Sports

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SPORTS 12/31/16 9:00am

Curt Cignetti hired as Elon football coach

By Alex Simon

The Elon University football team has hired Curt Cignetti as the 22nd head coach in the school’s history. “I am excited about the great opportunity at Elon and humbled and honored to be chosen to lead the Phoenix football program,” Cignetti said.

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SPORTS 12/22/16 6:52am

Duke's Allen trips Elon's Santa Ana, sparking national controversy

By Emmanuel Morgan

GREENSBORO — Duke University junior guard Grayson Allen didn't burry too many shots on Wednesday, but he did plunge his head into a Gatorade towel. After a season last year that involved tripping two opponents, the Blue Devil has gone on record saying he wants to brighten his image, which has been marred with a dirty player stereotype. The exact opposite happened against Elon University.

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SPORTS 12/21/16 6:29pm

Elon can't keep early lead in 72-61 loss to #5 Duke

By Emmanuel Morgan

GREENSBORO — If the Elon University men's basketball game against Duke University Wednesday night was in March and only lasted a half, a lot of brackets would have been burned. But after leading 35-34 at halftime, the Phoenix was unable to maintain its early momentum in the second half, losing to the No. 5 Blue Devils 72-61 at the Greensboro Coliseum.

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SPORTS 12/20/16 7:45am

Skrosky resigns as Elon football coach

By Alex Simon

Elon University Director of Athletics Dave Blank announced Tuesday that head football coach Rich Skrosky resigned to take a coaching position at Florida International University. In the statement, Blank said, “This was an unexpected development.

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SPORTS 12/9/16 5:31pm

Women’s basketball comes up short at Duke

By Roman Costa

DURHAM, N.C.

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SPORTS 12/7/16 10:00am

Men's basketball reflects on Danieley’s influence

By Alex Simon

As former Elon Univeristy men’s basketball player and current social media manager Adam Constantine ’10 put it, Nov.

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SPORTS 12/6/16 11:44pm

Elon can't crack UNCA's defense in loss

By Tommy Hamzik

The Elon University men's basketball team simply couldn't break into the University of North Carolina at Asheville's defense. UNCA held Elon to its lowest scoring total of the season, as the Phoenix fell 78-67 in non-conference action Tuesday night at Alumni Gym.

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SPORTS 12/4/16 11:41pm

Men's basketball can't get tying shot off at Georgetown

By Alex Simon

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Trailing by three with the clock winding down, senior guard Luke Eddy ran the play exactly how head Elon University men’s basketball coach Matt Matheny wanted. cqjb But he was a half-second late, not able to get sophomore guard Steven Santa Ana the ball in time for a potential game-tying 3-pointer as Elon lost to Georgetown University 77-74 Sunday afternoon in Washington, D.C. “We were definitely going for a three, and we were trying to create — we had a double screen off the other side," Eddy said.

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SPORTS 12/1/16 11:17am

Danieley leaves lasting impact on Elon's athletic teams

By Alex Simon

Senior Associate Director of Athletics for Business and Operations Kyle Wills ’81 has been at Elon for a long time.

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SPORTS 12/1/16 10:30am

SIMON: Football needs improved results in 2017

By Alex Simon

There’s no sugarcoating the struggles that the Elon University football team had during the four years that seniors, like me, have been here. In total, the Phoenix won just nine of its 46 games — less than 20-percent.

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SPORTS 12/1/16 12:11am

Elon beats FIU in OT on emotional night

By Alex Simon

As the clocked ticked below 30 seconds in overtime of the Elon University men’s basketball game Wednesday night, two Florida International University defenders near trapped sophomore guard Dainan Swoope mid-court. In what was only six seconds but felt like an eternity, Swoope pivoted over and over, seemingly having no way out of the trap.

