BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Hendrix, which won the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) West Division and advanced to the league’s championship game last season, is ranked No. 17 in Lindy’s Sports preseason Top 25, which was released as part of the publication’s 2021 College Football National Preview.

The Warriors are one of four SAA teams ranked in the preseason poll. Trinity (Texas) sits at No. 10. Defending league and East Division champion Berry (Ga.) checks in at No. 16, while Birmingham-Southern (Ala.) is No. 23. The conference returns to a non-division format this season.

The 2021 AFCA Coaches and D3football.com preseason Top 25 polls are expected to be unveiled in July.

Hendrix, entering its ninth season with Buck Buchanan at the helm, returns seven projected starters on each side of the ball, headlined by All-SAA first team right tackle Matthew Altrock and five second team members – center Dylan Alexander, left tackle Will Sewell, cornerback Matthew Scirto, free safety Jacob Bremmon and strong safety Dalton Lindelof.

Buchanan is six wins shy of 50 for his career.

Hendrix kicks off its season Sept. 4 at former SAA member Austin (Texas) at 1 p.m. CT.

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Hendrix’s Madelyn Klinkerman captured the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) title in the discus and finished second in the hammer, helping the Warriors to a fourth-place finish after the second day of the SAA Championships at Wolfe Track and Field Complex on the campus of Rhodes (Tenn.) on Friday. The Warriors totaled 87.5 points.

“The field events definitely carried us on the women’s side, especially in the throws,” Hendrix head coach Andrew Raske said. “It’s always great to get a 1-2-3 sweep like we did in the discus. A huge credit goes to our seniors, who gave great performances and leadership.”

Klinkerman won the discus after a throw of 39.17 meters. Jaydan Hunt finished second after a heave of 39.06 meters, Alivia Allen was third with a mark of 33.98 meters and Kya Carroll was eighth at 26.80 meters.

Klinkerman’s best hammer throw went 42.41 meters, and Allen’s was 31.05 meters.

Klinkerman and Hunt tied as the ninth-highest scorers among all participants, as each compiled 18 points.

Allison Long finished third in the long jump with a distance of 5.15 meters, while Margaret Anderson was fifth at 4.88 meters. Anderson was third in the triple jump after recording a distance of 10.40 meters, and Jackie Greenwell came in seventh with a mark of 9.41 meters. Allana Sisco tied for third in the pole vault after clearing 2.88 meters. Rachel Woppman claimed seventh in the 100 meter hurdles in 18.66 seconds.

The 4×100 meter relay team of Long, Sisco, Woppman and Romee Blokland finished fifth in 52.25 seconds. The 4×400 meter relay team of Long, Woppman, Sisco and Blokland claimed fifth with a time of 4:26.84.

The Lynx won the team championship with 258 points.

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CONWAY – Millsaps (Miss.) shot 64 percent (16-of-25) from the field in the second half en route to a 70-59 win over Hendrix in the season and Southern Athletic Association (SAA) opener for both teams. Friday’s contest was the first for each team in more than 300 days after COVID-19 delayed the start of the 2020-21 season by two and a half months.

Capacity inside Grove Gymnasium was capped at 100, with only current Hendrix students allowed at the Warriors’ home games in January.

Hendrix (0-1, 0-1 SAA) led by six points three times in the second half, the last coming midway through the period after a Craig Collier II basket made the score 43-37, but Millsaps (1-0, 1-0 SAA) closed the game on a 33-16 run. Cameron Williams scored five-straight points for the Majors, giving his team the lead for good with 6:18 to play after making the first of two free throws. The Warriors trimmed a double-digit deficit to seven after Seth Stanley converted a four-point play with 49.4 seconds left in the game, but his team would get no closer.

Cam Rucker paced the visitors with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Williams and Newlon Gillihan also finished in double figures with 14 and 10 points, respectively.

Drew Burnett hauled in eight rebounds for the Majors.

Millsaps struggled from the field in the first 20 minutes, shooting just 31.3 percent (10-of-32) from the floor, 1-of-10 from distance and 0-of-5 from the free throw line and trailed 22-21 after Collier II hit a running 10-foot jumper as time expired in the first half. However, the plus-17 margin in the second stanza was spurred by a 55.6 percent (5-of-9) clip from beyond the arc and 71 percent (12-of-17) effort from the stripe.

Stanley scored a game-high 19 points, his 28th-consecutive game in double figures, and was perfect (5-of-5) from the free throw line. Collier II added 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, while Alex Conrad pumped in 10 points and a game-high nine boards.

Hendrix shot 39.3 percent (22-of-56) overall, including 42.9 percent (12-of-28) in the final 20 minutes. The Warriors ended 8-of-10 from the charity stripe, all in the second half.

The Orange and Black committed 19 turnovers, while the Majors turned the ball over 18 times.

Hendrix hosts Millsaps a second time Saturday inside Grove Gymnasium. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m. CT.

