LITTLE ROCK – As the fall 2018 semester concludes for Little Rock Athletics, the Trojans are reflecting back on an impressive start to the 2018-19 academic year. Little Rock student-athletes once again showed their commitment to GRIT, both in competition and in the classroom, resulting in one of the best fall semesters in program history.
FROM VICE CHANCELLOR AND DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS CHASSE CONQUE
Across the board, this fall has been one of the most successful starts to the academic year that our department has experienced. We witnessed a program-first, and also watched other programs make postseason play and achieve rankings we have not reached in over a decade.
Our young people and coaches are committed to success on and off the fields of play, and that committment is evident. Our commitment to developing our young people academically, athletically and socially is unwavering. In addition to all the positives on the fields of play, our student-athletes have accumulated nearly 1,700 hours of community service since August - something we can all be proud of.
Our success is your success, and when the Trojans win, the city of Little Rock wins. We are grateful for the continued support and investment from our campus community and our city. While we are experiencing success in many of our programs, I am confident our best days are still ahead.
Thank you for your continued support of Little Rock's Team. Together, we will continue Graduating Champions.
Chasse Conque
Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics
Season Recap
Under first year head coach
Mark Foster, Little Rock's soccer program continued to establish itself as one of the top programs in the Sun Belt Conference. The Trojans finished with an overall record of 13-5-4, setting the program record for victories in a season as well as overall winning percentage (.682).
Little Rock had one of the most formidable programs in the Sun Belt Conference as defensively, the Trojans held 13 of their opponents scoreless. On the flip side, Little Rock was the most potent offensive team in the league, leading the Sun Belt in both points (109) and goals (40) while ranking second in assists (29).
The Trojans finished the regular season with a program-record 23 points in Sun Belt play, finishing second in the standings and earning the number two seed in the conference tournament. The highlight of the season came when Little Rock bested regular season champion Texas State in penalty kicks in the tournament finals, capturing its first-ever Sun Belt title and NCAA appearance, continuing to make history by facing Arkansas in the opening round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament.
Individual Honors
• Four Trojans were named first team All-Sun Belt Conference selections, the most-ever in program history.
Arola Aparicio Gili set her mark on the Trojan record books as the first-ever three-time first team All-Sun Belt player in program history as
Doro Greulich earned her second first-team honor and third overall.
Liesa Seifert repeated as a first team All-SBC selection with
Fanney Einarsdottir rounding out the first team selections and
Jaclyn Purvine being named a second team honoree.
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Jaclyn Purvine was named the Most Outstanding Performer at the 2018 Sun Belt Soccer Championship in leading the Trojans to their first conference title. She was joined on the All-Tournament team by
Sara Johannsdottir,
Morgan Smocovich,
Liesa Seifert and
Arola Aparicio Gili, marking the most Trojan All-Tournament team honors in program history.
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Arola Aparicio Gili and
Liesa Seifert were named to the 2018 NCAA Division I United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region team following the conclusion of the season. Aparicio Gili was tabbed a second team honoree with Seifert being named a third team selection.
• Three different Trojans picked up Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week honors during the 2018 season.
Arola Aparicio Gili was named the league's Offensive Player of the Week on two occasions (Aug. 21 and Oct. 23) with
Jaclyn Purvine picking up the offensive POW nod on Sept. 4.
Liesa Seifert was named the SBC's Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 11.
VOLLEYBALL
Season Recap
Led by head coach
Van Compton, the Sun Belt's all-time winningest coach, Little Rock saw a dramatic improvement in 2018, finishing 19-13 overall and more than doubling their win total from last season. The Trojans' 19 win was the most for the program since the 30-5 season in 2014 as Compton upped her all-time record to 527-403 (.567).
In Sun Belt Conference play, Little Rock went 10-6 overall, its most wins in conference play since 2014, and finished second in the West Division and fourth overall in the league standings. The Trojans ranked second in the league in hitting percentage (.241) and were the league's top blocking team, ranking 33rd nationally in blocks per set (2.58).
Earning the number four overall seed in the Sun Belt Conference tournament, Little Rock advanced to the semifinals where it fell to eventual champion Texas State in four sets. But the performance on the year earned the Trojans its first postseason trip since 2014 as Little Rock competed in the 2018 National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) in New Orleans, dropping a five-set heartbreaker in the opening round.
