ELON, N.C. – The first taste of CAA Championships of the spring is up ahead, as the Elon University track & field team heads to Virginia Beach for the CAA Indoor Championships from Wednesday, Feb. 26 to Thursday, Feb. 27.
Each Monday, Rising Phoenix will preview the week ahead in Elon athletics. Here is a look at each Elon team competing this week.
Baseball
The Elon University baseball team earned its first two victories of the season, both of which saw outstanding offense lead the way. In a 16-3 win over Presbyterian, junior center fielder Tank Yaghoubi went 2-3 and earned a career-high four RBI. Redshirt junior right fielder Vince Fattore and junior left fielder Alec Welshans powered the offense, each belting their first home runs of the season in an 8-2 win over Binghamton. The Phoenix will stay in North Carolina again this week, traveling to Winston-Salem to play Wake Forest on Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 4 p.m. before hosting Brown for a weekend series on Friday, Feb. 28 at 4 p.m., Saturday March 1 at 2 p.m. and Sunday, March 2 at 1 p.m.
Lacrosse
A commanding 17-6 victory over Virginia Commonwealth University marked the Elon University lacrosse team's first win of the season. Seven different Phoenix players scored goals but senior attacker Kailey McKenna stole the show with a career-high five goals. Senior midfielder Sammy Fisher became the sixth player in program history to surpass 100 career points. She now sits fifth on the all-time points list with 104 in total. Elon will host two more games at Rudd Field this week, playing East Carolina on Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 5 p.m. and Notre Dame on Sunday, March 2 at 11 a.m.
Track & Field
The first CAA Championship of the spring is set to take place this week for the Elon University track & field team. Elon will head to Virginia Beach to compete in the CAA Indoor Championships from Wednesday, Feb. 26 to Thursday, Feb. 27. The team will look to build upon its top-10 performances during its last time competing, which was at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational. Graduate student Mikayla Jones, senior Madison Synowiec and junior Katie Blount posted record-breaking times in the 5,000, as the trio sits in first, second and third place in Elon program history.
Softball
Going 2-2 in the Clemson Classic, the Elon University softball team earned back-to-back victories over Villanova to close out the weekend. Sophomore Lia Miller pitched a complete game in the 4-3 victory and earned her second win of the season, picking up a career-high seven strikeouts. Redshirt junior outfielder Chloe Hatzopoulos hit a grand slam the following day, powering the offense to a 6-2 win. The Phoenix will face UNC Chapel Hill in Chapel Hill on Wednesday, Feb. 26 at 6 p.m. Elon hosts both Sacred Heart and UNC Greensboro on Saturday, March 1 for games at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., respectively. On Sunday, March 2, Elon will play Sacred Heart at 11 a.m. and UNC Greensboro at 4 p.m., both of which will be in Greensboro.
Men's Basketball
Junior guard TK Simpkins led the Elon University men's basketball team in points in both of its games last week, scoring 28 against Towson and 30 against William & Mary. He was named the Co-CAA Player of the Week following his efforts. The Elon University men's basketball team will compete in two road games this week to complete the 2024-25 regular season. Elon will compete against Monmouth on Thursday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. and Stony Brook on Saturday, March 1 at 6 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.
Men's Tennis
The Elon University men's tennis team earned its first victory of the 2025 season and its first under head coach Maciek Sykut in 4-3 fashion over East Tennessee State University. The Phoenix surrendered the doubles point but bounced back in singles with wins from junior Veljko Krstic, freshman Rafael Ymer, sophomore Jack Curtis and freshman Charles Pilet. Elon travels to Conway, South Carolina, to play Coastal Carolina on Friday, Feb. 28 at 12 p.m.
Women's Basketball
Redshirt sophomore guard Raven Preston was the Elon University women's basketball team's leading scorer in its last two games, posting 11 against Delaware and 19 against Drexel. The Phoenix will travel to Charleston to face the Cougars on Friday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. before competing in its last game in Schar Center of the 2024-25 season. Elon hosts A&T in a Senior Day rematch and will honor senior guard Iycez Adams.
Women's Tennis
The Elon University women's tennis team swept both Shaw and Salem this weekend, earning 5-0 and 7-0 victories in the matches, respectively. Freshman Lisa Kranec earned wins in doubles with Ella Suk and Heidi Bulger before winning both of her singles matches against the two teams. She also was the lone match winner in Elon's 4-1 loss to Furman, defeating her opponent at No. 6 singles 6-2, 6-3. Elon will host South Carolina State on Saturday, March 1 at 1:30 p.m.
'Rising Phoenix' is a student-led initiative to cover Elon Athletics. Through innovative content creation and storytelling, Elon University students will have the opportunity to highlight the moments, people and events that make an impact, leveraging the athletic department's various web and social media platforms for distribution. Follow Rising Phoenix on X (@EURisingPhoenix) and Instagram (@elonrisingphoenix). Interested in joining this initiative as a content creator (video, graphics, writing, storytelling, or more)? Contact Chase Strawser at cstrawser@elon.edu.
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