Track and Field

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NEWS 4/4/25 9:51pm

North Carolina court sides with Republican Jefferson Griffin in contested state supreme court race

By Avery Sloan

The North Carolina Court of Appeals ruled April 4 that over 65,000 votes casted in the 2024 state supreme court race need to be verified. Democrat incumbent Allison Riggs only won the race by 734 votes — after two previous recounts — meaning that the result of the election could change.  The North Carolina Court of Appeals sided with Republican Jefferson Griffin 2-1, who challenged the ballots in November, claiming that over 65,000 ballots shouldn’t be included in the results because they failed to comply with the state law or the state constitution. This ruling means the North Carolina Board of Elections will ask the contested voters to provide proof of identity within 15 days of being notified in order for their vote to count.   

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SPORTS 4/4/25 9:07pm

Elon University softball beats Charleston in extra innings in top-ranked CAA clash

By Miles Hayford

Elon University softball defeated the College of Charleston 3-2 in an extra innings, walk-off thriller in a battle of the Coastal Athletic Association’s best. The two teams entered the game tied for first place in the CAA as they both boasted a 9-3 conference record, but it was Elon who came out on top after nine grueling innings of play that almost lasted three hours.  Both teams strangely mirrored each other in the first inning with a flurry of baserunners getting on base, but few runs were actually scored. Charleston started the game off hot with a leadoff double, followed by a walk. Sophomore pitcher Lia Miller looked shaky early on, triggering a mound visit from her coaches and her catches, hoping to settle her down and prevent any further damage. After getting one out, Miller walked another, loading the bases. Charleston drove one run in, but Miller got out of the jam, stranding two runners. 

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LIFESTYLE 4/4/25 7:49pm

Elon University lecture celebrates impactful professor, encourages expression in challenging times

By Abby Gravely

Frederick Lawrence believes that telling someone they can’t speak is equivalent to cutting off their oxygen. Lawrence, the secretary and CEO of Phi Beta Kappa honor society and First Amendment scholar, spoke to the Elon community Thursday evening in Whitley Auditorium. The James P. Elder Lecture marked the final event of the 2024-25 speaker series, and this year's installment of the endowed James P. Elder lecture series at Elon. Lawrence knows that it can be hard to determine the line between free speech and hate speech. And with recent debates involving this line on college campuses, it feels more relevant than ever.

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NEWS 4/4/25 2:24pm

Gov. Josh Stein’s first 100 days: Cautious and relief-focused

By Miles Hayford

As Gov. Josh Stein’s first 100 days in office come to a close, his administration has focused on three key areas: Hurricane Helene recovery, a two-year budget proposal and cautiously navigating a Republican-dominated North Carolina General Assembly. Stein released a budget proposal March 19, which is a recommended budget that the General Assembly will take into consideration before passing the budget themselves. After two years of a Republican supermajority, the General Assembly is heavily controlled by the GOP. Republicans currently hold a 30-20 advantage in the Senate and a 71-49 advantage in the House.

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NEWS 4/4/25 12:48pm

500-spot parking lot to open near Francis Center to accommodate freshmen

By Tariq L. Johnson

Starting in the 2025-26 academic year, first-year students will now be required to park near the Francis Center. A new 500-spot remote parking lot will open up around 450 parking spots within the main part of campus, accommodating upperclassmen parking, according to Elon University Chief of Campus Safety and Police, Joseph LeMire. The Elon Express and E-Rides will be available to transport students who park in this parking lot, according to LeMire. The walk for students to the central part of campus will be approximately 20 minutes from the lot. 

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LIFESTYLE 4/4/25 10:53am

HealthEU center construction brings excitement, concerns

By Kate Gray and Ruby Burckle

Construction on the new HealthEU center began unexpectedly for some students. Construction began in January, raising both excitement and concerns among Elon students. The project was announced in the spring of 2024, with the goal of being completed by summer 2026. However, the building will now be completed that fall instead, according to David Haught, senior director of planning, design and construction management. According to Haught, construction is currently in phase one, which involves tree removal, utility work and reshaping land to prepare the site.

