With senior day approaching Saturday, Fayetteville native Carson Shaddy talked about how playing for the Hogs is what he always wanted to do as he looks at final weekend at Baum Stadium.
Bonfield on Saturday’s senior day; Mother’s Day
Arkansas senior Luke Bonfield talked with the media Thursday about the final series at Baum Stadium this weekend against Texas A&M and his mother’s influence.
Ortiz named second team All-SEC and to community service team
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas senior Alvaro Ortiz earned Second-Team All-SEC honors and was selected to the SEC Community Service team for men’s golf, the league office announced today.
Ortiz has paced the No. 15 Razorbacks to two tournament titles and seven top-5 finishes in 2017-18.
The Zapopan, Mexico, native leads the team with a 70.8 stroke average and has one of three individual wins this season.
Ortiz has four top-5 finishes and leads the Razorbacks with 19 rounds under par, 138 birdies and 377 pars. He has been Arkansas’ low man in six events.
Ortiz makes his second appearance on the SEC Community Service Team, an initiative by the league to recognize the accomplishments of student-athletes for their work off the course.
As a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), Ortiz has helped organize various community service projects throughout the department. He is majoring in international business and holds a 3.158 cumulative grade point average.
Arkansas will make its 25th NCAA Regional Championship appearance, including its 11th consecutive, as part of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship field announced last week.
The Razorbacks were selected as the No. 3 seed of the Norman Oklahoma Regional which will be hosted by the University of Oklahoma at Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club. Arkansas is one of two SEC schools at the site and one of 14 league teams in the postseason.
Dates: May 14-16, 2018
Location: Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club, Norman, Oklahoma
Live Scoring: Golfstat.com
Format: Three rounds of stroke play with the top five teams from each of the six regional sites advancing to the NCAA Championship
NCAA Championship: May 25-30, at Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Oklahoma
Haff named top finalist for Freshman of Year award
COLUMBIA, Mo. — On the heels of earning all-conference honors, Arkansas pitcher Mary Haff has earned a spot on the top-10 finalists list for the 2018 Schutt Sports/NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year.
Through 38 appearances, Haff carries a 25-6 record in the circle with a 1.49 ERA and 223 strikeouts in 183.0 innings of work.
The top-three finalists for the prestigious award will be announced May 23. Haff is one of three pitchers on the list and one of two freshmen representatives from the SEC.
In her last outing, Haff tallied her 17th complete game of the season in a 3-1 win over No. 19 Kentucky in the opening round of the SEC Tournament in Columbia, Missouri. She struck out five Wildcat hitters along the way.
The victory snapped Arkansas’ eight-game SEC Tournament losing streak and set up a Thursday matchup with No. 8 Georgia at 1:30 p.m. The game will be televised on the SEC Network.
Haff is tied for first in the SEC and tied for fourth nationally with 25 victories, one shy of the program’s single-season record set by Heather Schlichtman in 2001.
Her 223 strikeouts are second in the SEC and rank among the top 20 in the NCAA this season. That figure is a program freshman-class record and sits third on Arkansas’ single-season list. Haff is also fourth in the SEC with a .154 opponent batting average.
Earlier this week, Haff was named to the All-SEC Second Team and SEC All-Freshman Team.
She became the fifth pitcher in program history to earn All-SEC honors and the second consecutive to earn all-freshman accolades; teammate Autumn Storms was an SEC All-Freshman Team member in 2017.
Haff is also a three-time SEC Freshman of the Week.
Fassi moves to top of ANNIKA watch list for top player award
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas junior Maria Fassi moved to the top spot in the ANNIKA Award Watch List presented by 3M in the last release of the standings before the final vote.
On the heels of her come-from-behind win at the NCAA Austin Regional, Fassi jumped up one spot into the lead over UCLA’s Lilia Vu who held the lead for several weeks.
Razorback Dylan Kim is also on the Watch List at No. 14.