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SPORTS 11/19/16 6:48pm

JMU ends Elon football's season with 63-14 rout

By Alex Simon

HARRISONBURG, Va. — A season that was supposed to be one of growth and fulfilled promise finished its freefall Saturday afternoon with expected humiliation, as the Elon University football team lost its seventh straight game 63-14 to the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) champion James Madison University (JMU) in Harrisonburg, Virginia. James Madison’s offense moved the ball at will, gaining 699 yards with a near perfect balance of 362 rushing and 337 passing. “Obviously, their offense is very high-powered,” said sophomore linebacker Matt Baker, who finished with five tackles.

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SPORTS 11/16/16 10:45am

Football keeps Allison at forefront

By Alex Simon

For the Elon University football team, November 11 was more than just a day of practice ahead of its Senior Day game the next day. It had been exactly a year since teammate Demitri Allison died when he fell off of a residential building at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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SPORTS 11/14/16 11:46pm

Charlotte edges Elon in high-scoring affair

By Tommy Hamzik

When it came down to crunch time, the Elon University men’s basketball team couldn’t limit the University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s freewheeling offense. In a high-scoring, back-and-forth affair, the 49ers outlasted the Phoenix 100-95 in nonconference action Monday night at Alumni Gym despite sophomore guard Steven Santa Ana’s career-high 32 points. Santa Ana’s burst of seven straight points cut Charlotte’s lead to one with 3:30 remaining, but the 49ers responded with a basket by freshman guard Quentin Jackson and a breakaway dunk by freshman forward Najee Garvin that prompted an Elon timeout. After sophomore forward Tyler Seibring missed a corner 3-pointer, junior guard Hudson Price buried a 3 from atop the key to put Charlotte up 96-89, effectively sealing the victory. “Defense was a big emphasis for us this offseason and something we’ve been stressing,” Santa Ana said.

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SPORTS 11/14/16 11:39pm

Defense carries Elon women's basketball to win over Rutgers

By Tommy Hamzik

The gravity of Monday night's victory wasn't lost on junior guard Shay Burnett. The Elon University women's basketball team recorded one of the biggest victories of its Division I era, toppling visiting Rutgers University 66-54 at Alumni Gym. Burnett had 20 points, and senior guard Lauren Brown added 13. "We definitely made history beating Rutgers," Burnett said.

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SPORTS 11/14/16 5:05pm

Elon professor interviewed for 'Religion of Sports' TV show

By Alex Simon

It’s not very common for an Elon University professor to be interviewed for a TV series. But L.D. Russell, senior lecturer of religious studies, thinks he knows how the producers of the new TV documentary series, “Religion of Sports,” found him.

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SPORTS 11/12/16 8:14pm

Football falls flat in blowout loss to last-place Rhode Island

By Alex Simon

The Elon University football team’s season hit a new low Saturday afternoon, as last-place University of Rhode Island blew out the Phoenix 44-14 in a Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) matchup. It’s a sixth-straight loss for Elon, dropping the Phoenix into a tie for last place and making 2016 Elon’s fourth-straight season with just a single home victory. “Obviously, a really frustrating day in every regard,” said head coach Rich Skrosky.

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SPORTS 11/12/16 5:59pm

Men's basketball beats D3 school to open season

By Alex Simon

It was a 101-68 win for the Elon University men’s basketball team over Division III William Peace University Friday night, but head coach Matt Matheny felt that the Phoenix has a lot to learn going forward. “We wanted to be victorious, and we were,” Matheny said.

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SPORTS 11/12/16 5:40pm

Cross country season ends at NCAA Southeast Regionals

By Alex Simon

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — A day that started with a record-breaking performance from senior Kimberly Johansen ended in frustration for sophomore Nick Ciolkowski and the Elon University cross country teams Friday at the NCAA Southeast Regional Championships. Johansen ended a sparkling cross country career with a school record time of 20:51.7 in the 6-kilometer race and her second-straight All-Region finish, taking 14th place.

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SPORTS 11/12/16 5:40pm

Volleyball falls to Hofstra in 5 sets Friday

By Emmanuel Morgan

Primed with an opportunity to snap a two-game losing streak, Elon University’s volleyball team fell just short against Hofstra University Friday, dropping to the Pride 3-2 after forcing a fifth set.

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