PINE BLUFF – The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Director of Athletics Chris Robinson announced today the hiring of Gabrielle Floyd as the eighth head coach in the history of UAPB Volleyball.

Floyd comes to Golden Lions Nation from Texas Southern University, where she spent last year as the head coach.  Prior to her promotion, she spent more than 10 years as the associate head coach/ recruiting coordinator, where they won three SWAC Western Division Championship.

Under her guidance at Texas Southern, Floyd played a significant role in landing two-student athletes on the All-SWAC Team. Danielle Lilley Spring 2021 SWAC Preseason Volleyball Second-Team and Thalia Cordero Moreno named to the 2021 All-SWAC First-Team.

“We are excited to welcome Coach Floyd and her family to UAPB,” Robinson said. “She is a dynamic teacher and recruiter and has a great vision for UAPB Volleyball. She has a true passion for the game and is known for her work ethic, competitive spirit, and commitment to creating a positive student-athlete experience.”

Floyd took over the program in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic in June of 2020 and had to navigate the challenges of managing a program through uncertain times. She was awarded an academic award for maintaining a minimum 3.0 Team GPA by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). Floyd managed to guide the Lady Tigers through the historic spring season in 2021 as they clinched a SWAC Tournament berth.

A native of Missouri City, Texas, Floyd is a former two-sport athlete at TSU as she played both volleyball and tennis. In 2001, Floyd was an All-SWAC Preseason First Team honoree and co-captain as a senior on the volleyball court. She led the Tigers to a divisional championship and top seed in the SWAC Tournament as she ranked third on the team in kills (213) while finishing tied for third in the SWAC in digs (270). As a result of her play on the court that season, Floyd earned SWAC Player of the Week honors and was named Second Team All-SWAC while earning SWAC All-Tournament honors. In 2000, Floyd finished with 228 digs and was second on the team as a sophomore in 1999 with 222 digs while amassing 135 kills in 97 games and 21 aces. Floyd capped off her storied collegiate volleyball career by earning several All-Tournament awards, including MVP honors.

After graduating in 2002, Floyd spent three seasons as a graduate assistant at Texas Southern and was promoted to assistant coach in 2005. As an assistant coach, Floyd has played a major role in the progression of the volleyball program during her tenure. In 2013, she helped lead TSU to its first winning season since 2001 while also winning three SWAC West Titles and a pair of appearances in the SWAC Tournament Championship match. She has had 15-plus student-athletes earn All-SWAC honors under her watch.

In addition to serving on the coaching staff for the past decade, Floyd served on the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Assistant Coaches Committee (ACC) as the SWAC Representative. She was also a full-time professor in the Department of Health, Kinesiology & Sport Studies and has served on several committees within the department and for the College of Education.

“I would like to thank Chancellor Dr. Alexander, Athletic Director, Chris Robinson, and the Senior Woman Administrator, Betty Anthony for entrusting me with the volleyball program here at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff,” Floyd said. “I am excited to begin this journey as the new head volleyball coach. I want to build a program that the UAPB community would be proud of. We have a great group of student-athletes that are ready to be champions on the court, in the classroom, and in life. I look forward to building relationships with the UAPB community, alumni, faculty, staff, and students to help make our dreams a reality.”

Floyd graduated in 2002 from TSU with a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Affairs and holds a Master of Science degree in Health Education from TSU. She’s a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and volunteers at student leadership and growth events across the Houston area. Coach Floyd and her husband, Quantas, a former student-athlete and alumnus of Texas Southern, have a daughter and future student-athlete, Alexandrea.

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JONESBORO – Arkansas State University System President Dr. Chuck Welch announced Wednesday that Jeff Purinton, a highly-respected and veteran athletics administrator who most recently spent the last seven years as part of the Alabama Athletics Department’s executive staff, has been named the Red Wolves’ Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics.

Purinton comes to A-State following a 15-year stint at the University of Alabama, but his path to Jonesboro also included professional stops working with the Orange Bowl Committee (2006-07) and the Florida State Athletics Department (1994-2006) while also having a national presence on multiple college football committees.

“I could not be more excited about the hiring of Jeff Purinton as the next Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics at Arkansas State,” Welch said.  “From the very first conversation I had with Jeff, I knew that he was someone who would elevate our program to unforeseen heights.  Jeff’s experience, combined with his incredible relationship skills and his network across the nation, made him an exceptional candidate for our position.  Jeff has literally overseen every aspect of a premier athletics department, and every single person I talked with said it is his time to run his own department.  I am thrilled that department is ours, and I cannot wait to see what he accomplishes for our university.”