Fassi, along with her teammates, is rewriting the Razorback record books this season. She paced No. 3 Arkansas to a program-record seven tournament titles including the first Southeastern Conference and NCAA Regional wins.
As a team, Arkansas has played to 10 top-4 finishes in 10 tournaments (7 wins, 2 runners-up and 1 fourth-place finish).
As an individual, Fassi has won six tournaments and tied for the win but fell in a two-hole playoff at the SEC Championship. She leads the team in stroke average, rounds under par and earned SEC Golfer of Year this season.
Voting for the ANNIKA Award is now open to all Division I student-athletes, coaches and golf communications directors.
Voting will end at the conclusion of the NCAA Championship on May 23. The winner will be announced live on Golf Central on Wednesday, June 6, at 5:30 p.m. CT.
Final ANNIKA Award presented by 3M Watch List:
1. Maria Fassi, Arkansas
2. Lilia Vu, UCLA
3. Patty Tavatanakit, UCLA
4. Lauren Stephenson, Alabama
5. Leona Maguire, Duke
6. Andrea Lee, Stanford
7. Jennifer Kupcho, Wake Forest
8. Jillian Hollis, Georgia
9. Kristen Gillman, Alabama
10. Ainhoa Olarra, South Carolina
11. Olivia Mehaffey, Arizona State
12. Pimnipa Panthong, Kent State
13. Sophia Schubert, Texas
14. Dylan Kim, Arkansas
15. Kaitlyn Papp, Texas
Fassi, Razorbacks take NCAA Regional titles in Austin
AUSTIN, Texas — Third-ranked Arkansas put together a dominating performance winning the program’s first NCAA Regional title and advancing to the NCAA Championship.
Junior Maria Fassi flirted with the lead in the first two rounds and rallied with three consecutive birdies taking the lead on the 16th hole of the final round to win the individual title.
The Razorbacks posted their best round in a regional in program history on Tuesday with a 17-under 271 and finished the event shooting 26-under par 838.
Fassi won with three rounds under par shooting 69–70–69 — 208 to claim the first individual regional title in program history.
Junior Dylan Kim finished third and Alana Uriell and Kaylee Benton tied for fourth overall Cara Gorlei improved in the final round and finished tied for 38th overall.
The win is:
• The first NCAA Regional title for the women’s golf team
• The first NCAA Individual Regional title for the program
• A school-record seventh single-season tournament victory
• The second consecutive win following the program’s first SEC Championship two weeks ago
Low numbers were hard to come by in the final round with just three teams finishing the day under par.
Notes
• Arkansas has won a school record seven tournaments this season (previous best was three in a season)
• Coach Shauna Taylor has coached the Razorbacks to at least one tournament win in six consecutive seasons
• Coach Shauna Taylor has coached Arkansas to six top-5 NCAA Regional finishes including the program’s first title this year
• Arkansas has played to 10 top-4 finishes in 10 tournaments (7 wins, 2 runners-up and 1 fourth-place finish)
Regional Notes
• This is the first NCAA Regional title for the Razorback women’s golf team and the first individual title at a Regional
• Round two’s 17-under 271 is Arkansas’ best single round in a Regional in program history
• Arkansas has had six top-5 NCAA Regional finishes
• Alana Uriell’s 7-under 65 in round two in the best individual Razorback round in a Regional
• Arkansas was one of just two teams with four players under par for the tournament
The Lineup
| PLACE | PLAYER | SCORES | TO PAR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maria Fassi | 69–70–69—208 | -8 |
| 3 | Dylan Kim | 79–68–73—211 | -5 |
| T4. | Kaylee Benton | 72–68–69—212 | -4 |
| T4. | Alana Uriell | 78–65–69—212 | -4 |
| T38. | Cara Gorlei | 73–75–74—222 | +6 |
The Field
| PLACE | TEAM | SCORES | TO PAR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No. 3 Arkansas | 284–271–283—838 | -26 |
