmington on the road. This marks consecutive wins for Elon over the CAA’s top two teams. The win improves Elon’s record to 17-11 which gives it the most wins in a season since the 2016-2017 season, when it won 18 games. Elon will play its final home game of the season against William & Mary at 7 p.m. Feb. 22 at Schar Center.

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SPORTS 2/20/25 12:13pm

Men’s basketball looks to finish season strong amid recent struggles, injury of leading scorer

By Miles Hayford

Going into its final four games of the season, the Elon men’s basketball team is looking to shake off a late-season skid and capitalize off a massive road win over the University of North Carolina, Wilmington and enter the conference tournament strong. The team has entered a rough patch as of late, losing six of its last nine games, including a recent three game losing streak. The streak was just broken with a monumental bounce-back win over UNCW. Elon has had one of its best seasons in many years, winning 16 games — the most since the 2015-16 season. 

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SPORTS 2/16/25 6:44pm

Elon falls to Campbell due to poor shooting, rebounding struggles

By Lilly Molina

All eyes are on junior Hannah Dereje as she shoots the ball with mere seconds on the clock. As the buzzer goes off the ball lands in the middle of the net and the crowd goes wild. A 1000-watt smile grows on Dereje’s face as players circle her with cheers. This was the tone Elon set in the first quarter going against Campell on Feb. 16. A team known for its defense, Campbell brought angst to the game, but it underestimated the ability for the Phoenix to bring that same fire.

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SPORTS 2/13/25 11:33pm

Elon University men’s basketball upset by North Carolina A&T, loses by 1 point

By Lilly Molina

The Elon University men’s basketball team fell to North Carolina A&T 60-59 on Feb. 13. The team left the game hurt with head coach Billy Taylor saying one of the reasons they lost was due to passive play. This is Elon’s third consecutive loss after losing to Charleston in overtime last week. Senior Sam Sherry played under the weather, and sophomore Nick Dorn was not present at the game due to a lower extremity injury. Taylor said they have a lot to figure out and will keep working toward ending the season strong. 

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SPORTS 2/12/25 10:17pm

Williams girls’ basketball shines on Senior Night

By Matt Shiffman

The Williams girls’ basketball team dominated on Senior Night, defeating Cedar Ridge 48-32 thanks to the efforts of their five seniors. The Williams Bulldogs would improve to 14-8, and 6-5 in conference play. The Cedar Ridge Fighting Red Wolves would drop to 7-13 and 3-9 in conference play. Jordyn Taylor, the Bulldogs top scorer in the 2024-25 season, showed out in her final regular season home game. She led her team with 17 points, showcasing her elite touch around the rim with a flurry of layups.

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SPORTS 2/8/25 10:53pm

Elon University softball splits Elon Softball Classic doubleheader, falls short against Ohio St., explodes against NC Central

By Miles Hayford

The Elon University softball team split a doubleheader in the Elon Softball Classic, losing 4-3 to Ohio State University and dominating 13-7 against North Carolina Central. Elon was coming off an 0-2 start to the season after losing to the University of Connecticut and Ohio University in the first two games of the Elon Softball Classic tournament. Elon plays its final game of the Elon Softball Classic at 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 9 at Hunt Softball Park versus UNC Greensboro.

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SPORTS 2/8/25 5:49pm

Elon University women’s tennis handles Belmont Abbey

By Benjamin Berfield

The Elon University women’s tennis team started their doubleheader against Belmont Abbey on a high note, winning 7-0 this Saturday morning. In doubles, Elon withheld multiple comeback attempts by the Crusaders in each of the first two games. Freshman Lisa Kranec and junior Simone Bergeron won the first set, while freshman Heidi Bulger and junior Madison Cordisco battled back to win the second set. Elon’s success in doubles gave every player a winning record in doubles matches for the season. They then took control in singles with a mix of forehands and returns, winning every set 2-0. 

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SPORTS 2/7/25 2:06pm

Women’s basketball star lights up the court in freshman campaign

By Miles Hayford

Freshman Jayda Angel began her Elon women's basketball career with a combined 35 points and 9 rebounds in her first two games. Angel, who boasts an impressive high school career as well, said a key factor in her decision to choose Elon was the fact that they were her second ever offer and never lost contact with her. She currently leads the team in 3-pointers with 18 and averages 10.6 points per game and has 44 steals — two categories that she ranks second on the team in. 

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SPORTS 2/2/25 4:18pm

Elon University women’s basketball team loses to Monmouth amid poor shooting

By Miles Hayford

After a brutal loss marred by turnovers to William & Mary on Jan. 31, the Elon University women’s basketball team fell 62-47 to Monmouth University. on Feb. 2. The Phoenix struggled to shoot efficiently, shooting 21-72 from the field. Elon’s defense attacked the ball on defense and made it hard for Monmouth to get shots off by utilizing a communication-driven defense that favored double teaming to overwhelm the Monmouth player with the ball. However, Elon’s ability to shoot well went away as they went on a sequence where they missed 10 of their last 11 shots.

