State sports briefs

— UA women picked 8th in SEC preseason poll

Arkansas’ women’s basketball team was picked to finish eighth in the SEC in a preseason media poll released Tuesday.

Arkansas senior forward Sarah Watkins also was voted onto the All-SEC second team after averaging 10 points per game last season and blocking 63 shots.

The Razorbacks finished fourth in the SEC last season, when they were 24-9, 10-6 in SEC play, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time under Coach Tom Collen.

Kentucky was picked to win the SEC team title and has the league’s Player of the Year in A’dia Mathies.

Georgia was picked second, followed by Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Texas A&M, which is coached by former Arkansas coach Gary Blair and is in its first season as a member of the SEC.

John Brown men tabbed third

John Brown University’s men’s basketball team was picked to finish third in the preseason Sooner Athletic Conference coaches poll behind Oklahoma Baptist and Rogers (Okla.) State.

Oklahoma Baptist received 7 of 9 first-place votes and finished with 63 points in the poll. Rogers State received the other two first-place votes and had 56 points, while John Brown had 50 points.

GOLF UALR women finish third

UALR’s women finished third Tuesday at the Blue Raider Invitational in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

The Trojans shot a final-round 302 to finish with a 906, 17 strokes behind winner Middle Tennessee. Morehead State finished second with a 905.

UALR’s Malin Lunderberg finished tied for sixth with a 7-over-par 223 after shooting a 77 in the final round. Brynn Donovan finished tied for 23rd with a 228 after shooting a 78 in the final round.

Southern Illinois’ Cassie Rushing earned medalist honors by shooting 73 in the final round for a final 217, to finish four strokes ahead of Lamar’s Julie Allen.

UA men seventh in Florida

Austin Cook had made birdies and shot 2-under-par 70 on Tuesday at Isleworth Country Club to lead the Arkansas men’s team to a seventh-place finish in Windermere, Fla.

Cook finished at 219 and tied for ninth, his best finish of the fall season.

Arkansas shot 12-over Tuesday to finish at 28-over 892 for the tournament. California won with a three-day score of 4-over 868. New Mexico was two shots back at 870, followed by Alabama (873), Texas (879), Illinois (882) and Florida (886).

Arkansas junior William Meason fired a 2-over 74 Tuesday and finished tied for 40th at 11-over 227. Nicolas Echavarria shot 4-over 76 and matched Meason at 227. Junior Joe Doramus shot 8 over and tied for 52nd at 230, while freshman Taylor Moore shot 12 over and finished tied for 58th at 232.

UCA women fifth

Julia Roth tied for second individually and the Central Arkansas women finished fifth at the FedEx Memphis Women’s Intercollegiate on Tuesday in Germantown, Tenn.

Roth shot rounds of 75-72-75 for a 222 at Ridgeway Country Club for the Sugar Bears, who finished with a 938, 25 strokes behind winner Samford.

UCA’s Malin Senneryd finished tied for 13th with a 232.

Harding places seventh

Harding’s men’s golf team shot a 309 in the second round to place seventh at the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional on Tuesday at Fox Run Golf Course in Eureka, Mo.

Harding was in ninth place of 19 teams after shooting a 311 in the first round. Freshman Alex Williamson finished with a 10-over 154 and tied for 25th, and junior Lucas Collins shot an 11-over 155 to tie for 31st.

VOLLEYBALL Harding tops Southern Arkansas

Mollie Arnold had 13 kills and Marindia Turner had 12 to help Harding sweep Southern Arkansas 25-18, 25-19, 25-23 on Tuesday in Searcy.

Liv Savage added nine kills and Amber Shinzing had 36 assists for Harding (21-6, 10-0 Great American Conference).

Denise DeVine had 15 kills and Courtney Smith had 10 for Southern Arkansas (17-8, 8-2).

UAPB beats Henderson State in four

Audrey Sherles had 14 kills and Alicia Campbell added 12 as Arkansas-Pine Bluff beat Henderson State 25-14, 22-25, 25-23, 25-19 on Tuesday in Pine Bluff.

Michelle Fiala had 11 kills and Jordan Foyer had 31 sets for UAPB (7-13). Ty Lindberg had 13 kills for Henderson State (5-20).

UAFS coach wins 500th

Arkansas-Fort Smith’s Jane Sargent won her 500th match as coach of the school with a 25-15, 25-19, 25-15 victory over Southeastern Oklahoma State on Tuesday in Durant, Okla.

Senior Heidi Luks had 13 kills and junior Jordan Pickett had 11 for the Lady Lions (20-2).

SOCCER UALR’s Galletti honored by Sun Belt

UALR sophomore Ariel Galletti was named the Sun Belt Conference offensive player of the week following her two-goal performance in the Trojans’ 3-1 victory over Florida Atlantic on Thursday.

Galletti scored her third and fourth goals of the season just six minutes apart to help the Trojans capture their first Sun Belt victory of the year against visiting Florida Atlantic.

Sports, Pages 25 on 10/24/2012

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