| 2 | No. 8 Texas | 281–285–285—849 | -15 |
| T3. | No. 19 Auburn | 292–291–286—869 | +5 |
| T3. | No. 14 Florida | 291–287–291—869 | +5 |
| T3. | No. 35 Baylor | 288–293–288—869 | +5 |
| 6 | No. 21 Oklahoma | 299–282–289—870 | +6 |
| 7 | No. 38 Texas A&M | 295–286–297—878 | +14 |
| 8 | No. 11 Michigan State | 285–302–295—882 | +18 |
| 9 | No. 41 Brigham Young | 291–296–298—885 | +21 |
| 10 | Virginia Tech | 288–293–307—888 | +24 |
| 11 | No. 25 Houston | 300–297–293—890 | +26 |
| 12 | UTSA | 298–295–299—892 | +28 |
| 13 | No. 49 Texas Tech | 300–299–300—899 | +35 |
| 14 | Houston Baptist | 301–299–310—910 | +46 |
| 15 | No. 30 Miami | 298–306–310—914 | +50 |
| 16 | Georgetown | 302–304–311—917 | +53 |
| 17 | Missouri State | 319–319–308—946 | +82 |
| 18 | No. 48 East Carolina | 299–152–DNF | +29 |
Razorbacks get first SEC Tournament win since 2001
With the win, Arkansas (38-14) advances to Thursday’s quarterfinal to face No. 2 seed and eighth-ranked Georgia.
Up Next
First pitch between Arkansas and Georgia is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on the SEC Network. Thursday’s matchup will be just the second meeting between the two programs in the SEC Tournament and first since 2006.
FINAL: #18 Arkansas 3, #19 Kentucky 1 | Box Score
Down a run and after stranding runners in each of the first two innings, the Razorbacks got on the scoreboard with two runs in the bottom of the third.
Freshman Hannah McEwen led off the frame with a base knock through the left side. On the next play, an errant throw to second for a would-be force out rolled to the wall which allowed McEwen to score the tying run and Autumn Buczek to move up to third.
The senior infielder hustled down the line on a wild pitch to score the go-ahead tally.
With the run, Buczek crossed the plate for the 100th time in her career and is now tied with Chloe Oprzedek (2011-14) for seventh on the program’s all-time list.
After Haff worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the sixth inning, Arkansas tacked on a third score in the home half of the frame.
Ashely Diaz lined a single to left field and pinch runner Carley Haizlip moved up to second into scoring position on a wild pitch.
Haizlip came around to score an insurance run on an errant throw to first on what would have been the third out of the inning.
Kentucky (31-19) threatened again in the top of the seventh inning. After a lead-off double to left, a two-out walk put runners on first and third.
The Wildcats sent the runner from first but the throw down to second from freshman catcher Kayla Green resulted in a rundown that ended with Ashley Diaz applying the tag on the runner attempting to dive back to the bag.
Haff breaks down Hogs’ win over Wildcats to start tourney
Hogs have sights set on 20th SEC Championship this weekend
FAYETTEVILLE — No. 8 Arkansas will be in the hunt for its 20th SEC outdoor title this weekend in Knoxville, competing at the 2018 SEC Championships May 11-13 at the Tom Black Track at LaPorte Stadium.
The final day of the championships will be televised live on the SEC network beginning at 5 p.m. on Sunday, May 13.
Fans will be able to live stream Friday and Saturday’s action on the SEC Network plus beginning at 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., respectively.
The broadcast talent includes Dwight Stones, Larra Overton, Jill Montgomery and John Anderson.
Date/Time: Friday, May 11-Sunday, May 13
Venue: Tom Black Track at LaPorte Stadium
Important Links: Meet Notes | Meet Schedule | Entries/Heat Sheets | Live Results | SEC Network+ Stream
Nationally Ranked SEC Teams
In the most recent USTFCCCA NCAA National Rankings, eight SEC programs were among the top-25 best teams in the country led by No. 1 Florida.
Following the Gators are No. 3 Alabama and No. 5 Texas A&M, No. 6 Georgia, No. 8 Arkansas, No. 12 LSU, No. 13 Kentucky, and No. 20 Mississippi State.