Purinton most recently served as Alabama’s Executive Deputy Director of Athletics after being elevated to the position in 2021, but also held Deputy AD (2019-21), Executive Associate AD (2018-19), Senior Associate AD (2015-18) and Associate Athletics Director for Football Communications (2007-15) titles during his time with the Crimson Tide.

“It’s an honor and a privilege to be named the next Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics at Arkansas State University,” Purinton said. “Thank you to System President Chuck Welch and everyone involved in the search process. It was handled in a first-class manner all the way through. I definitely had an interest when I got the first call about it, and after I had a chance to sit down and talk in-person with Chuck and Brad (Phelps), I was certain Arkansas State was a school I wanted to be a part of.  They were genuine and authentic, and you felt a trust with them right off the bat. I felt like it was the right place and the right timing, but most importantly the chance to work with the right people.

“Successful college athletics programs have alignment with their leadership, and I believe that is a strength at Arkansas State,” continued Purinton.  “I am excited to be associated with an outstanding program that has enjoyed many achievements in the classroom, in competition and in the community, and I look forward to continuing to develop the Red Wolves’ strong national brand.

“We can’t wait to get to campus and meet our student-athletes, coaches, staff members, donors and fans. I’ve heard nothing but great things about Jonesboro, and our family is excited to get to know the community and be part of that.  Wolves up!”

Arkansas State will hold a 1:00 p.m. press conference Monday, May 9, at the Centennial Bank Athletics Operations Center officially introducing Purinton as the Red Wolves’ 13th athletics director.  The press conference is open to the public, and it will be streamed live on AState.edu, the official web site of Arkansas State University.

While operating as Executive Deputy Director of Athletics, Purinton was the sport administrator for football as well as the men’s and women’s golf programs after previously overseeing men’s basketball. Additionally, he supervised several departments within athletics, including human resources, marketing and trademark licensing and was the liaison to Crimson Tide Sports Marketing, Alabama’s LEARFIELD property.

When current Alabama Director of Athletics Greg Byrne was hired to lead the Crimson Tide in 2017, Purinton was charged with the creation and implementation of the department’s new strategic plan.  He served on the leadership group that helped develop and launch the department’s new fundraising initiative (The Crimson Standard) with a 10-year goal of raising $600 million. The first phase of the campaign included renovations to both football locker rooms, the Sports Science Center at the Mal M. Moore Athletic Facility, Rhoads Softball Stadium, as well as recruiting and premium areas at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Alabama football won six national championships in Purinton’s time at UA and took home numerous team and individual national awards. Widely known as one of the best venues in college football, Purinton oversaw the revision of the football game-day production in 2017, improving the overall atmosphere and interaction from the crowd at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Part of that process included the implementation of new LED stadium lighting in 2019, which received positive reviews from both the players and fans.

In March 2019, Purinton assisted Byrne in the search for a new head men’s basketball coach that resulted in the hiring of Nate Oats from Buffalo. In Oats’ second season at Alabama (and first full season), the 2020-21 team won both the regular-season and Southeastern Conference Tournament championships for the first time in 30 years and later advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 and finished No. 5 in the final national rankings. Herb Jones was named SEC Player of the Year and earned All-America honors, while Oats was voted the SEC Coach of the Year. The 2021-22 squad once again advanced to the NCAA Tournament.  In 2018, the Tide men’s basketball team received an NCAA Tournament bid for the first time since 2012 and earned its first NCAA win since 2006.

In addition to working with several of Alabama’s successful athletics teams, Purinton was the department oversight to one of the top Learfield/IMG College groups in the nation in Crimson Tide Sports Marketing. CTSM was selected as the 2017 Learfield Property of the Year after setting record-highs in revenue generation. Alabama has also ranked in the top two in royalties generated among the Collegiate Licensing Company’s partner institutions each of the last 11 years and was No. 1 in five of the last six seasons.

In 2021, Alabama football’s social media accounts each eclipsed the 1 million follower threshold, becoming the only college athletics team to reach this feat on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Combined, Alabama athletics social channels generated north of 1.1 billion impressions in 2020. With ties to social media and some of the other external units, Purinton is on the department’s committee responsible for Alabama’s plan for name, image and likeness and assisted with the creation of The Advantage, a comprehensive program that provides Tide student-athletes with the education and tools necessary to build and elevate their personal brands.

