CLARKSVILLE – The women’s cross country team at the University of Ozarks continues to make strides as a program and aims for sustained success in 2019.
The 2018 team won one home race and finished second in the other. Head Coach Heidi Pinkerton brought in a crop of four talented freshmen to add to the current team.
Overall, Pinkeron is excited to see how the season will play out. “I am excited to see what we will accomplish this season. We don’t have one girl that is minutes ahead of everyone else. We have a young group. We have a good pack. I think if they work together, they can do some bigger things than last year. The girls are on board and want to improve. They are doing the small things and are holding one another accountable.” Silvia Chavez returns for her sophomore campaign. “I think Silvia will do some great things for the team. Sydney will be right there with Silvia.”
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GAME DETAILS University of the Ozarks 0, Fontbonne University 0 Records: University of the Ozarks (0-0-1), Fontbonne University (0-0-1) Friday, Aug. 30, 2019 Memphis, Tenn. | Rhodes Soccer Field
THE BASICS The Eagles opened the 2019 season with a shutout against Fontbonne University Friday in Memphis. The Eagles created seven shots in the second half, but couldn’t find the back of the net. The Eagles’ defense held strong through 110 minutes and limited Fontbonne to four shots on goal. Rebecca Peterson led the Eagles with five shots. Three of her shots were on frame. The Eagles’ defense did not allow a shot in either overtime. The Eagles accounted for two shots in overtime.
SCORING SUMMARY None
KEY STATISTICS Kiara Henry fought off 12 Fontbonne shots, with four saves, to record a shutout.
GAME DETAILS University of the Ozarks 3, Nebraska Wesleyan 3 (OT2) Records: University of the Ozarks (0-0-1), Nebraska Wesleyan (0-0-1) Friday, Aug. 30, 2019 Pella, Iowa | Kuyper Athletic Complex
THE BASICS The Eagles battled back from a 3-1 first half deficit to end the match with a 3-3 tie against Nebraska Wesleylan in their season-opener. Drew Mott struck first as he netted a goal early to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead. Mott’s goal came in the 2nd minute. But Nebraska Wesleyan scored back-to-back goals in the 28th minute and then added another just before the half to hold a 3-1 advantage. Mott scored again in the 58th minute to trim the deficit to 3-2. The Eagles final goal came in the 64th minute. After a scoreless first overtime, the Eagles produced four shots in the second overtime. A header by Charleus Ritch and a shot later by Jackson Rogers were just off to keep the match alive. The Eagles ended with a slight 12-11 shots advantage.
SCORING SUMMARY1:33 – Drew Mott (Jackson Rogers assist) 27:08 – Nebraska Wesleyan (TEAM) 27:52 -Nebraska Wesleyan (Royce Austen) 42:19 – Nebraska Wesleyan (Luke Livingston) 57:23 – Drew Mott (assist Charleus Ritch) 63:47 – Ozarks (TEAM) KEY STATISTICS The Eagles battled back from a 3-1 first half deficit to end the match with a 3-3 tie. The Eagles scored first in the match as Drew Mott netted a goal within the first two minutes.
BATESVILLE – The Lyon College men’s and women’s cross country teams got their respective 2019 seasons off to a strong start as the Scots placed in the top two individually in both the men’s and women’s divisions at the 2019 Lyon College Invitational on Friday evening. Freshmen Cade Davis and Haeley Pines took home first-place honors for the men’s and women’s team, respectively.
In her first collegiate race, Pines cruised to the finish line of the women’s 5k race with the best time at 23:07. Teammate, Alex Nagle, finished just behind Pines in second at 23:27. Daisy Connor and Amber McClurg both finished within the top 10 as well. Connor placed sixth with a time of 26:54, while McClurg ended in eighth at 27:58.