Alabama enters the meet as the reigning SEC indoor champion, Texas A&M enters as the reigning SEC outdoor champion, and Florida comes in as the reigning indoor/outdoor national champion.
The men’s track & field team is currently ranked No. 8 in the nation, according to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) and boast eight performances in the Top-20 of the NCAA with five of those falling inside the Top-10 including a nation-leading 4-x-100-meter relay.
No. 1 | Arkansas 4-x-100-meter relay 38.59
No. 3 | Jack Bruce – 5,000-meters 13:28.57
No. 3 | Kemar Mowatt – 400-meter hurdles 49.80
No. 5 | 4-x-400-meters – 3:03.36
No. 8 | Kenzo Cotton – 100-meters 10.12
No. 11 |Jack Bruce – 1,500-meters 3:39.86
No. 18 | Shakiel Chattoo – 110-meter hurdles 13.79
No. 18 | Obi Igbokwe – 400-meters 45.91
All-SEC Returners
The Razorbacks return five individual All-SEC performers from the 2017 squad including Kemar Mowatt, Jack Bruce, Kenzo Cotton, Roy Ejiakuekwu, and Rubin Owens.
2018 SEC Outdoor Championships Entries –
100-METERS
ATHLETE/CAREER BEST
Kenzo Cotton 10.07/9.96w
Roy Ejiakuekwu 10.46/10.14w
Kristoffer Hari 10.52/10.24w
200-METERS
Kenzo Cotton 20.35/20.20w
Roy Ejiakuekwu 20.65/20.55w
Kevin Harris 20.89
Obi Igbokwe 20.64
400-METERS
Obi Igbokwe 45.38
Jamarco Stephen 46.56
Hunter Woodhall 47.42
800-METERS
Kieran Taylor 1:50.35
1,500-METERS
Jack Bruce 3:39.86
Cameron Griffith 3:45.42
Ethan Moehn 3:44.60
3,000-METER STEEPLECHASE
Kyle Hosting 8:53.73
Kyle Levermore 9:01.16
5,000-METERS
Gilbert Boit 13:50.36
Jack Bruce 13:28.57
Austen Dalquist 13:50.87
Cameron Griffith 13:52.65
Kyle Hosting NT
Kyle Levermore 14:16.13
Ethan Moehn 14:22.35
Ryan Murphy 14:39.12
Andrew Ronoh 13:59.54
Matt Young NT
10,000-METERS
Gilbert Boit 29:13.31
Austen Dalquist 29:08.60
Ryan Murphy 29:18.42
Andrew Ronoh 28:36.20
Matt Young 29:30.39
110-METER HURDLES
Larry Donald 13.97/13.85w
400-METER HURDLES
Travius Chambers 50.85
Larry Donald 50.90
Kemar Mowatt 48.49
4-X-100-METER RELAY
Roy Ejiakuekwu, Kemar Mowatt,
Kevin Harris, Kenzo Cotton
4-X-400-METER RELAY
Jamarco Stephen, Kemar Mowatt,
Roy Ejiakuekwu, Obi Igbokwe
HIGH JUMP
Rubin Owens 2.12m (6’-11.25”)
Brendon Rivera 2.14m (7’-0.25”)
LONG JUMP
Laquan Narin 7.87m (25’-9.75”)
Rubin Owens 7.74m (25’-4.50”)
TRIPLE JUMP
Laquan Narin 15.64m (51’-3.75”)
Rubin Owens 15.97m (52’-4.50”)
SHOT PUT
Jeff Rogers 17.49m (57’-4.75”)
DISCUS
Erich Sullins 54.05m (177-3.75”)
WEIGHT THROW
Erich Sullins 20.32m (66’-8”)
JAVELIN
Alex Springer 65.92m (216’-3.25”)
DECATHLON
Gabe Moore 7,564-points
Derek Jacobus 7,635-points