Purinton was hired at Alabama in the summer of 2007 as the Associate Athletics Director for Football Communications, handling all external areas of the program for Coach Nick Saban. He has coordinated each of the 12 ESPN College GameDay visits to Tuscaloosa as Alabama has hosted the show more than any other school during that time frame. In addition to building and maintaining relationships with national media and the marketing/promotion of Crimson Tide football, Purinton helped strategize and implement plans for the Crimson Caravan (spring booster tour). He was promoted to oversee all external areas within the department as well as the Crimson Tide Celebrity Golf Tournament beginning in June of 2015.

“My family and I want to thank everyone at the University of Alabama for an amazing 15 years working with the Crimson Tide,” Purinton said.  “We’ve developed lifelong friends and relationships during our time at UA, and we are so appreciative of the opportunity we had in Tuscaloosa. Greg Byrne and Coach Saban have been so supportive, especially during this process, and I want to thank them specifically.”

In 2006, Purinton was hired by the Orange Bowl Committee (OBC) as the Director of Media Relations and Communications. That year, the OBC eclipsed attendance and revenue goals for the Basketball Classic, Fan Fest, Pregame Tailgate Party and Fed Ex Orange Bowl (Louisville versus Wake Forest). Purinton also produced a weekly Orange Bowl radio show and a television program that featured the bowl-sponsored youth football initiative. He led planning for the 2009 BCS National Championship Game which included a $1.4 million media budget.

Prior to the Orange Bowl and Alabama, Purinton spent more than a decade at Florida State University working in various roles in the athletics department. He began as a student assistant in sports information during his undergraduate years, and followed up as a graduate assistant in 1998. He was promoted to a full-time role as assistant SID in 1999, where he worked directly with two of the winningest coaches in college history in Head Football Coach Bobby Bowden and Head Baseball Coach Mike Martin. In addition to the baseball and football SID duties, Purinton was the travel advance coordinator for the football program from 1999-2006.

In total, Purinton worked with 12 bowl teams at FSU including the 2000 Sugar Bowl where FSU defeated Virginia Tech to win the 1999 national title. He made two trips to the College World Series as the SID for the Seminole baseball program (1999 and 2000). In the 1999 season with FSU baseball, Marshall McDougall set the NCAA record with six home runs in a single game, and that team went on to finish runner-up at the national championship. From 2004-06, Purinton was the primary Sports Information Director for football.

Purinton has served on several College Football National Championship Game media coordination committees while working at Alabama and the Orange Bowl and was a member of the College Football 150th Anniversary Committee. He has successfully helped promote four Heisman Trophy winning campaigns (Chris Weinke at Florida State; Mark Ingram, Derrick Henry, DeVonta Smith at Alabama) along with a Campbell Trophy winner (Barrett Jones at Alabama).

Purinton is a member of the National Association of Collegiate Director of Athletics and the Football Writers Associate of America. He was a 2019 NEXT UP honoree by CollegeAD and was selected to attend the NACDA AD Mentoring Institute (2017 & 2019) and the Lead1 Institute (2018). From 2016-17, Purinton served as the athletics department coordinator for the University’s United Way campaign.

A native of Palatka, Fla., Purinton received his bachelor’s degree in sports management and master’s in athletics administration at Florida State University. He and his wife Julie have two daughters, Jillian and Josie.

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BENTONVILLE, Ark. –  Inclement weather in the Bentonville area has delayed the start of 2022 Under Armour Great American Conference Softball Championships until Saturday morning.

Thursday’s scheduled quarterfinals will now be played on Saturday with the same start times. The semifinals will take place at 11:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Sunday with the final slated for a 6 p.m. first pitch.

SATURDAY, MAY 7
Game 1 11:00 a.m. Quarterfinal #1 – No. 4 Southern Nazarene vs No. 5 Oklahoma Baptist
Game 2 1:30 p.m. Quarterfinal #2 – No. 1 Arkansas Tech vs No. 8 Arkansas-Monticello
Game 3 4:00 p.m. Quarterfinal #3 – No. 2 Southern Arkansas vs No. 7 Ouachita
Game 4 6:30 p.m. Quarterfinal #4 – No. 3 Harding vs No. 6 Southeastern Oklahoma State

SUNDAY, MAY 8
Game 5 11:00 a.m. Semifinal #1: Winner Game 1 vs Winner Game 2
Game 6 1:30 p.m. Semifinal #2: Winner Game 3 vs Winner Game 4
Game 7 6:00 p.m. Championship: Winner Game 5 vs Winner Game 6

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JONESBORO – Former Arkansas State running back and All-America return specialist Alan Lamar and tight end Ross Painter were named Wednesday to the 2022 National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) Hampshire Honor Society.