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SPORTS 2/1/25 10:37pm

Elon University men’s basketball bounces back after two game skid, beats Northeastern

By Miles Hayford

The Elon University men’s basketball team got a crucial win over Northeastern after losing consecutive games for the first time all season. The 71-60 victory highlighted by graduate student Matthew Van Komen’s 14 points and 14 rebounds puts the Phoenix back on track to finish the regular season out strong. His efforts made way for an impressive effort on the glass by the Phoenix, as the team racked up 2 more rebounds than the Huskies. It is the first 15 win season for the program since the 2014-15 season.

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SPORTS 1/31/25 10:24pm

Turnovers plague Elon University women’s basketball, fall to William & Mary

By Miles Hayford

Despite almost a miraculous comeback late in the fourth quarter, the Elon University women’s basketball team lost to William & Mary 64-59. Elon’s 23 turnovers were hard to overcome and 11 straight missed shots to open the fourth quarter allowed William & Mary to secure the victory. Turnovers were a constant source of irritation for the Phoenix, as the Tribe forced 23 turnovers — 12 less than Elon. Smith attributed the turnovers to a lack of organization on their offense. 

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SPORTS 1/30/25 10:57pm

Hofstra’s depth, defense dooms Elon University men’s basketball team

By Benjamin Berfield

The Elon University men’s basketball team was defeated 74-63 by Hofstra in its second straight loss at home. Elon struggled to develop momentum offensively and never led after the first five minutes of the opening half. The Phoenix held an early 6-4 lead thanks to 4 points by graduate transfer center Matthew Van Komen. However, those were the only made field goals as the Phoenix went 2-11 through the first six minutes as Hofstra gradually began to increase its lead. They went up by double digits for the first time off a layup from freshman forward Joshua DeCady. 

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SPORTS 1/25/25 6:14pm

Elon University football suffers key transfer portal losses, adds five transfers

By Miles Hayford

The revolving door of the transfer portal has reached Elon University Football as the program has lost key defensive players to the portal, as well as adding five transfers after the winter transfer window opened Dec. 9.All six transfer losses were expected to start next year. The losses include former All-American Caleb Curtain, linebacker Marco Patierno, defensive lineman Chuck Nnaeto, edge rusher Cazeem Moore, linebacker Brandon Tyson and tight end Cody Hardy. Curtain and Moore were anchors of the 2024 defense that the program will need to fill through the portal and the incoming class of 14 freshmen.Curtain transferred to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Patierno went to Eastern Michigan University, Moore headed to the University of Virginia, Tyson transferred to Georgia Southern University, Hardy went to North Carolina State University and Nnaeto went to Boston College University. All six players are moving up from the Football Championship Subdivision to Football Bowl Subdivision programs, a valuable promotion.

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SPORTS 1/19/25 4:33pm

Elon University women’s basketball improves to second place in CAA after win over Hofstra

By Miles Hayford

Elon began the game where they left off on Jan. 17 in its win against Stony Brook with a heavy reliance on its transition offense, the aspect of its offense that has found some of the most success this season. Elon got its first points of the game this way after redshirt sophomore Raven Preston snatched the ball away from Hofstra and, through a couple of passes, was able to get it to sophomore Maraja Pass for a layup. Preston said the reliance of transition offense to start the game favored them. “We played fast paced in practice, so it's not really anything new to us,” Preston said. “Just got our legs warmed up for the game.”

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SPORTS 1/17/25 10:06pm

Second half surge pushes Elon University women’s basketball over Stony Brook

By Miles Hayford

Despite a 13-point first half, the Elon University women’s basketball team defeated Stony Brook in comeback fashion 60-48 thanks to an offensive eruption in the second half. The first half showcased a pitiful shooting performance from the Phoenix. Elon finished the first half 16% from the field and 0-9 from beyond the 3-point line, along with 10 turnovers.

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SPORTS 1/4/25 11:04pm

Elon University men’s basketball secures gritty, physical win over Hampton

By Miles Hayford

The Elon University men’s basketball team defeated Hampton University 70-62 in a game marked by fouls and stellar play from both beyond the 3-point line and in the paint. Sophomore Nick Dorn, who leads the team with 15.6 points per game, began the game by knocking down an early 3-pointer to get a noisy and energetic Schar Center crowd going. Dorn made another 3-pointer soon after thanks to redshirt sophomore Andrew King who stole the ball by intercepting a Hampton pass.

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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 11/30/24 12:55pm

New Eastern Alamance athletic director hopes to keep community connected

By Kathan Gandhi

Brad Costa, a former three-sport athlete from a small town near Buffalo, New York, always knew he wanted to pursue a career in sports. At first, he thought having a career in sports would be playing professional football. But after an underwhelming stint as his high school’s quarterback, he realized professional sports may not be feasible. Still, he wanted to keep the competition.  Eastern’s 15-year athletic director, John Kirby, decided to retire this spring. Costa was given the chance to fill his shoes.

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SPORTS 11/29/24 11:39am

Southeast Alamance High School athletic program continues to evolve in second year

By Benjamin Berfield

When Southeast Alamance High School opened in 2023, BJ Condron had been considering joining the athletic administration. He had coached women's basketball at Orange High School for 10 years, but started to have interest in the athletic department. Condron said he wanted to establish multiple principles after being named the athletic director. He listed one of his goals as forming a beneficial experience for all students playing sports. In doing so, Condron said it’s necessary to prioritize setting a culture around the sports program.

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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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