In the men’s 5k division, Davis and Chris Lemp finished in first and second for the Scots, respectively, in the first collegiate race for both runners. Davis coasted his way around the course and finished with a time of 17:57, while Lemp posted a time of 18:17. Addison Causey placed eighth with a time of 20:21. Wyatt Frerichs crossed the finish line in 11th for the Scots with a time of 22:08. Patrick Mitchell (24:13), Payton Dunn (26:00) and Zachary Nohr (29:04) also competed for the Scots.
As a whole, the men’s team placed second in the event. Williams Baptist edged the Scots by a single point, while Crowley’s Ridge College came in third.
The Scots will return to action on Sept. 7 at the UCA Cross Country Challenge in Conway.
LITTLE ROCK – The Lyon College volleyball team cruised to a pair of nonconference victories today in the Philander Smith Panther Volleyball Tournament. The Scots started the afternoon by sweeping Tabor College and kept up their terrific play with a dominating performance over Texas College this evening.
Lyon improves to 2-3 on the young season. Tabor College falls to 2-5, while Texas College’s record dips to 1-1.
GAME FLOW Tabor College The Scots and Bluejays exchanged leads in the first set of the match. Tabor extended their lead at 18-15, but Lyon would quickly respond. The Scots regained the momentum, surging to a 10-4 run to win the first set on one of Kendra Kelly’s 10 kills in the contest.
Now leading by a set, the Scots picked up right where they left off, winning the first six points of the second stanza. Lyon continued their excellent setting and finishing at the net to take a 22-12 advantage following a kill by Michayla Shanks. Kaitlyn Jackson would eventually close out the set with a service ace to give the Scots a two-set advantage.
The third set featured five ties and two lead changes. With the score tied at 10 apiece, the visitors from Batesville got in a rhythm as they won nine of the next 11 points, taking a 19-12 lead. The Bluejays, however, cut Lyon’s lead to one at 24-23. The Scots took a timeout to regain their composure in hopes of ending the match on the next point. That is exactly what the Scots did, winning the next point to complete the sweep and close out the match, 25-23.
Texas College With the Scots leading 11-9 midway through the first set, Gracen Ratliff recorded one of her six kills in the contest to give the visitors from Batesville a three-point cushion. Lyon would continue to extend their advantage the rest of the first stanza, en route to a 25-18 first-set victory.
The second set was the most competitive frame of the night. While Texas College cut Lyon’s lead to only two at 12-10, the Scots were ready for everything the Lady Steers tried to throw at them. Lyon dominated the rest of the set, cruising to a 25-13 second-set win.
Lyon continued their stellar play in the third stanza. TC tied the score four times during the set, but the Scots never relinquished the lead as they overpowered the Lady Steers, 25-12, and won the match in three sets.
KEY STATISTICS Tabor College – Kendra Kelley and Michayla Shanks put together all-around performances today as Kelley tallied 10 kills and 8 digs, while Shanks registered 12 digs, 8 kills, and 4 service aces. – Gracen Ratliff recorded a game-high 11 kills. – Kaitlyn Jackson etched 20 assists to go along with 3 service aces. – Lyon overpowered Tabor in kills, 41-28, and service aces, 13-3.
WHAT’S AHEAD FOR THE SCOTS Lyon continues play in the Panther Volleyball Tournament tomorrow with matches against Rust College and Philander Smith College. The matchup between the Scots and Rust College will begin at noon tomorrow, while the contest between Lyon and Philander Smith College will start 45 minutes following the conclusion of the Lyon-Rust match.
CONWAY – Hendrix men’s soccer opened up the 2019 season Friday evening with an evening showdown against the Huntingdon Hawks in the 2019 Hendrix Invitational from Warrior Field. After trailing 1-0 at the intermission, the Warriors conceded three second half goals as Hendrix fell to the Hawks, 4-1.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP Final: Huntingdon 4 , Hendrix 1 Records: Hawks 1-0, Warriors 0-1 Location: Warrior Soccer Field | Conway Get Social: Twitter | @HendrixWarriors | @HCscoreboard
HOW IT HAPPENED – After giving up one goal in the first 45 minutes, the Warriors gave up two more goals in the first 25 minutes of the second half before sophomore Ricky Barrientos got the home team on the scoreboard. – The Hawks scored one more goal in the 89th minute to hold the 4-1 advantage. – Sophomore Arron Sahlman recorded a pair of saves against Huntingdon. – Freshman Luis Lara recorded a team-best four shots in the loss. – Five other Warrior players tallied one shot each while Barrientos and sophomore Jackson Goodwin landed the lone shots on goal for Hendrix.