The Hampshire Honor Society is comprised of college football players from all divisions of play who each maintained a cumulative 3.2 GPA or better throughout their college careers.  A total of 1,559 players from 313 schools qualified for membership in the Society’s 16th year.

A-State has now had 31 players receive the honor all-time, including multiple selections each of the last three years.  The Red Wolves had a school-record five student-athletes earn the recognition in 2015.

A graduate transfer from Yale, Lamar’s lone season with the Red Wolves in 2021 saw him collect First Team All-Sun Belt Conference honors and earn All-America recognition as a return specialist from Pro Football Focus (PFF), Pro Football Network (PFN), Phil Steele and Sports Info Solutions (SIS).  He earned his bachelor’s degree in business from Yale and is currently pursuing his master’s in sport administration from Arkansas State University.

Painter spent the last four seasons as a member of the A-State football team, posting his first career touchdown in 2021. An A-State Athletics Director’s Honor Roll member, he earned his bachelor’s degree in sport management from Arkansas State University in December of 2020 and is currently pursuing his master’s in sport administration.

The NFF Hampshire Honor Society capitalizes on the NFF’s National Scholar-Athlete program by greatly expanding the number of scholar-athletes the NFF can recognize each year.  The program further strengthens the organization’s leadership role in encouraging academic performance by the student-athletes at the 771 college and universities with football programs nationwide.  The initiative has now honored 14,640 student-athletes since its inception.

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JONESBORO – Arkansas State Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics Tom Bowen announced Monday night that Matt Daniel has chosen to resign his position as head women’s basketball coach, effective immediately.

“I was informed tonight by Matt Daniel that he has decided to resign as our head women’s basketball coach,” Bowen said.  “I was disappointed to learn of his decision, and I was emphatic in my conversation with him that we wanted him to remain as our head coach.  While Coach Daniel’s decision to resign isn’t our Athletics Department’s desired outcome, we want to thank him for everything he did for our program as head coach and wish him the best moving forward.”

Daniel was in his third season as head coach of the A-State women’s basketball program, which has played 10 games this season.  Bowen said an interim head coach will be announced Tuesday morning.

“I want to thank Dr. (Kelly) Damphousse and Dr. (Chuck) Welch for the opportunity to serve as the head women’s basketball coach at Arkansas State,” said Daniel.  “I love A-State and NEA, and I’m proud to call Jonesboro my hometown.  Personally, I believe it is in my and my family’s best interest that I step aside and allow the athletics administration to get their coach in place.”

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MAGNOLIA – Southern Arkansas University Director of Athletics Steve Browning has announced that Alli O’Banion has been named the tenth head coach of the Mulerider Volleyball program. The official announcement was made at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, December 8. It is a homecoming of sorts for O’Banion who enjoyed a successful playing career as a right side/middle hitter for the Muleriders from 2014 to 2017.

“Our committee did an outstanding job orchestrating an extensive search in finding our next head coach of the Mulerider Volleyball program,” Browning said. “We are very familiar with Alli’s playing career and the success she had as a Mulerider, but it was also important for us to see the success she has had since leaving Magnolia. She encompasses who we are here at SAU and she understands what it means to be a Mulerider. We are very excited to bring her back home.”

Introduced for official collegiate competition in 1977, the Mulerider Volleyball program has amassed 689 wins and won four conference championships. O’Banion’s appointment as the newest leader of Mulerider Volleyball makes her the ninth head coach in the program’s NCAA Era (1995-96).

“I’d like to thank Dr. Berry and Coach Browning for giving me the opportunity to be the next head coach of SAU volleyball,” remarked O’Banion on Wednesday afternoon. “I am excited and eager to return to Mulerider Country and I look forward to working with these young athletes to start building a strong and competitive Mulerider Volleyball program.”

O’Banion’s most recent stop on her journey back to Magnolia was at NJCAA Division II Northeastern Oklahoma A&M where she served as head coach of the Lady Norse in 2020 and 2021. During her time in Miami, O’Banion led NEO to a combined record of 32-17, including an 18-9 mark this past fall, while garnering back-to-back NJCAA Region II titles. She mentored two NJCAA All-Region II performers and an NJCAA Division II All-American in her two seasons.

