GOLF
ATU heads to match play
The Arkansas Tech University men's golf team advanced to medal match play in the NCAA Division II men's golf national championship Wednesday in Dearborn, Mich.
Arkansas Tech qualified for match play for the fifth consecutive season after shooting a final-round 305 to finish at 896 in stroke play, tying with Georgia Southwestern.
Holden Hamilton was tied for fifth in individual play at 218 after posting a 76 in the final round.
Henry Frizzell led the Wonder Boys on Wednesday with a 75 and finished in a tie for 29th place.
Also for Arkansas Tech, Francois Jacobs (76) tied for 19th place, Hayes Hamilton (79) came in a tie for 46th place and Santiago De La Fuente (78) was tied for 94th place.
The Wonder Boys will be the No. 8 seed in match play and will take on top seed Central Missouri in a quarterfinal match at 7:20 a.m. Central today.
-- Democrat-Gazette Press Services
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
Arkadelphia hires Garner
Garrett Garner has spent the last seven years as an assistant coach at Arkadelphia, but now he's stepping into the top spot at the Clark County school.
The 32-year-old was recently tabbed to take over for the recently retired Donald Williams, whose coaching career spanned more than 40 years.
Garner, who's an Arkadelphia alumnus, served for two years as the boys' junior high coach and was an assistant for the varsity girls' team for two years before beginning his stint alongside Williams in 2019.
-- Erick Taylor
Long-time Dermott coach dies
Willie Parker, who coached for more than 40 years at Dermott, recently died at the age of 85.
Parker, who was inducted in the Arkansas High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2015, won four state championships (1986, 1989, 1991, 1994) during his tenure with the Rams.
His 1986 group finished 34-1, including wins in their final 27 games, and captured the state's Overall title by beating Hope 68-55 at the Farris Center in Conway.
-- Erick Taylor
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
Outlaw hired by Texarkana
The Texarkana School District announced Wednesday the hiring of William "Trey" Outlaw as its new head football coach and athletic director.
Outlaw succeeds Barry Norton, who resigned earlier this month.
Outlaw spent the previous three seasons as El Dorado's assistant head coach/defensive coordinator, helping the Wildcats to the Class 6A state championship in 2021.
Prior to El Dorado, Outlaw was the athletic director/head coach at Bearden and the defensive coordinator at Wynne and Gosnell.
Texarkana is coming off a 2-6 season in 2021.
TRACK AND FIELD
Sun Belt Conference awards handed out
University of Arkansas-Little Rock sophomore Cameron Jackson was recognized as the Sun Belt Conference's most outstanding track performer this season, becoming only the second Trojan male athlete to receive the honor.
Jackson ran a personal-best 10.10 seconds in the 100 meters earlier this season in Little Rock and won the same competition at last week's Sun Belt championships with a wind-aided time of 10.12 seconds. He also won the 200 meters in 20.54 seconds and was a part of UALR's first-place 400-meter relay team.
Those results earned Jackson 22.5 points, making him the meet's top individual scorer -- just the third Trojan to accomplish that feat.
Arkansas State University Director of Track and Field Jim Patchell earned his 14th Coach of the Year award after leading the Red Wolves' women to a Sun Belt title with 157 points. ASU won the 5,000 meters, pole vault and javelin but was a steady podium presence last week in Lafayette, La.
UALR had six All-Sun Belt honors with Johnathan Jones, Cogan Derousselle, Taveion Neal and Troy McKnight joining Jackson on the men's first team as well as Teresa Thomas on the women's third team.
The Red Wolves placed 18 athletes on the All-Sun Belt team, highlighted by eight first-teamers in Seth Waters, Bennett Pascoe, Carter Shell, Aimar Palma Simo, Lauren Beauchamp, Camryn Newton-Smith and Leathers.
-- Democrat-Gazette Press Services