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LITTLE ROCK – As part of Southern Athletic Association (SAA) Championship Day on the weekend of March 13-14, Hendrix will make the 30-minute drive south to Little Rock to face an East Division opponent at War Memorial Stadium, Warriors head coach Buck Buchanan announced Friday. SAA Championship Day, organized by Buchanan and stadium event manager Rick Tilley, will feature four contests, with each pitting a West Division team against one from the East Division based on order of finish from the regular season. SAA Championship Day will mark the first time in the illustrious 70-plus year history of the historic venue that any NCAA Division III team will play a game on its grounds.

“We are grateful to the War Memorial board, the Governor’s office and the state of Arkansas for being willing to be the host for our conference championship and crossover event,” Buchanan said. “This is an opportunity to add the schools from the SAA to the list of storied programs that have played at War Memorial Stadium. This event may be the first time any of us play in front of fans all year, so this will be extra special for our players, and it will be a very special send off for all the seniors in our league. Our student-athletes deserve to have some good things happen for them this year, and it is my hope that people will come out and watch live college football in March.”

During the four-game SAA regular season starting Feb. 6, all West Division teams will play each other, while all East Division squads will square off. Sewanee (Tenn.) has opted out of the spring season and will not compete in the March event. The top team from the West Division and top finisher from the East Division will play in the 2020-21 SAA championship game. The NCAA announced in August that no traditional fall sports will crown a national champion in 2020-21.

War Memorial Stadium has played host to major college football games, concerts and events for more than 70 years. The stadium has gone through several renovations since opening in 1948.

War Memorial Stadium opened with an original seating capacity of around 31,000. Expansion has seen the stadium’s capacity grow to 54,120, but fan attendance March 13-14 will be limited to just 25 percent capacity (13,530) due to COVID-19 safety guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The once-open areas on the north and south sides of the stadium have been closed with additional seating. Concession stands and restrooms have been renovated. The press box, once voted the best in the country, was torn down, rebuilt, and reopened in 2010 as part of a $7.3 million renovation that features a new, three-story press box and major improvements in club seating.

War Memorial Stadium was dedicated as a tribute to Arkansans who had given their lives in the service of their country during the two great World Wars. The Sturgis Plaza opened in 2008 on the northwest side of the stadium as a place of remembrance and reflection. The plaza was the centerpiece of the celebration of War Memorial Stadium’s 60th anniversary and rededication.

The stadium’s first event in 1948 was a Razorbacks football game, and War Memorial Stadium has since hosted more than 200 Arkansas contests. The stadium’s tailgating atmosphere is one of the best in college sports, expanding west to the War Memorial Golf Course.

Arkansas, Arkansas State, Central Arkansas, Arkansas Pine Bluff and multiple NCAA Division II teams from the Gulf South Conference have all played games at War Memorial Stadium.

Even though the Warriors will make their first trip to War Memorial Stadium in program history, 10 current Hendrix players have already played at the venue while in high school. War Memorial Stadium is the home of the Arkansas Activities Association high school state football championship games, and six Warriors on this year’s roster – Matthew Scirto, Eli Martin, Kevin Douglas, Matthew Bennett, Will Sewell and Garrett Pritchard – played in such contests. Scirto’s Har-Ber Wildcats appeared in the 7A championship game in 2015, while Martin and Douglas won 6A titles in consecutive seasons (2017-18) with the Greenwood Bulldogs. Sewell and Pritchard won the 5A championship with Pulaski Academy for three-consecutive seasons (2015-17) before losing to Bennett and Little Rock Christian Academy in 2018. Bennett also played in the title game in 2019. Caleb Sanders played home games at War Memorial Stadium while attending Catholic, while Joshua Cole and Tanner Barrett were on the opposite sideline with Little Rock Central. Tristan Sehika, while a student at Bryant, played at War Memorial Stadium in “The Salt Bowl” against rival Benton.

Sports are not the only events to make history at War Memorial Stadium. Concerts such as the Rolling Stones, Billy Joel and Elton John, The Eagles, George Strait and N’ Sync have graced the stage at the stadium, drawing tens of thousands of fans for each show. In 2017, big concerts returned to War Memorial Stadium when Guns N’ Roses played to some 25,000 music lovers.

Hendrix returns nine projected starters on each side of the ball this season and opens its campaign Feb. 6 at Millsaps (Miss.).

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KANSAS CITY – The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) today announced the 2019-20 NABC Honors Court, recognizing more than 1,350 men’s collegiate basketball student-athletes who excelled in academics during the past season. The NABC Honors Court highlights the talents and gifts that these men possess on the court and the hard work they exhibit in the classroom.

Austin Moore was one of the 1,350 to earn such a prestigious academic accolade. Moore, a native of Beebe, Ark., totaled 49 career points and 11 rebounds in 16 games as a Warrior while pursuing a degree in Biology.

In order to be named to the Honors Court, a student-athlete must meet a high standard of academic criteria. The qualifications are as follows:

1. Academically a junior or senior and a varsity player. 

2. Cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.2 or higher at the conclusion of the 2019-20 academic year. 

3. Students must have matriculated at least one year at their current institution.

4. Member of a NCAA Division I, II, III, or NAIA Division I or II institution with a NABC

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CABOT – The Hendrix women’s golf team opened the 2020 spring season Monday by taking part in the Natural State Golf Classic in Cabot, Ark.