WHAT WAS SAID “I thought we played well for large portions of the game but we gave the ball away cheaply in the middle third which led to three goals,” stated head coach Matt Kern. “Our team shape in defensive transition moments, was simply not good enough tonight. Huntingdon were very organized an punished us on the counter attack. We will learn from this and look to be more organized.”
UP NEXT The Warriors remain in Conway for its next contest; facing Hardin-Simmons Sunday from Warrior Field at 2 p.m. in the final game of the 2019 Hendrix Invitational.
ST. LOUIS, Mo. – For the first time since early November, Hendrix volleyball was back in action, opening the 2019 season in St. Louis, Mo. against no. 14 nationally-ranked Washington University-St. Louis.
After winning the opening set, 25-19, the Warriors lost the next two sets to sustain a 2-1 set deficit. The Warriors held off the Bears in the fourth set, 25-22, to force a decisive fifth frame. Hendrix never trailed in the final set, winning the fifth set, 15-8, to finish the upset against the nationally-ranked Bears. Lauren Dwyer recorded a team-high 19 kills while Sesalie Satterwhite recorded the double-double after tallying 22 assists and 11 digs.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP Final: Hendrix 3, Washington (Mo.) 2 | [25-19, 19-25, 16-25, 25-22, 15-8] Records: Warriors 1-0, Bears 1-1 Location: St. Louis, Mo. Get Social: Twitter | @HendrixWarriors | @HCscoreboard
HOW IT HAPPENED – Trailing by a point in the opening set, Hendrix underwent a 6-0 run; capped off by a service ace from Satterwhite. – The Warriors scored six of the final eight points in the first set. – Late in the second frame, the Warriors led 18-17 but 7-0 Bear run allowed for Washington to take the 25-19 set victory. – Leading 2-1 in the third set, Hendrix gave up six-straight points as the Bears grabbed the 7-2 lead. – Dwyer tallied five kills in the third frame but the Bears snagged the 25-16 set win. – Trailing by a point, the Warriors tallied a 10-1 run to take command of the set to force a decisive fifth frame. – Starting out on defense, Hendrix won the first four points and forced a Bear timeout after leading 6-2 to start the frame; Warriors won five out of the last eight points for the come-from-behind victory. – Claire Smith produced a team-best 25 assists Friday night while Jeanette McGrath registered a team-high 20 digs. – Allison Long accounted for 13 kills in the huge upset while Mallory Carty landed a team-high four blocks on the night.
WHAT WAS SAID “What a great win to start off the season,” stated a happy head coach Brittany Newberry. “I couldn’t be more proud of this team. I definitely want to give credit to a great team in Washington University. It was a hard fought win. We’ve got to get some rest and come back tomorrow and bring three wins home.”
UP NEXT The Warriors remain in St. Louis, Mo., as Hendrix continues to take part in the Bear Invitational. Hendrix will face Webster Saturday at 10:30 a.m. and Westminster (Mo.) Saturday at 2:30 p.m. in the final game of the invitational.
AUSTIN, Texas – Hendrix women’s soccer played a regular season contest for the first time in over 10 months after the Warriors battled Concordia (Texas) Friday from Austin, Texas. The Warriors took the early lead as Hagan Griffith tacked on her first goal of her senior campaign in less than three minutes into the match. After taking a 1-0 lead into the break, the Warriors scored two more goals in the final 35 minutes of regulation to hang on to the 3-1 victory. With the win, the Warriors improve to 1-0 on the young year.
