State sports briefs

GOLF

Roachell tops ASGA Match Play qualifying

Considering the way Summar Roachell performed in stroke play qualifying Tuesday, the rest of the field is probably glad the rest of this week's tournament is match play.

Roachell, the Conway native entering her junior season at Arkansas, easily claimed medalist honors at the Arkansas State Golf Association Women's Match Play with a 3-under 69 on Tuesday on the Park Course at Hot Springs Country Club.

Roachell grabbed the top seed by four shots and awaits to see who she will meet in today's opening round of match play competition.

Eighth-seeded Samantha Patrico of Arkansas Tech, the 2013 Hot Springs Lakeside graduate, and Bryant's Peyton Weaver, an incoming sophomore at UALR, will open match play at 8:20 a.m. with the winner advancing to face Roachell at 10:14 a.m.

Patrico shot an 84 in qualifying Tuesday while Weaver, the reigning ASGA Stroke Play champion and the AWGA Match Play runner-up last month, turned in the day's worst round at 85.

Kirsten Garner (76), the 2014 Hot Springs Lakeside graduate entering her sophomore year at Arkansas State, opens match play at 10:06 a.m. against Russellville's Julie Oxendine (74), one of the state's most prolific amateurs.

Defending champion Libby Croom of Russellville carded a 79 to earn the sixth seed and will face Nora Phillips (74) of Hot Springs at 9:50 a.m. The other championship flight opener pits Lake Village's Heather Wall (73), the golf coach at Arkansas-Monticello, against Fayetteville's Lulong Radler (80) at 9:58 a.m.

-- The Sentinel-Record

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Razorbacks' Ellis on Butkus list

Arkansas linebacker Brooks Ellis was one of 51 players, including 16 from the SEC, named Tuesday to the watch list for the Butkus Award.

Ellis, a 6-2, 242-pound Fayetteville native, ranked second at Arkansas with 72 tackles last season. He also had two interceptions and forced two fumbles.

The Butkus Award is named for former Chicago Bears great Dick Butkus and has been given to the top linebacker in the country the past 31 years.

ATHLETICS

ASU, UALR teams win GPA reports

Arkansas State's baseball and women's basketball teams and UALR's women's golf and women's soccer teams had the highest grade-point averages in their sports among Sun Belt Conference teams, the league announced Tuesday.

ASU's baseball team had a 3.20 GPA for the 2014-2015 academic year, while its women's basketball team posted a 3.17 GPA. UALR's women's golf team had a 3.53 GPA, and its women's soccer team posted a 3.44.

Louisiana-Lafayette won the award for football (2.81) and Troy won for men's basketball (2.84). South Alabama's women's cross country team had the highest overall GPA at 3.67.

Sports on 07/15/2015

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