State sports briefs

FOOTBALL

Kaufman commits to ASU

Bentonville linebacker Garrett Kaufman orally committed to Arkansas State on Thursday, Tigers Coach Barry Lunney said.

Kaufman, 6-2, 218 pounds, helped t he Tigers reach the Class 7A state championship game last fall with 61 tackles (7 for loss), 39 assists, 3 sacks, 2 recovered fumbles, 3 pass breakups and 1 interception.

“He visited a couple of times and loved them,” Lunney said.

Lunney said he expects Kaufman will play inside linebacker at ASU.

  • Robert YatesHORSE RACING

Caleb’s Posse, Mandurah retired

Caleb’s Posse, who won the $100,000 Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs in 2011, was retired Thursday and will begin a stallion career next year at Three Chimneys Farm near Midway, Ky.

Also retired Thursday was Mandurah, a three-time winner at the 2010 Oaklawn meeting before setting a world record for a mile in a grass race June 2010 at Monmouth Park in New Jersey.

Caleb’s Posse was retired after a bone chip was discovered in his left knee.

Owned by Everett Dobson and Don C. McNeill and trained by Donnie K. Von Hemel, Caleb’s Posse won 8 of 19 career starts and $1,423,379.

Caleb’s Posse, a 4-year-old son of Posse who wintered the past two years in Hot Springs, was narrowly beaten in three starts this year.

In his final career race, Caleb’s Posse was beaten a nose in the $750,000 Grade I Met Mile on May 28 at Belmont Park in New York.

Caleb’s Posse was runner-up for an Eclipse Award as the country’s champion 3-year-old male, a campaign highlighted by a dominating victory in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.

The colt’s stud fee will be announced this fall.

Mandurah, owned by Dermott native Kip Colvin, was retired after injuring a tendon in his right front leg during a routine gallop Tuesday morning in Kentucky, trainer Grant Forster said.

In his final career start, Mandurah won a June 17 allowance/optional claiming event at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.

After running a mile in a world-record 1:31.23, Mandurah didn’t race again until April 1 at Oaklawn because of physical problems.

Mandurah, an 8-year-old A.P. Indy gelding, will eventually reside on 8 1/2 acres Colvin is developing just east of Memphis.

Mandurah won 7 of 25 lifetime starts and earned $164,357.

  • Robert YatesBASKETBALL

UCA men release schedule

Central Arkansas released its 2012-2013 men’s schedule Thursday on its website.

The Bears will open the season Nov. 10 at Arizona State before hosting Hendrix on Nov. 13 at the Farris Center in Conway.

UCA hosts Arkansas State on Nov. 21 in the second game of a home-andhome series. ASU beat UCA 71-64 last season in Jonesboro.

UCA’s nonconference schedule also includes home games against Sacramento State (Nov. 24), Tennessee-Martin (Dec. 5) and Central Baptist (Dec. 31). The Bears will travel to Eastern Illinois (Nov. 28), Southeast Missouri (Dec. 8), Oklahoma State (Dec. 16) and Mississippi State (Dec. 22).

UCA opens its Southland Conference schedule on the road Jan. 3 at Nicholls State and Jan. 5 at Southeastern Louisiana before returning to Conway on Jan. 10 to face Stephen F. Austin and Northwestern (La.) State on Jan. 12.

The Bears travel to Sam Houston State on Jan. 17 and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Jan. 19. UCA is at home for four consecutive games against McNeese State (Jan. 24), Lamar (Jan. 26), Southeastern Louisiana (Jan. 31) and Nicholls State (Feb. 2). The Bears then head to Stephen F. Austin on Feb. 7 and Northwestern State on Feb. 9 before returning home Feb. 14 against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. After hosting Sam Houston State Feb. 16, the Bears travel to new Southland member Oral Roberts in Tulsa on Feb. 19.

For the second consecutive season, UCA will participate in the ESPN BracketBusters event and will host a opponent to be determined on Feb. 23. The Bears wrap up their regular-season schedule at Lamar (Feb. 28) and McNeese State (March 2), and against Oral Roberts (March 9) in Conway.

  • Jeremy Muck

Sports, Pages 17 on 07/13/2012

Upcoming Events