GAC lands two on NCAA DII committees
RUSSELLVILLE — Great American Conference commissioner Will Prewitt and Southern Arkansas University softball coach Jason Anderson were both named to NCAA Division II committees, it was announced this week.
Prewitt, who has served as a member of the Division II Management Council, Championship Committee and Football Rules Committee, was tapped to join the division’s Membership Committee.
The 11-person committee reviews issues pertaining to membership requirement and compliance issues in Division II, and it also establishes policies and procedures for prospective member institutions and conferences. It also has the authority to approve or deny requests for membership, among other duties.
“I am excited about this opportunity to serve Division II,” said Prewitt. “My experience in various roles across the division will be beneficial, especially in this challenging, unprecedented time.”
Anderson was named to the division’s Softball National Committee, having served Regional Advisory Committee. He takes over Emporia State deputy athletic director Kristy Bayer as the Central Region’s representative on the committee.
The eight-member committee oversees team selection for the regional tournaments.
In his six seasons in Magnolia, Anderson has led the Muleriders to four NCAA Regionals appearances, two NCAA Super Regional berths and two trips to the NCAA National Championships. In the abbreviated 2020 season, the Muleriders finished ranked No. 1 in the final NFCA poll. He has amassed a 253-79 record with SAU and a 334-114 overall record at the Division II level.
Prewitt and Anderson’s four-year term begins in August.
Reddies shatter GPA records
ARKADELPHIA — Despite the issues that plagued students in the spring semester, Henderson State University’s student athletes recorded an astounding 3.33 cumulative GPA for the school’s 14 athletic teams, far surpassing the record 3.07 GPA that was set last spring.
The mark gives HSU’s athletic department seven straight semesters with a GPA at 3.0 or higher. In addition, this is the first time in school history that all 14 programs finished with team GPAs of 3.0 or better.
“I often find myself talking about how proud I am of our student-athletes at Henderson, but to simply say I’m proud would not do justice to what our student-athletes have accomplished this spring,” athletic director Shawn Jones said. “For a department of 14 teams to all finish with GPAs of 3.0 or above in a semester, especially when considering the difficult circumstances all of our students, faculty and staff were faced with this year, is nothing short of remarkable.”
The highest team GPA overall was volleyball with a 3.73 while baseball led men’s sports with
3.3. There were 62 student athletes with a perfect
4.0 while 92 others had marks of 3.5 or better. “I want to thank all of our coaches for their diligence and support of our student-athletes, as well as our faculty who exhausted so much time and effort into working with all of our students at Henderson this semester in challenging circumstances,” Jones said. “I would also like to say a special thank you to Chanda Hooten, who oversees our academic advising for student-athletes and has been instrumental to our department’s academic successes. This is truly a special achievement that should make Reddies everywhere proud.”
OBU, HSU, Harding earn sportsmanship awards
RUSSELLVILLE — Ouachita Baptist University, Henderson State University and Harding University were among the six institutions whose teams earned the GAC’s Sportsmanship Awards, which the league released this week.
Harding, which holds the GAC record for sportsmanship awards in a single sport, saw the Lady Bisons soccer team pick up its seventh honor.
OBU earned its third sportsmanship award in volleyball, having earned the distinction in 2012 and 2017. HSU’s women’s basketball team earned its first sportsmanship awards this season.
Three Oklahoma schools earned the league’s sportsmanships awards in football, men’s soccer and men’s basketball. East Central earned its first sportsmanship award in football, becoming the fifth different GAC team to earn the award in the eight-year history of the program.
Southern Nazarene earned its third men’s soccer award in five years, having collected it in both 2015 and 2016. Southeastern Oklahoma State earned the men’s basketball award, its third honor in the past five years and second straight.
“These awards tie into the NCAA Division II emphasis on sportsmanship and game environment,” Prewitt said. “We are proud of these institutions that have displayed success in ways that aren’t necessarily reflected in wins and losses.”
The GAC’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee initiated the sportsmanship awards for all team sports in 2012. The winning institution will receive a banner similar to the one awarded to GAC tournament championship winners. The goal of the program is to promote good sportsmanship among teams, fans and all involved in the events.
The awards were chosen by league officials and coaches based on a points system.