Prior to becoming a head coach, O’Banion was an assistant coach at Great American Conference rival Ouachita for two seasons. Primarily working with hitters and blockers, O’Banion  aided OUA to a collective 37 wins in 2018 and 2019, including a 23-9 mark in her first year with a fourth place finish in the league’s regular season and a third place result at the conference championship.

Before returning to the Great American Conference as a coach, O’Banion spent time as an intern at Logan High School in Utah from December 2017 through May 2018. She assisted the athletic department in game day operations, while working alongside the athletic director, head strength and conditioning coach and volleyball coach. During that time, she coached club volleyball at Cache Valley Volleyball Club.

A three-time All-Great American Conference Honorable Mention selection, a one-time league defensive player of the week, and a 2017 GAC All-Academic honoree as a Mulerider, O’Banion’s four seasons at Southern Arkansas were memorable. The central California native was a part of 51 wins and two conference tournament teams, including the 2015 squad which reached the GAC Tournament finals for the first time in program history.

In her time as a Mulerider, O’Banion played in a program-best 470 career sets making 107 starts in 126 matches played; the second-most all-time. She is one of just two players in the program’s rally scoring era to eclipse 1,000 kills and 300 total blocks in a career. Her career totals in kills (1,023), total blocks (314), total points (1,208.0) and attack attempts (2,783) all rank third all-time in program history, while her 274 career block assists are the most ever by a Mulerider. As a senior, O’Banion became the eighth player in Great American Conference Volleyball history to reach 1,000 career kills and the seventh to record 300 total blocks.

The lone Mulerider to receive All-GAC recognition three times, O’Banion capped her playing career in Magnolia with 34 double-figure kill performances and 56 matches with at least 3.0 total blocks. In the final two matches of her career she produced attack percentages of .361 and .311 respectively to vault herself into the top ten all-time in career attack percentage at .201.

In May of 2018, O’Banion received her Bachelor of Science in Sports Management & Human Performance from Southern Arkansas University. Two years later, she earned a Master of Science in Sports Administration from Henderson State University.

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CONWAY – Central Baptist College Athletic Director Lyle Middleton has announced the hiring of Sam Kohnke as the head men’s basketball coach. Kohnke becomes the sixth head coach of the NAIA era for the Mustangs.

“This is an opportunity that I’m super excited for and couldn’t pass up,” said Kohnke. “This is an incredible honor. Coaching is something I’ve wanted to do since I was in seventh or eighth grade. To get this opportunity at a place like CBC in a community like CBC is amazing. I’m not taking this for granted and I’m looking forward to getting started!”

Kohnke returns to CBC after serving as a Graduate Assistant coach at the University of North Texas since June. He served as an assistant coach on last season’s Mustang team that went 19-7 overall, won the American Midwest Conference tournament championship (by a record 35 points), and played in the NAIA National Tournament for the third time. He helped coach a pair of NAIA Honorable Mention All-Americans (Tedrick Wolfe and Kelvin Robinson) and four players total (Wolfe, Robinson, Zach Hudson and Brevin Brimble (SR/Colorado Springs, Colo.)) that were All-AMC honorees.

“I’m excited to have Sam as part of the Mustang family,” said Middleton. “Sam is a dedicated coach, strong recruiter, and mentor who will lead these young men to new heights. This program has been on top of the AMC for the last four years and I believe Sam will continue the climb for excellence!”

Kohnke has prior head coaching experience at his alma mater, Millsaps College, where he served as the interim head coach during the summer of 2020. Prior to his stint as the interim head coach, he served as the associate head coach at Millsaps, helping the Majors win 17 games and record their first winning season in 12 years. He also coached five All-Southern Athletic Association selections including the Defensive Player of the Year. During the 2018-19 season, Kohnke coached eight All-SAA Academic team selections and organized a team trip to Costa Rica.

Prior to arriving at Millsaps, Kohnke, a New Orleans native, worked as a volunteer assistant coach at Tulane under former NBA head coach Mike Dunleavy. He earned his Bachelor of Art Degree in Philosophy from Millsaps in 2018 and played basketball at both Millsaps and Loyola New Orleans.

“Coach Kohnke made a great impact on our program,” said Grant McCasland, University of North Texas head coach. “He understands that winning basketball games in an everyday approach of working hard to help others be the best they can be. He’s got experience as a player and a coach but is humble and always trying to improve. He cares about doing it right and won’t take shortcuts. We’re excited he has this opportunity and are grateful for his time with us.”