Individual Honors
• Little Rock's stark improvement was led by senior middle blocker
Veronica Marin, who was tabbed the Sun Belt Conference's Player of the Year, the first for the Trojans since Edina Begic in 2012. Marin was far and away the most dominant middle blocker in the conference, ranking fourth nationally in total blocks (185), 11th in hitting percentage (.399) and 13th in blocks per set (1.48), finishing the year with 326 kills. Marin was named the conference's Defensive Player of the Week four times on the year and was also named a CoSIDA Google Cloud Academic All-District selection.
• Outside hitter
Carol Barbosa was named a second team All-Sun Belt Conference selection after ranking third in the league in hitting percentage (.368) while sitting 12th in blocks per set (0.91). Barbosa ranked third on the team in kills (251) and second in blocks.
• Senior setter
Taylor Lindberg closed out her Trojan career in style as she put together a season for the ages in 2018. Lindberg earned the distinction as the only player in the nation to finish with more than 750 assists (798), 200 kills (218) and 200 digs (251), finishing ninth nationally with four double-doubles on the year. She goes down as number two all-time in program history in career assists with 3,065.
• Senior libero
Sydnee Martin closed out her Little Rock career with 417 digs as a senior, upping her career total to 1,422 and ranking second all-time in program history. Martin also ranks sixth all-time for the Trojans in career service aces with 110, finishing with 31 in her senior season.
CROSS COUNTRY
Season Recap
Little Rock's cross country teams continued to show improvement in 2018 with a number of strong performances throughout the season. The Trojan women recorded four top-10 team finishes on the season with the Trojan men adding three in the six events of the season.
Little Rock's women's best performance of the year came in a runner-up showing at the Central Arkansas Cross Country Challenge on Sept. 8, finishing second overall behind an individual championship for
Shanieke Watson. The Trojans would also finish fourth at the host Little Rock Invitational, paced by Watson's runner-up finish, while placing eighth at the Sun Belt Conference Championship in Mobile, Alabama, two spots better than in 2017.
For the Trojan men, Little Rock's season was highlighted by a runner-up showing in Conway as five different runners placed among the individual top-20. Little Rock would then place sixth at its home event on Oct. 13 before placing 10th at the conference meet in Mobile on Oct. 27.
Individual Honors
• Little Rock's success on the course was once again paced by senior
Shanieke Watson, who finished in the individual top-20 in five of her six races on the year. Watson was the individual champion at the UCA Cross Country Challenge and placed second at the Little Rock Invitational, while also finishing fifth at the season-opening Brooks Memphis Twilight Classic.
• Watson placed 11th at the Sun Belt Conference Championship, earning her third team All-Sun Belt honors for 2018. A two-time SBC Runner of the Week honoree, Watson closed out the season by placing 16th at the NCAA South Central Regional in College Station, Texas, on Nov. 9.
• Combining both the men's and women's performances in 2018, Little Rock posted 19 individual top-25 showings on the year and six top-10 performances. In addition to the three from Watson,
Hunter Paul placed sixth at the UCA Cross Country Challenge and seventh at the Little Rock Invitational for the women while
Ricardo Banks II notched a 10th-place finish for the men in Conway.
MEN'S GOLF
Season Recap
Little Rock's men's golf team opened the fall portion of the 2018-19 season with four tournaments, posting top-10 team finishes in each. The Trojans opened the year tying for third at the Lone Star Invitational in San Antonio, then closed the fall season with a fourth-place showing at its host event at Chenal Country Club Oct. 22-23.
The Trojans posted the third-lowest 54-hole tournament score in program history in its second event of the year, carding a 7-under 845 at the Trinity Forest Invitational in Dallas Sept. 23-25. The 845 was one shot back of the program-record 844 Little Rock set two times, once in 1998 and again in 2014.
Over 11 rounds in the fall season, Little Rock posted a team scoring average of 289.45 with 19 individual rounds of par-or-better and six individual top-10 finishes. Thanks to their efforts and results against competitive fields, the Trojans closed out the fall season with a GolfStat ranking of 84, its best mark since the 2002-03 season.
Individual Results
• Senior
Justin Warren made his mark early in the season for the Trojans, finishing in the top-10 twice and leading the team with a 71.73 scoring average. He notched six rounds of par-or-better and had the best individual tournament in program history at the Trinity Valley Invitational, registering the lowest individual score with a 7-under 64 while posting the Trojans' all-time lowest 54-hole score with an 11-under 202, finishing second.
• Warren's impressive play in the fall was set in motion in the summer months, beginning with him capturing the 2018 Camden Open in his native Australia with a 3-under 285. He then placed fourth among a 256-player field at the Canadian Amateur Championship, registering an 11-under 273. He capped his fall season last week by winning the opening stage of the PGA Tour Australasia Qualifying School with a 13-uncer 200.
