WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Neighbors brings in Iowa aide Goldwire
New Arkansas Razorbacks women’s basketball coach Mike Neighbors has officially filled the first opening on his staff.
Iowa assistant Lacey Goldwire was announced as Neighbors’ first assistant coach Thursday. She spent the previous four seasons on the Hawkeyes bench, a run that included two trips to the NCAA Tournament. She worked with wing players in addition to being Iowa’s recruiting coordinator.
“This is the first win as a Razorback for us,” Neighbors said in a statement. “Lacey provides us with an immediate impact performer in the Southeastern Conference before we ever play a game. She has matured from player to young coach into a recognized elite coach in a very short time frame. Lacey has accomplished that through her ability to connect with people and to form trusting relationships with them.
“Lacey will give our current student-athletes someone who has lived in their world as a player. She will give them someone who can relate to the day-to-day challenges each of our players face in the classroom and on the court. Lacey becoming a Razorback was a very important foundation building block and I’m looking forward to getting started.”
Goldwire, originally from Oklahoma City, played at East Central College in Ada, Okla. She graduated from Oklahoma State, where she also began her coaching career, first as a student assistant and then as a graduate assistant. She also spent a year as an assistant at Morehead State in 2012-2013 before joining the Iowa staff.
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported earlier this week that Neighbors is expected to hire Todd Schaefer as an assistant coach, but that hire has yet to be officially announced. Schaefer is a former head coach at Arkansas Tech and was on Neighbors’ staff at Washington.
Tommy Deffebaugh and Chenel Harris, assistants under former coach Jimmy Dykes, are not expected to be retained.
TENNIS
ASU women lose in Sun Belt Tournament
The Arkansas State University women’s tennis team saw its season end Thursday with a 4-0 loss to No. 6 seed Texas-Arlington in the opening round of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament in New Orleans.
The Mavericks took the doubles point with two 6-0 victories in the No. 1 and No. 3 matches. In singles’ competition, Texas-Arlington won the third, fourth and fifth matches to clinch the match and advance to the quarterfinal round, where it will take on third-seeded Georgia State today. The first, second and sixth matches were not completed.
ASU, which was the No. 11 seed in the Sun Belt Tournament, finished the season with a 1-17 overall record.
GOLF
UCA women finish second
The University of Central Arkansas women’s golf team finished as runner-up at the Southland Conference Championship for the third consecutive season.
Houston Baptist topped UCA by a single stroke on Wednesday at Woodforest Golf Club in McKinney, Texas, shooting 881 to UCA’s 882. UCA placed three players in the top 10 overall. Sophomore Emma Svensson tied for fourth overall, shooting 73-73-73 for a 6-over 219. Junior Fernanda Lira tied for sixth at 76-73-71 (220), while senior Brenda Gonzalez shot 74-77-70
(221) and tied for eighth. That trio also finished in the top 10 last season as well.
Sophomore Cindy Oh shot 77-72-74 (222) and tied for 11th place, while senior Morgan Best shot 78-79-77 (234) and tied for 31st.
Houston Baptist and UCA were followed by Sam Houston State (885), Lamar (897), Stephen F. Austin (898), McNeese State (905), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (909) and Incarnate Word (943).
Medalist honors went to Houston Baptist’s Lexi Brooks with a 3-under 210.
TRACK AND FIELD
Harding’s Turley in third place
SEARCY — Harding University sophomore Kaylin Turley is in third place in the heptathlon after day one of the Great American Conference Track and Field Championships in Searcy.
Turley ran the 200 meters in a career-best 25.74 and earned 820 points in the event.
Turley has 2,408 points overall and trails only Lacey Herbert of Oklahoma Baptist (2,689) and Cheyenne Hornback of Southern Nazarene (2,550).
Events on the first day included the 100 meters, high jump, shot put and 200 meters.
Harding’s Emily Shell is fifth overall with 2,285 points. Harding freshman Savanna Russell is eighth with 2,164 points.
Competition concludes today with the long jump, javelin and 800 meters.
Today’s field events begin at 4 p.m. with the hammer and the triple jump. There will be two running events today beginning at 6:30 p.m. with the 3,000-meter steeplechase, followed by the 10,000 meters. The women will run first in both of those events, followed by the men’s race.