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NEWS 4/3/25 9:32pm

City of Burlington opens pickleball complex at Fairchild Park

By Anjolina Fantaroni

The rain couldn’t stop the eager pickleball community from celebrating the grand opening of the pickleball and tennis courts at Fairchild Park in Burlington. From city officials to seasoned and new players, the six new courts were packed with the sounds of the popular sport. The six new courts at Fairchild Park opened April 3 with an event including refreshments, free pickleball keychains and paddle covers, and blue and green balloons to represent the colors of the city. The courts at Fairchild Park are free to the public. Players do not need a membership fee.

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NEWS 4/3/25 8:17am

Elon University’s Love Business School rises to 38th in national undergraduate rankings

By Trista Panagakos

The Martha Love School of Business has risen to 38th in the country for undergraduate business rankings from Poets&Quants, an online platform that ranks undergraduate and graduate business schools. This is a two spot improvement from 2024. The 2025 rankings had the highest number of participating schools with 104 business schools completing the survey. Poets&Quants ranked undergraduate schools based on three categories: career outcomes, admission standards and academic experience. For the categories, the business school has also improved to 24th for career outcomes and improved 10 spots in admissions standards to 54th. 

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LIFESTYLE 4/2/25 10:03pm

Eid al-Fitr celebration at Elon University brings faith, culture together

By Gaby Maldonado

Students, faculty and community members of all ages gathered in the McBride Gathering Space of the Numen Lumen Pavilion on April 2 to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, the Islamic holiday marking the end of Ramadan. Also known as the "Festival of Breaking the Fast," Eid al-Fitr is a time of communal prayer, celebration and generosity for Muslims worldwide. Hosted by the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life, Elon Muslim Society and Muslim Life at Elon, the event featured a shared dinner and reflections on the significance of Eid al-Fitr.

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SPORTS 4/2/25 9:40pm

Elon University women’s basketball leading scorer transfers to Wake Forest

By Miles Hayford

Elon University women’s basketball star Raven Preston announced on social media April 2 that she is transferring to Wake Forest for the 2025-26 season. Preston, a redshirt sophomore, led the team in scoring this season with 12.3 points per game and also led the team’s effort on the glass with a team-high 8.7 rebounds per game. She was also first in steals and second in assists. Freshman Alyssa Ervin announced on March 31 she will be transferring to Furman next season. Redshirt freshman Ava Leroux and juniors Regina Walton and Hannah Dereje have entered the transfer portal.

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SPORTS 4/2/25 4:08pm

Senior midfielder breaks career points record, leads Southern Alamance boy's lacrosse past Eastern Alamance

By Evan Bennett

Talan Cook’s journey to becoming Southern Alamance’s all-time points leader began long before his name topped the record books. As a young player, he was already invested in the team's culture, watching his older brother play before joining the team himself. On April 1, Cook’s four-goal performance in a 15-1 win over Eastern Alamance not only led his team to victory but also secured his place in the program’s history as he broke the career points record. Cook reflected on the milestone with a sense of gratitude. 

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SPORTS 4/2/25 10:09am

Elon athletes turn their names into brands with help from Elon University NIL store

By Anjolina Fantaroni

Elon University student-athletes can now be seen wearing their names not only on the field, but off. The name, image, likeness store empowers student athletes to represent their brand by creating merchandise, such as jerseys and sweatshirts, with $6 per shirt, $8 per crewneck, $10 per hoodie, and $12 per jersey going back to the student athlete. Elon University has recently partnered with the NIL store and has contracted with 86 out of the Elon 503 student-athletes. There are 44 men’s and 42 women’s customized items seen on the Elon NIL website. 

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LIFESTYLE 4/2/25 2:17am

Persnickety Books embraces change in its new location after leaving downtown Burlington

By Abigail Hines

When Persnickety Books packed up its shelves and moved to a new location co-owner Ian Baltutis wasn’t sure what the new space would hold for them. But after a month at its new location, Baltutis said the store has only grown from where it used to be. “It is a relief to know that as we took this change, took this risk of moving, we feel like we didn’t lose a stride, and we have a nice solid foundation to build from,” Baltutis said. 

