STATE SPORTS BRIEFS: UA signee earns national award | UCA signs two more | UALR series opener pushed back

CROSS COUNTRY

UA signee earns national award

FAYETTEVILLE --A signee with the University of Arkansas women's cross country and track and field program is a Gatorade national award-winning high school distance runner for the second consecutive year.

Sydney Thorvaldson who is from Rawlins, Wyo., and signed with Arkansas last fall, was announced this week as Gatorade's 2020-21 national girls cross country runner of the year.

Last year, Taylor Ewert, a freshman runner for the Razorbacks from Beaverton, Ohio, was the Gatorade national girls track and field athlete. Ewert helped Arkansas win the SEC cross country title last fall.

"I'm pretty close with Taylor," Thorvaldson said. "She helped me navigate through the whole recruiting process. When I took my unofficial visit to Arkansas, she showed me around.

"To see that she got [the Gatorade national] award, and now me, I think it just goes to show that Arkansas really is going to be a great program. It already is. Hopefully I can help make it better."

Thorvaldson chose Arkansas over Oregon, Stanford and Northern Arizona.

"She was on everybody's recruiting list, because she's been at the forefront her entire career," Harter said of Thorvaldson winning or finishing in the top three at several national high school races. "She made a mark very early in her career, and she's just continued to develop.

"She's one of those that likes to take the lead, and if you're going to run with her, you're going to pay the price. And she has a way to finish strong as well.

"I think she's going to be a great asset for us in the years to come. She's a phenomenal talent."

Thorvaldson is among four cross country signees for Arkansas along Allie Janke of Spokane, Wash.; Heidi Nielson of Katy, Texas; and Carmie Prinsloo of Pretoria, South Africa.

"We have a phenomenal freshman class that's coming in next year," Harter said. "Sydney's an intergral part of it."

Thorvaldson said she first was contacted by Arkansas as a high school junior and after learning more about the program had it among her top choices.

"I really just felt like it was the perfect fit for me after visiting," Thorvaldson said. "The community really supports the athletes, and then the facilities, coaching and team are all phenomenal.

"And I felt like they wanted me as more than just an athlete, but also as a person, a student. Everything just kind of matched up with what I saw as the perfect college."

-- Bob Holt

MEN'S BASKETBALL

UCA signs two more

The University of Central Arkansas added two more signees to its Class of 2021 on Thursday in Alabama guard Vincent Reeves Jr. and Swedish forward Ibbe Klintman.

Reeves averaged 25 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists per game at Shades Valley High School. The 6-5, 200-pound guard from Irondale, Ala., was also named to Alabama's 6A All-State team.

"Vincent is an energetic player with a natural talent for scoring baskets in many ways,' UCA Coach Anthony Boone said in a release. "He will be very exciting to watch here at UCA."

Klintman, 6-8, joins the Bears from Scotland Campus, a prep school in Chambersburg, Pa. He is originally from Malmo, Sweden.

I'm very excited for Ibbe to join us," Boone said. "He has great perimeter skills, and at his size, he will be an extremely tough matchup."

--Eli Lederman

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

UCA signs forward from Georgia

The University of Central Arkansas announced Leah Perry as the first signee to its Class of 2021 on Thursday.

The 6-2 forward from Cairo, Ga., averaged 10.8 points and 9.8 rebounds in her senior season. She helped lead her team a state runner-up finish and earned All-Region first-team honors.

--Eli Lederman

BASEBALL

UALR series opener pushed back

Forecasted storms in Monroe, La. have pushed the opening game of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock's baseball series at Louisiana-Monroe from Friday to Saturday, the program announced Thursday.

The three-game conference set will now begin at 2 p.m. Saturday, followed by a 1 p.m. start Sunday before Monday's series finale, also scheduled for 1 p.m. UALR's 6:30 p.m. Tuesday visit to No. 6 Ole Miss is unchanged.

The Trojans (15-14, 6-3 Sun Belt) travel to Monroe this weekend following a midweek loss to the University of Central Arkansas and sit in second place in the Sun Belt West Division.

--Eli Lederman

FOOTBALL

Two ex-ASU players picked in CFL Draft

Former Arkansas State University punter Cody Grace and linebacker Aaron Donkor were selected by the Calgary Stampeders in Thursday's Canadian Football League Global Draft.

Grace -- the native of Perth, Austrailia -- was selected with the No. 7 overall pick. He punted 178 times across three seasons with the Red Wolves from 2017-19. Grace was twice named a semifinalist for the Ray Guy award -- given annually to the nation's top punter -- and earned first-team All-Sun Belt honors in his final season with the Red Wolves.

The Stampeders secured another Red Wolf in the third round, selecting Donkor with the No. 21 overall pick. The linebacker from Aachen, Germany, spent one season in Jonesboro in 2019, when he recorded 25 tackles. Donkor later participated in the NFL International Player Pathway Program.

--Eli Lederman

WOMEN'S TENNIS

ASU falls to Troy at SBC Tournament

Arkansas State University lost 4-0 to Troy in the opening round of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament on Thursday at the Peachtree City Tennis Center in Peachtree, Ga.

The Trojans took the early advantage with doubles victories to grab a 1-0 lead.

Troy won three singles matches to advance to the quarterfinal round, where it will play No. 1 seed South Alabama today.

The Red Wolves ended their season at 4-9.

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