HOW IT HAPPENED – After Griffith scored just two minutes and 11 seconds into the game, Concordia did not tie the game up until the 56th minute. – Claire Huchingson put the Warriors back on top just 66 seconds after the Tornadoes knotted the game up at 1-all with her first collegiate score of her young career. – Mary Helen VanHoy iced the game in the 84th minute as she connected on her first goal of the young season with six minutes left to give Hendrix the 3-1 lead and ultimately the victory. – VanHoy carded two shots on the evening while Griffith and Huchinson each tallied one each. – Griffith picked up a pair of assists in the win while Khenli Harp scooped up one assist as well. – Anna Claire Lewis (1-0) carded two saves while playing all 90 minutes for Hendrix in goal. – Despite the win, the Warriors were outshot 8-4 to Concordia. – The Tornadoes did not record any saves Friday evening and only recorded one corner kick while Hendrix landed three corner kicks. –
WHAT WAS SAID “It really looked like a first game for us tonight,” explained head coach Jeff Trimble. “We started off slow and looked like we were a bit lost We got a goal early from Griffith and that really helped. After halftime, we looked much better. A lot of credit to Concordia; they were very organized and played really well. We were much better defensively in the second half and we played much better soccer. Lewis, in goal, did a good job keeping us organized defensively. It was a good start and we will learn from our mistakes.”
UP NEXT The Warriors remain out in Texas to continue the two-game road trip out west to open up the 2019 season. Hendrix faces McMurry Sunday at noon from Abilene, Texas.
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Southern Arkansas coach Andy Sharpe. Photo by SAU Sports Information
MAGNOLIA – Coming on the heels of an NCAA Era-best record in the program’s 24-year Division II membership, Southern Arkansas University Head Men’s Basketball Coach Andy Sharpe has announced the signing of eight student-athletes for the upcoming 2019-2020 season.
“A lot of credit goes to former associate head coach, David Anderson, for putting together this class,” noted Sharpe. He added “We worked tirelessly to continue to sign quality, local high school student-athletes in our geographic region who will represent our program the right way, embrace our culture, and continue to advance our program to state, conference, and national relevance.”
Eight new recruits, seven true freshman and one transfer, reported to campus earlier this month. “We’ve completely sold out to staying young and continuing to build our program with high school guys that will be in our program for 4-5 years,” noted Sharpe.
The seven true freshmen include two Arkansans in Logan Bradley (Booneville) and Connor Harvey (Mena), two Louisianans in Jessie Davis, Jr. and Deven Melancon from Shreveport, two Texans in Dodge Brown (Commerce) and Josh Ukpe (Bonham), and finally Zak-Blue Shagouire with the longest commute of 4,500 miles from East London, England. Dru Smith of state Fair Community College joins the program as the only transfer after two successful years as a roadrunner.
The eight newcomers will join six letter winners with First Team All-GAC selection Devante Brooks leading the charge. Also retuning is speedy point guard Aaron Lucas, sharp-shooting guard Gabe Gilliam, former Magnolia Panther and Mulerider defensive stopper Trey Davis, GAC Freshmen of the Year Jalen Brooks, and finally back in the fold is a healthy Charlie Thomas. “Those six guys will be looked to by our staff to provide incredible leadership as expectations for our program continue to rise on a yearly basis. They’ve all played some huge roles for us previously as freshmen and sophomores and now it is their team and I’m excited to see how they move us forward”, commented Sharpe.
Three red-shirt freshmen will also make their debuts this season in point guard Ray Fresh, shooting guard Kam Roelke, and swingman Trent Ivy. “I am excited to see Kam, Ray, and Trent be activated after a very rewarding and beneficial red-shirt season”, remarked, Sharpe. “All three of those guys approached their redshirt year the right way and all three have grown tremendously and are ready to compete for roles this coming season”, continued, Sharpe.