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LIFESTYLE 4/1/25 1:23pm

AI enters Elon courses as a classmate

By Katharyn MacDonald

As a response to the questions raised today surrounding AI’s role in higher education, Elon University created six principles of its own in October 2024: human-centered work, overcoming the digital divide, information literacy, responsibility, learning evolving technology and using AI as a tool rather than a replacement were the goals set. Nearly a year and a half later, these principles have led some faculty to incorporate AI tool use and experimentation, from the brainstorming stage to final edits. Some professors have opted to use ChatGPT in their classes for assignments in order to work with AI instead of against it.

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LIFESTYLE 3/31/25 8:24pm

Elon University students differ on AI use in school

By Virginia Vance

According to a March 12 survey from Elon’s Imagining the Digital Future Center, 52% of U.S. adults now use AI large language models like ChatGPT or Google’s Gemini. The survey noted that twice as many respondents said they used AI mostly for personal learning or planning compared to those who mostly use AI for work. A common thread among Elon students was that AI should be used for the right reasons. But which reasons are the right ones is less consistent.

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LIFESTYLE 3/31/25 9:08am

Elon SPDC continues to use AI platform for student alumni connections

By Evan Cooper

With under three months until graduation, the Student Professional Development Center has continued to use Elon Q&A, a new tool implemented in the fall semester, utilizing AI to connect students with alumni. Elon Q&A was implemented in September 2024, and Elon Q&A uses AI to search for keywords in a student’s question, then searches the alumni database for a relevant connection. Once a match is found the AI sends the question, then sends a response back to the student when the question is answered.

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SPORTS 3/30/25 6:37pm

Elon football stars hope to play in the NFL

By Miles Hayford

Six players including Chandler Brayboy and Kevin Burkett have declared for the NFL Draft and are hoping to make an NFL roster next season. Burkett excelled in his final year at Elon, earning first team All-CAA honors and being ranked by Pro Football Focus as the top pass protecting offensive lineman in all of FCS Football. Wide receiver and kick returner Chandler Brayboy also has his sights set on the NFL. Nationally recognized, he earned Second Team All-American honors from the Associated Press and was named the Phil Steele FCS Special Teams Player of the Year. 

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LIFESTYLE 3/30/25 4:18pm

Senior aims to show off the stars using virtual reality

By Nia Bedard

Senior Aubrey Spicola’s honors thesis is a virtual reality planetarium app that allows users to see stars and planets as well as listen to an instructor, who is guiding the user through the VR planetarium. As an honors fellow, part of the program includes students engaging in the study of some sort of defined problem or question over the course of one and a half to two years. With Spicola’s major in astrophysics and her love of planetarium education, she was able to develop her thesis with the help of her mentor and professor Dr. Anthony Crider. 

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LIFESTYLE 3/30/25 1:02pm

Technology creates Oklahoma in Elon for production of ‘Grapes of Wrath’

By Megan Walsh

Dust storms, the Colorado River, a large thunderstorm and a flood — all major plot points of Elon University’s production of “Grapes of Wrath” where technology plays a large role. Lighting and sound are important for the show as it sets the mood of scenes. establishes where onstage audiences should be focused and portrays dust storms, the Colorado River, a large thunderstorm and a flood. The show, based on the novel by John Steinbeck, will be performed April 3 to 5 in McCrary Theatre.

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LIFESTYLE 3/30/25 12:27pm

Kiki Ball brings Elon University’s LGBTQ+ communities together

By Alice Morrissey

Lights dimmed and music blasted as the College Street Taphouse prepared for one of the Gender & LGBTQIA Center’s favorite events of the year — the Kiki Ball. The theme of the ball was out of this world, and participants brought their own flair, drawing inspiration from ballroom culture, voguing and freestyle dance. Competitors captured the audience with their confidence and creativity; some executed dramatic floorwork, while others commanded the space with sharp, precise movements, each performance adding to the vibrant atmosphere of the event.

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