HSU’s Matthews set to retire
Henderson State swimming and diving head coach Coak Matthews recently announced that he will be retiring after 39 years at the head of the programs, but will remain part time Director of Aquatics and Operations.
Matthews was named conference coach of the year 15 times and led HSU to 24 AIC and NSISC conference championships.
“Who could have imagined in 1982 when I was put in contact with Mickey O’Quinn, the athletic director at Henderson State — a school I had never heard of — that almost 39 remarkable years later I would now be looking back with fond memories as I retire,” said Matthews in a news release. “It has been a wild and glorious ride. During my tenure, I’ve been blessed to work with so many wonderful people; from coaches, to seven different presidents and athletic directors, to our marvelous student-athletes. I’m very appreciative of (athletic director) Shawn Jones for his incredible leadership and support over the last seven years. I would also like to thank Shawn, along with Dr. Jim Borsig and Rita Fleming, for providing me the opportunity to continue serving in a part-time capacity as the Director of Aquatics and Operations.”
During his time as a coach, Matthews trained over 200 All-Americans, four individuals who have won national championships and led the men’s and women’s teams at HSU to several Top 10 finishes in the NAIA and NCAA II. After earning the titles of CSCAA National Diving Coach of the Year and the NAIA National Men’s Swimming and Diving Coach of the Year, Matthews was inducted into the Arkansas Swimming Hall of Fame in 1995 and the Henderson State Athletic Hall of Honor in 2003.
Matthews will be recognized at Henderson State’s alumni weekend Oct. 22-23 in the Garrison Center grand ballroom. If interested in making a donation to the programs in Matthew’s honor, go to hsusports.com/donate and select “Coak Matthews Swim Scoreboard Fund.” The proceeds from the fund will go towards a new scoreboard in the Wells Natatorium which will be named in his honor.
BRACKET FINALIZED FOR MEN’S SPRING SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP
The Great American Conference/ Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Assocation announced that the league’s men’s soccer championships will begin Friday and Saturday. There will be two semifinal matches.
No. 1 Rogers State will host No. 4 Southern Nazarene at 7 p.m. Friday while No. 2 Fort Hays State faces No. 3 Northeastern State 1 p.m. Saturday. The championship game will be played April 17. The schools hosting each game will provide streaming coverage and the GAC Sports Network will broadcast the final.
GAC WEEKLY SOFTBALL AWARDS
The GAC named Southern Nazarene’s Mahina Sauer as Player of the Week while Arkansas Tech’s Shannon Lasey and Harding’s Lily Tanski shared the pitcher’s honor.
Sauer was key in the Crimson Storm’s offense in their 3-0 win over Northwestern Oklahoma where she went 7 for 11 with four home runs, and an RBI double in the opener.
Lasey picked up two wins in a series sweep of Ouachita Baptist, limiting OBU to two hits in their April 1 5-1 win, striking out a career-high 10 batters. Tanski’s record improved to 13-3 after producing a 2-0 shutout over Arkansas-Monticello, striking out five on Friday and allowing just one run in 6 innings in a run-rule victory.
Southern Arkansas’ Christina Hill, Harding’s Nicole Shano, Arkansas Tech’s Caitlyn Wells, Southwestern Oklahoma State’s Hannah Franklin, East Central’s Megan Lesko and Southeastern Oklahoma State’s Kyia Monahwee were nominated for player of the week while SAU’s Victoria Taylor and SEOSU’s Amberlyn Walsworth were also considered
for the pitcher’s award.
GAC WEEKLY BASEBALL AWARDS
The GAC named NWOSU’s Jake White as Player of the Week while HSU’s Spencer Taack earned the pitcher accolade.
Collecting eight hits in a sweep of Southern Nazarene, half of White’s hits went for extra bases, including three home runs, and he drove in 13 while scoring seven runs. In HSU’s 3-2 win over SAU, Taack limited the Muleriders to two runs and three hits during 6 2/3 innings while striking out a career-high nine batters and holding SAU to a .136 average.
Also nominated for player of the week were Arkansas Tech’s Kandon Bennett, SAU’s Mason Peterson, Harding’s Cody Smith, HSU’s Greyson Stevens, East Central outfielder Dillon Mansell, Oklahoma Baptist second baseman Hector Ruvalcaba and SWOSU infielder Drew White. Harding’s Andrew Bradshaw, Arkansas Tech’s Nick Kovar, SAU’s Santos Sosa, Oklahoma Baptist’s Brett Biggs and SWOSU’s Haden Branch were considered for pitcher.
GAC TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
NWOSU’s Emily Smith and Harding’s Cara Mason garnered the women’s GAC’s track and field honors while Oklahoma Baptist’s Tarees Rhoden and Harding’s Alex Hindman garnered the men’s accolades.
At the West Texas A&M Joe Meaker Classic, Smith turned in her personal best in the 100-meter hurdles of 15:56 seconds, the eighth fastest in the league. Mason’s shot put of 14.44 meters broke Harding’s record, acheiving an NCAA provisional mark. It is the best throw in the GAC, the fifth-longest shot put in the Central Region and the ninth-best effort in Division II.
Rhoden won the 400-meter dash (47.99 seconds) while placing third in the 400-meter hurdles at the UTA Invitational. Hindman cleared 4.82 meters in pole vault to become the fourth individual at Harding to reach an NCAA Division II provisional height.
Others nominated were SAU’s Michelle Donohue, Shardanay LaMark, Sal Guli and Rob Kraus, Oklahoma Baptist’s Emily Julian and NWOSU’s Alexa Leyva were also nominated for the accolades.