LITTLE ROCK — UCA women release schedule
The Central Arkansas women’s basketball team released its 2010-2011 schedule Thursday, featuring dates with SEC member Alabama, Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Hendrix.
The game with Alabama is the first in a home-and-home series that will bring the Crimson Tide to Conway in the 2011-2012 season, marking the first time the Sugar Bears will have hosted a major Division I school.
“For us to get a home-and-home with an institution with the history of Alabama - which comes from a major power conference and is a school coming off a national championship in football - shows it’s an exciting time for the University of Central Arkansas and our basketball program,” UCA Coach Matt Daniel said.
UCA finished 21-8 last season and had the biggest single-season improvement in Southland Conference history. The Sugar Bears are led by Southland Conference Freshman of the Year and first-team all-conference selection Megan Herbert, who averaged a conference-high 21.8 points and 13.8 rebounds per game.
The Sugar Bears open the season against Hendrix at the Farris Center in Conway on Nov. 12 before traveling to Alabama on Nov. 14. They will play in the Morehead State Classic on Nov. 19-21 with games against Morehead State, Norfolk State and Houston Baptist before returning home to face Atlantic Sun members Belmont and Lipscomb on Nov. 27 and Nov. 29. UCA also hosts Central Baptist College on Dec. 6 and Eastern Kentucky of the Ohio Valley Conference on Dec. 11.
UCA will be at UAPB on Dec. 18 and hosts Chicago State (Dec. 28), Oklahoma Wesleyan (Jan. 1) and Ecclesia (Jan. 4) to wrap up the nonconference schedule.
The Sugar Bears begin Southland Conference play Jan. 8 at defending league champion Lamar and will face East Division champion Stephen F. Austin in their conference home opener Jan. 12. They will also join the UCA men’s basketball team in doubleheaders against McNeese State on Jan. 29 in Conway and Feb. 12 in Lake Charles, La. The Southland Conference tournament is March 8-12 in Katy, Texas.
Arkansas-Fort Smith assistant hired by Mercer
Arkansas-Fort Smith assistant women’s coach Tiffany Swoffard was recently hired by Mercer University to serve on former Arkansas Coach Susie Gardner’s staff.
Swoffard was an assistant under Coach Louis Whorton for three seasons at Arkansas-Fort Smith. She will be the top assistant on Gardner’s staff. Gardner, who coached at Arkansas in 2003-2007, was hired last month at Mercer after serving as an assistant at Florida the past three seasons.
Swoffard played for Gardner for four seasons at Austin Peay, leading the Lady Governors to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.
MOTOR SPORTS
Specials slated for Beebe, Batesville, I-30
It will be a busy weekend on the state’s dirt tracks as three tracks will hold special events.
Little Rock’s I-30 Speedway will host the O’Reilly Southern United Professional Racing late models tonight and Saturday night, with each night’s feature paying $2,500 to win. The super stock, mini-sprint and mod-lite classes will also compete tonight. Tonight’s grandstand admission is $5 for adults, $1 for children aged 6-12 and pit passes are $25. The IMCA modified division will be added for Saturday’s card, and adult grandstand admission is $15, $2 for children aged 6-12 and pit passes are $30.
Batesville Motor Speedway in Locust Grove will host Round 4 of the Isle of Capri Late Model Series tonight and Saturday. Tonight’s winner will collect $1,500 while Saturday’s feature winner will earn $2,000. Greenbrier’s Bill Frye enters the event as the series leader. Adult grandstand admission is $12 and children 11 and under get in free both nights. Pit passes are $30.
Tonight, Beebe Speedway will hold the eighth annual Scrapp Fox Memorial for modifieds, paying $2,000 to the winner. Vilonia’s Curtis Cook is the defending champion. Gates open at 5 p.m. and racing starts at 8 p.m. for all of the track’s classes. Adult grandstand admission is $10. Children aged 10 and under get in free.
BASEBALL
UAM adds 11 transfers
Arkansas-Monticello Coach Carlos James announced the signing of 11 transfers to join the Boll Weevils for the 2011 season.
The players are pitchers Reece Cross of Pine Bluff (Central Arkansas), Nick Greene of Pomona, Calif. (Rio Hondo College) and Cory Thomas of Covington, La. (Holmes Community College); catchers Paul Parsels of Memphis (North Arkansas Community College) and Chase Stokes of Mesquite, Texas (Eastfield College); infielders TJ Cox of Memphis (Lambuth), Fernando Garcia of Fresno, Calif. (Fresno City Community College), Tino Trujilo of Lake Havasu City, Ariz. (Northeast Texas Community College) and Sam Wilkins of Half Moon Bay, Calif. (Canada College); and outfielders Tanner Laran of Livermore, Calif. (Ohlone College) and Mike Vinnitsky of Diamond Bar, Calif. (Rio Hondo College).
ATHLETICS
Arkansas Tech promotes Bayer to assistant AD
Arkansas Tech has promoted head volleyball coach and senior women’s administrator Kristy Bayer to assistant athletic director.
Bayer, who will enter her seventh season as Tech’s volleyball coach, assumed her new title earlier this month. She is 135-76 in six seasons at Tech and returns all six starters from last year’s 24-13 squad that advanced to the Gulf South Conference tournament for the third consecutive season and fifth time in her tenure. Bayer is three victories shy of becoming the school’s all-time winningest coach. Tracy McWilliams won 137 matches with the Golden Suns in 1996-2000.
Sports, Pages 21 on 07/23/2010