Two days after his official visit to Arkansas, highly recruited junior college guard Jaylen Barford orally committed to the Hogs on Tuesday night.
Barford, 6-3, 205 pounds, plays at Motlow Community College in McMinnville, Tenn., and had narrowed his list of more than 20 scholarship offers to Arkansas, Memphis, Missouri, Ole Miss, Xavier and was receiving interest from Louisville before choosing the Razorbacks.
He took official visits to Missouri and Arkansas and said the recruiting process had started to wear on him.
" I am ready to get it over with and just focus on the season and school," Barford said. "I won't have to worry about it no more."
Brad Winton of Juco Recruiting believes Barford is one of the top junior college players in the country and is in the mix to be the No. 1 player in the 2016 class when he releases the October rankings.
Arkansas' practice facility was one of several things that stood out to Barford during his visit.
"I actually love it," Barford said. "It looks real good to be three weeks old. I liked it. I shot around a little bit."
Arkansas assistant T.J. Cleveland recruited him while he was playing for Jackson South Side High School in Tennessee, and that helped the Hogs seal the deal.
"It really helps out a lot," Barford said.
Barford is Arkansas' second oral commitment for the 2016 class.
-- Richard Davenport
GOLF
ATU's Burke, HSU win titles
Arkansas Tech freshman Bryce Burke shot a final-round 68 on Tuesday to win medalist honors at the Northeastern State Classic in Bartlesville, Okla., boosting Arkansas Tech to a third-place finish as a team.
Burke finished with a 3-under 210, which was five shots better than Harding's Mason Banger, who shot a 2-over 73 to finish at 2-over 215. Arkansas Tech's Austin Smith shot a 1-over 72 to finish tied for fifth place with Henderson State's Price Murphree, who made four birdies in six holes Tuesday.
Arkansas Tech shot 19-over 881, finishing behind Henderson State (874) and Southwestern Oklahoma State (879). Harding (899) finished sixth and Arkansas-Fort Smith (919) finished 10th.
ASU second in Memphis
Oswin Schlenkrich shot a final-round 69 Tuesday to finish fourth individually and lead the Arkansas State men's team to a second-place finish at the Memphis Invitational.
The Red Wolves went into Tuesday with a one-stroke lead, but host Memphis (859) won the event by three strokes. Lipscomb (867) finished third, followed by North Texas (875), Middle Tennessee (876) and UALR (878). Central Arkansas (894) finished 11th, just ahead of Tennessee-Martin and Southern Miss.
UALR's Tyler Reynolds shot a 2-under 70, moving up eight spots to finish tied for fifth. ASU's Trent Jones shot a 73 to finish tied for seventh.
VOLLEYBALL
Arkansas Tech sweeps Harding
Hunter Eshnaur had 15 kills and 11 digs to lead Arkansas Tech to a 3-0 (25-23, 25-23, 25-22) victory over Harding on Tuesday at Tucker Coliseum in Russellville.
Madison Nagel had 18 digs and Kaci Jackson added 13 to lead the Arkansas Tech (8-5, 2-0 Great American Conference). Zoe Hardin led Harding (4-9, 1-1) with 11 kills and seven blocks. Molly Howard had nine kills and 11 digs, while Anna Leigh Cargile led the Bisons with 15 digs.
SOCCER
UALR's Small earns Sun Belt honor
UALR goalkeeper Sara Small was named the Sun Belt Conference defensive player of the week on Tuesday.
Small, who made eight saves in Sunday's 0-0 tie with Texas, also earned a victory Thursday at Mississippi Valley State. Sunday's shutout was Small's second of the season, with the other coming Sept. 6 against Ole Miss.
Harding players honored by GAC
Sophomore forward Morgan Springborn and senior goalkeeper Kaitlyn Miller of Harding were named the Great American Conference's offensive player and goalkeeper of the week on Tuesday.
Springborn paced the Bisons offense, scoring her first college goal against Hendrix and scoring two more goals against Union (Tenn.). Miller allowed one goal in 290 minutes as the Bisons extended their unbeaten streak to five matches.
Sports on 09/23/2015