Henderson’s Blount claims golfer of the week award
RUSSELLVILLE — For the fifth time this season, Hot Springs native and Henderson State golfer Gracen Blount claimed the Great American Conference’s women’s golfer of the week award.
Blount finished second at the Newman Invitational, opening with a school record 6-under-par 66 and following with a 4-under 68 to finish at 10-under 134. The 10-under 134 marked the best 36-hole total in program history.
Blount led the No. 4 Reddies to their third-straight tournament victory with a team score of 26-under 550. HSU won the event by 31 strokes.
Blount has notched three-straight top-two finishes and has shot at or below par in six of her last seven rounds. Through that stretch, she tallied four rounds of at least 3-under or better.
Southern Arkansas’ Logan McDonald won the men’s golfer of the week award after a fourth-place finish at the Dallas Baptist Classic. McDonald ended the first round with a 7-under 65, becoming just the third SAU golfer since 1993 to shoot a 65 or better.
SCHMITT, CROWE COMPETE AT SPEEDO SPRING SECTIONALS
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Lake Hamilton’s Aubrey Schmitt and Lakeside’s Emma Crowe competed in the USA2023 Speedo Spring Sectionals at the University of Missouri.
Schmitt competed in the 1,650-, 1,000-, 500-, and 200-yard freestyle. She also swam in the 400 individual medley and 200 butterfly.
Crowe swam in the 50, 100 and 200 backstroke. She also competed in the 50 and 100 breaststroke and 100 individual medley. Crowe is a junior at Lakeside and earned All-State honors her freshman, sophomore and junior years for the Rams.
Schmitt was among the youngest qualifiers for the Speedo Sectionals in the USA-Swimming Central Zone.
ROMERO WINS TENNIS AWARD
RUSSELLVILLE — Harding’s Lina Romero won the GAC’s women’s tennis player of the week award.
Romero won the clinching singles matches against Ouachita Baptist and HSU as Harding started league play 2-0. She took down OBU’s Ali May in straight sets and rallied after dropping the opening set to defeat HSU’s Marianna Murcia. Romero also won a doubles match with Karli Roux against OBU.
GAC LISTS WEEKLY TRACK & FIELD AWARDS
RUSSELLVILLE — Harding’s Kelmen De Carvalho and Lisa Retailleau won the men’s field athlete of the week award and women’s co-track athlete of the week award respectively.
De Carvalho tallied an NCAA provisional qualifying tally of 6,866 points in the decathlon. He broke the school record of 6,561 points, and his tally ranks as the best in Division II this season. His score is the third-best score in GAC history.
Retailleau notched a provisional time in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:02.92. She finished second among non-Division I opponents. Her time is the second-fastest in school history and leads the GAC.
East Central’s Aspel Kiprob won the men’s track athlete of the week award after winning the 5,000-meter run at the Friends University Invitational.
Oklahoma Baptist’s Olivia Tate won the women’s co-track athlete of the week award after registering a career-best in the 200-meter dash at the Bobcat Invitational with a time of 23.97 seconds.
Oklahoma Baptist’s Anisha Henderson cleared six meters for the first time in her career with a jump of 6.02 meters at the Bobcat Invitational to win the women’s field athlete of the week award.
GAC AWARDS BASEBALL HONORS
RUSSELLVILLE — Arkansas Tech’s Emiliano Mata won the GAC’s pitcher of the week award.
He started game two of Arkansas Tech’s series against Arkansas-Monticello and threw six innings, allowing just one run and two hits. He struck out 11 en route to his fourth win of the season.
Oklahoma Baptist’s Troy Shields shared co-player of the week honors with Southwestern Oklahoma State’s Emilio Trevino. Trevino hit home runs in four of his team’s five games across a 4-1 stretch. Shields reached base 11 times in 16 plate appearances across three wins.
GAC ANNOUNCES SOFTBALL AWARDS
RUSSELLVILLE — SAU’S Jaxynn Dyson won the player of the week award, and Harding’s Riley Price won the pitcher of the week award.
Dyson reached base seven times in a sweep of OBU, hitting two home runs in the series.
Price picked up two wins against HSU, striking out seven batters in a 6-0 win.