Zakeus-Blue Shagourie – Forward, 6’8 Hometown / Previous School: East London, England / Sunlive Basketball Academy Notable Stats: 7ppg/11rpg/ 2bpg
Accomplishments: – Two time selection to Loul Deng UK Top 50 Camp – Selected to Pau Gasol Rising Star Camp in Barcelona, Spain – 2018 National Basketball Cup Winner – Selected to HOOPSFIX.com All Star Classic
Coach Sharpe on Shagourie: “Zak is our first international recruit in my seven years at SAU. I’ve gotten to know Zak’s coach, Josh Merrington, over the years who is now at Sunlive Academy in Portugal and through his work with the British National Team and he highly recommended Zak as a long, active, athletic forward who is ready to play immediately. Losing Wes Nosakhare to graduation will give Zak the opportunity to come in and compete for a major role in our rotation. Zak has played at a high level internationally for several years highlighted by an appearance in the invitation-only 24 man HOOPSFIX All Star Classic. I’m excited Zak is a Mulerider and looking forward to getting him on the floor!”
Josh Ukpe – Guard, 6’2 Hometown / Previous School: Bonham, TX / Bonham High School Notable Stats: 29 ppg / 8 rpg during the 2019-2019 season
Accomplishments: – TABC All-Region Class 3A Region 2 Selection – District 10 – 3A MVP – All Texomaland – 2nd Team Selection – Led the 18-19 Bonham Warriors to a program best 26-7 record – Recorded most points in a single season in Bonham history with 902.
Coach Sharpe on Ukpe: “Josh is a guy we have really high hopes for. He had a highly decorated career at Bonham where they had a ton of success largely due to Josh and his ability to score the ball. Josh is an athletic playmaker and has shown he’s a potent scorer at the high school level. I’m excited to see Josh continue to grow here at SAU. Like with any freshmen, he’s going to experience some growing pains, but Josh has unlimited potential and we are excited to see him take some big strides in the weight room. We feel in our strength and conditioning program we can help take Josh to another level. I’m really excited to see Josh blossom here at SAU.
Logan Bradley – Forward, 6’8 Hometown / Previous School: Booneville, AR / Booneville High School Notable Stats: 14.2 ppg / 6.9 rpg / 3.6 bpg during the 2018-2019 season
Accomplishments: – 3 Year Starter and Co-Captain as a SR for the 29-4 Booneville Bearcats – 2nd All Time Leading Scorer and Rebounder in Booneville High history – Back to Back All-Conference selection – Selected to 2019 All-State and All-State Tournament team – Honor graduate and National Beta Club Member
Coach Sharpe on Bradley: “Logan was an early signee and we are excited to get him plugged into our program. Logan is a big-bodied forward with an unexpected shooting stroke to the 3pt line. Logan will be really good in pick & pop actions with his ability to shoot the ball. There are not many true freshmen that are able to physically play right away in our league, so we are also excited to get Logan into our strength and conditioning program and see him make the jump from high school to our physical style of play.”
Connor Harvey – Guard, 6’1 Hometown / Previous School: Mena, AR / Mena High School Notable Stats: 23.6 ppg / 2.6 apg / 5.2 rpg during the 2018-2019 season
Accomplishments: – Three time All-Conference selection – Two time All-State honoree – Polk County Player of the Year – Selected to 42 Sports Super Team – Tallied 1,427 career points while sinking 114 three pointers his SR season at 41%
Coach Sharpe on Harvey: “Connor is a guy I think we were fortunate to snag. There is such a premium put on being able to extend the defense and efficiently knock down three pointers and Connor does that very, very well. Any time a guy can make over 40% of his three point attempts at the volume Connor was getting is impressive. When we signed Connor he said he’d like to know the all-time marks for three pointers made in a season, a career, and three point percentage that those were marks he planned on taking aim at over the course of his career. I think Connor is going to make a run at some of those records for one simple reason, he’s a gym rat and he’s going to put in the time. We are excited to have Connor in the fold at SAU!”