• Three other Trojans recorded top-10 individual finishes in the fall season, led by
Aaron Ramos who tied for 10th at the Lone Star Invitational before tying for seventh at the Quail Valley Intercollegiate.
Danial Durisic placed ninth at the host Little Rock Invitational at Chenal C.C. while
Logan Pate finished one shot back of Durisic, tying for 10th overall.
WOMEN'S GOLF
Season Recap
Little Rock's women's golf program opened up its 2018-19 season with five fall tournaments, finishing in the top-10 in three of them. The Trojans closed out the fall tying for ninth at its host Little Rock Women's Golf Classic at Diamante Country Club, including a 299 over the final round.
The Trojans' lowest tournament of the year came in Mobile, Alabama, as Little Rock shot an 887, highlighted by an opening round 3-over 291, placing 10th among a challenging 17-team field. Little Rock also finished sixth at the UT Arlington Invitational in Mansfield in October.
Little Rock posted a season scoring average of 306.73 through the first five tournaments of the year with six individual rounds of par-or-better and four top-20 individual finishes, including a pair of top-10 showings.
Individual Results
• Senior
Emelie Blennow has emerged as the leader of the Trojans in 2018-19, registering the team's low scoring average of 74.13 through the fall season. Blennow has recorded four of the six par-or-better rounds, including a career-low 68 over the final round of the Little Rock Women's Golf Classic where she finished third at 1-over 217. Blennow also lead the way for the Trojans at the USA Intercollegiate, shooting a 2-under 214 to finish tied for sixth.
• Freshman
Tilde Bocker has been a solid number two for Little Rock through the fall, ranking second on the team with a 76.67 average, including a career-low 71 at the USA Intercollegiate. She tied for 18th at the UT Arlington Invitational as fellow freshman
Malena Austerslaatt is the other Trojan with an even-par round, shooting a 72 in Mobile.
Season Recap
Over in the pool, Little Rock's swimming and diving team has reached the halfway point of their 2018-19 season, competing in a handful of meets during the fall season. Three of those meets came in the Donaghey Aquatic Center as the Trojans saw a number of impressive individual performances in the early part of the season.
Little Rock opened the season with a second-place showing at the North Texas Relays in Denton, followed by a third-place finish at its host Little Rock Invitational on Oct. 20. The Trojans closed out the fall at the competitive Kansas Classic, placing sixth.
Two dual meets also highlighted Little Rock's fall semester, dropping tight meets to both North Texas and Evansville in its Missouri Valley Conference opener. Picked to finish sixth in the preseason poll, Little Rock has three more meets early in 2019 before the conference meet in late February in Columbia, Missouri.
Individual Results
• Little Rock competitors registered a combined 71 top-five finishes through the first five events of the season. 43 of those top-five finishes came in individual events, highlighted by 11 individual champions, with 23 additional top-five showings coming in relays and five additional coming off the diving platform.
• The first first-place finishes of the year for Little Rock came in their host event at the Donaghey Aquatic Center on October 20. Lea Zengerling won the 500-yard freestyle with Sierra Thain finishing first in both the 1-meter and 3-meter diving events.
• In the dual meet against Evansville, seven more Trojans notched first place showings, led by seniors Claire Bristow, Laura Ruiz Astorga, Lindsey Butler and Imre van Huyssteen. Bristow and Ruiz Astorga each won a pair of events in their final home meets of their careers.
• Baseball concluded an extremely competitive fall scrimmage season, highlighted by hosting defending national runner-up Arkansas at Gary Hogan Field on Oct. 12 in a historic day for the state. The Trojans also played an exhibition doubleheader against nationally-ranked Ole Miss, winning game two 3-1.
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Men's Basketball has begun its season 5-6 under head coach
Darrell Walker. The Trojans have notched four of those wins at home, paced by Rayjon Tucker leading the team averaging 20.8 points per game and Kris Bankston ranking among the national leaders in both field goal percentage (84.7%) and dunks (34).
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Women's Basketball once again is playing one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the nation, going head-to-head with four Power Five programs, including national runner-up Mississippi State, 20th-ranked Texas A&M and Kansas State at the Jack Stephens Center and a road trip to LSU. Head coach
Joe Foley's team is led by North Little Rock native Kyra Collier, who leads the team averaging 13.0 points per game, and preseason Sun Belt Player of the Year Ronjanae DeGray averaging 10.4 points per game.
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