After shooting 81 in the opening round, Stephanie Leake carded a second round of 77 to break her own school record. Leake finished the two-round event with a 158 and finished tied for fifth place which was the best on the team. Peyton Penny shot rounds of 130 and 120 in the event.

The Warriors will head to Maumelle, Ark. to take part in the Central Baptist College Invitational Mar. 16 and 17 before taking part in the SAA Championships Apr. 24 from Dickson, Tenn.

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CONWAY, Ark. – In addition to being tabbed the Southern Athletic Association Men’s Basketball Player of the Week, Seth Stanley has been named to the D3hoops.com Team of the Week following his incredible performance Saturday in Memphis, Tenn.

The sophomore forward set a new school record by scoring 61 points on 18-of-27 from the floor in Hendrix’s 106-82 rout of rival Rhodes. Stanley also set the SAA’s single-game scoring record while also besting the program’s single-game records of three-pointers made and three-pointers attempted. Stanley only needed 34 minutes of action to accomplish one of the most incredible performances in college basketball, on any level, this season.

The Rogers, Ark. native scored 34 points in the first half and did not play the final six minutes of regulation. At the time of his departure in the game, Stanley was outscoring Rhodes’ entire team, 61-56.

Stanley and the Warriors will return home to Conway when the Warriors host its first-ever SAA Tournament contest. Hendrix battles Birmingham-Southern Sunday at 3 p.m. inside the confines of Grove Gymnasium in the SAA Quarterfinals. You can watch the game here for free.

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ROME, Ga. – After narrowly falling to the Oglethorpe Stormy Petrels in double overtime two days ago, Hendrix looked to climb the Southern Athletic Association standings with a pivotal meeting against the Berry Vikings from Rome, Ga. Sunday afternoon.

Once again, the game was tied after 40 minutes after Berry tied the game up at 51 after a jumper in the paint. In overtime, a successful and-one play by Seth Stanley turned a Hendrix three-point deficit, 59-56, into a tie game, 59-59, with 33 seconds to go.

On the ensuing possession, a missed jumper by Berry resulted in a defensive rebound by Sean Coman and was fouled a few seconds later. While Berry was in the double bonus, Coman drained his first free throw with 1.6 seconds left in overtime, nothing but nylon; giving Hendrix the 60-59 lead.

Coman missed the second one and forced Berry to take a tough shot that resulted in a 60-59 huge Hendrix win. The Warriors moved to 8-6 on the season with a 2-1 mark in the SAA while Berry has its then-program-best eight-game win streak snapped and falls to 11-3 on the season with a 2-1 mark in conference.

Stanley tallied 27 points and a team-high eight rebounds in 43 minutes of work.

“I am incredibly proud of our guys today,” head coach Thad McCracken said. “They bounced back from a tough and exhausting game Friday night and responded with a great road win this afternoon. Our defensive effort was tremendous and the guys hung tough and found a way to make enough plays down the stretch to pull it out.”

Hendrix returns to Conway to take on Birmingham-Southern Friday at 8 p.m. from Grove Gymnasium.

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CONWAY – As if a magnificent freshman campaign wasn’t enough, freshman right-handed pitcher Jack Hodgins was named the 2019 D3baseball.com Rookie of the Year, as announced by D3baseball.com Tuesday. A total of 848 players were nominated for the awards.

Hodgins, a native of Simi Valley, Calif., recorded a 5-1 mark on the mound this season with a SAA-best 1.98 ERA. In 12 appearances, the freshman carded one complete game and earned SAA Pitcher of the Week once during the regular season. Hodgins tossed 81.2 innings and allowed just 78 hits, 18 earned runs and just three wild pitches. In 310 at bats faced, the right-handed pitcher held batters to hitting just .252 at the plate while striking out a team-best 67.

Hodgins led Hendrix to an unbelievable 30-14 mark on the 2019 year with the 30 wins setting a new program record. In addition, the freshman helped guide the Warriors to its first-ever SAA Regular Season Championship. He also obtained D3baseball.com All-South Rookie of the Year and First Team honors a week ago.

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LEXINGTON, Ky. – As announced by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) earlier in the week, Hendrix College’s Lauren Dwyer found herself named to the 38th annual All-America teams on Tuesday. Dwyer was named as a AVCA All-America Honorable Mention for her performance on the 2018 season; joining Hendrix alumni MC Rogers, and Lauren Petrisin as the lone three Warrior players to receive such an honor over the course of the last four years.

A native of Leawood, Kan., Dwyer receives this prestigious award one week after being tabbed to the AVCA All-South Region Team. Dwyer recorded 292 kills, 32 service aces and 18 assists on the 2018 season en route to leading the Warriors to a 20-8 overall record which included the best start to a season in Warrior Volleyball history and a third-place regular season conference finish. Dwyer also tallied 339 digs and 41 total blocks as well as 211 digs, 145 kills and a sixth straight appearance in the SAA Tournament semifinals.

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