Dodge Brown – Guard, 6′ Hometown / Previous School: Commerce, TX / Commerce High School Notable Stats: 22 ppg / 6 apg during the 2018-2019 season
Accomplishments: – Texas 3A State Player of the Year – Back to Back All State Selection – Back to Back District MVP – Selected to TABC All Star Game – Tallied 2,349 career points while sinking 364 career three pointers
Coach Sharpe on Brown: “Dodge the epitome of what we are looking for in a recruit. His high school accolades speak for themselves … he was the Texas 3A State Player of the Year, scored over 2,000 career points, and the list goes on and on, but it’s the other stuff that really drew me to Dodge. He is a gym rat … played for his dad, Roger Brown at Commerce, he graduated with a 3.97 GPA, was the student body president at Commerce High, and is going to start day one here at SAU with a ton of college credit already under his belt. Dodge is self-made and a high achiever and we are excited he is a Mulerider!”
Dru Smith – Guard, 6’3 Hometown / Previous School: Kansas City, MO / State Fair Community College Notable Stats: 11.5 ppg / 2.8 apg / 3.5 rpg during the 2018-2019 season
Accomplishments: – Career 10.1 ppg scorer at State Fair Community College – Broke the 20 point plateau three times over the course of the 2018-2019 season – Scored a season high 21 points against nationally ranked Northwest FL on 8-14 shooting – State Fair Community College 3rd leading scorer – State Fair Community College team leader in three point makes and percentage
Coach Sharpe on Smith: “Dru is our only transfer. We felt like we have a great core of guys returning to the program that have played big roles over the past couple years and some guys coming up that red-shirted last year that will also be pushing for meaningful roles and while we do plan on sustaining our success, the next couple years are big for our program. We feel like Dru gives us another older guy that can play multiple positions, has the ability to shoot the three and plays extremely hard. He played for a very well-respected program at State Fair and we feel Dru will fit in well with our culture and how we expect to do things. I’m excited to throw Dru in mix and create even more competition than we currently have … it should make for some intense workouts and practices.”
Jessie Davis, Jr. – Forward, 6’7 Hometown / Previous School: Shreveport, LA / Red River High School Notable Stats: 18ppg / 11 rpg / 5 bpg during the 2018-2019 season
Accomplishments: – Three time First Team All-District Selection – 2nd Team All Area and Honorable Mention All-State as a JR – 2nd Team All Area and 2nd Team All-State Selection as a SR – Louisiana High School Athletic Association All Star Selection – Slam Dunk Champion
Coach Sharpe on Davis: “Jessie is a guy we targeted early last summer and have built a fantastic relationship with over the past year. Jessie is a rugged post player and is physically ready to play and we are expecting him to step in and contribute immediately. As strong as Jessie is, he is also that athletic and has the ability to be an immediate impact guy defensively with his ability to block and alter shots.
Deven Melancon – Guard, 6’4 Hometown / Previous School: Shreveport, LA / Loyola Prep Notable Stats: 20 ppg / 5 rpg during the 2018-2019 season
Accomplishments: – 1st Team All-District – 1st Team All-City – Honorable Mention All-State – Selected to the I-20 Classic All Star Game
Coach Sharpe on Deven: “One of the areas we really wanted to focus in on with this class is targeting guys with high skill levels, particularly shooting the ball. We got a taste of how hard it is to score when you are limited in your team’s ability to shoot the three many times last year. If you look back to our hot start last year, we were really shooting the three ball well and at a 40% clip as a team. We were really difficult to guard when we spread the floor out and could keep teams honest. Deven gives us another guy that can really shoot it. I told him on his visit that I can hear the sound his ball makes when it goes through the net and it is an unmistakable sound of a dead three shooter as we call them. Deven is one of those guys when he lets it go, you think it’s going in no matter where he shoots it from. Deven will also really benefit from structured strength program and we are excited to watch him continue to get better and better!”