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JONESBORO – With the Arkansas State football team’s first season under new head coach Butch Jones set to kickoff in just under a month, the Red Wolves reported for fall camp Thursday at the Centennial Bank Athletics Operations Center.

Jones and his staff will lead an A-State squad that features 60 returning lettermen and over 50 newcomers through its first of 15 fall-camp practices on Friday afternoon.  The Red Wolves will conduct a pair of scrimmages August 14 and 21, while also holding its annual Media Day Aug. 19, before classes at Arkansas State University begin on Aug. 24.

“Our players have worked exceptionally hard since the conclusion of spring football,” Jones said.  “Everyone in our organization is looking forward to the start of camp and continuing the process of improving each and every day.  We must display consistency every practice to make those improvements as we continue our preparations for the season.”

A-State, which was predicted to finish second in the Sun Belt Conference’s West Division according to the league’s preseason coaches poll, will kickoff its 2021 campaign on Sept. 4 with a home game against Central Arkansas.  Hosting Memphis a week later, the Red Wolves will begin their season with back-to-back games at Centennial Bank Stadium for the first time since 1987.

Jones, A-State’s 31st all-time head coach, takes over a program that posted a 4-7 record in 2020, but had previously posted nine consecutive bowl-game appearances and won five Sun Belt Conference championships between 2011-19.

Between Athlon Sports, Phil Steele’s, College Football News and Pro Football Focus, 13 different A-State players this season have received preseason All-Sun Belt Conference recognition.

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NORMAN, Okla. – A few short months after guiding his Wonder Boys golf team to their first-ever National Championship, it is finally official that Luke Calcatera is the NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year as it was announced by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) on Wednesday that he is the recipient of the 2021 Dave Williams Award, presented by Golf Pride Grips.

A finalist for the award in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, Calcatera and his Wonder Boys team put together a dominant 2021 season that culminated in the historic National Championship.

During the 2021 season, the Wonder Boys took part in seven regular season tournaments, finishing in the top-five in each tournament and winning three. In post-season play, the Wonder Boys were equally as dominant beginning with a 13-stroke margin of victory in the GAC Championship Tournament to capture their second-straight conference title. At the regional, the Wonder Boys finished third to qualify for their fourth-straight National Championship Tournament.

In each of their previous three trips to the national tournament, the Wonder Boys advanced to medal match play. This year was no different in that regard, but the Wonder Boys did exceed prior achievements as they finished second overall in stroke play to earn their highest seed ever in medal match play.

In their quarterfinal round match, Calcatera and the Wonder Boys took down Central Region Champion, Central Missouri to advance to the program’s second-ever semifinal round. In that round, the Wonder Boys were paired up with perennial powerhouse West Florida, who had spent much of the year as the No. 1-ranked team according to Golfstat.

The Wonder Boys, who at that point had rose to the No. 4-national ranking according to GolfStat, were unfazed by facing the Argonauts and exacted a bit of revenge as they were swept by West Florida in the quarterfinal match back in 2019. In 2021, the Wonder Boys were in position to return the favor with a sweep, but UWF managed to win a match and draw another to make the overall team match appear close, 3-1-1.

The overall dominant performance in the semifinals propelled the Wonder Boys into their title match with Georgia Southwestern.

Fitting for a National Championship match, the overall team match was not decided until the very end and came down to the final individual match and the final two holes, of which Calcatera and the Wonder Boys would emerge victorious.

In addition to the team achievements on the course in 2021, Calcatera and his lineup of golfers racked up individual honors from the conference level to the national level. At the conference level, Calcatera won his fifth GAC Coach of the Year while all five golfers earned all-conference honors. At the regional level, four of the five golfers earned all-region honors and at the national level, the Wonder Boys had four earn All-America honors as well.

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JONESBORO – Arkansas State quarterback Layne Hatcher, a 2020 All-Sun Belt Conference selection ranked among the top seven players in school history for both career passing touchdowns and yards, was named Monday to the 2021 Maxwell Award Watch List.

The Maxwell Award, sponsored by Mammoth Tech and The Athletes’ Corner, is presented annually to the outstanding player in college football.  Hatcher is one of 80 players from across the nation to earn a spot on the watch list for the prestigious award.

Hatcher becomes the fourth player in Arkansas State history to be named to the Maxwell Award Watch List, joining wide receiver Kirk Merritt (2019) and quarterbacks Justice Hansen (2018) and Fredi Knighten (2015).

The Little Rock, Ark., native enters the 2021 season with 5,065 career yards of total offense for the ninth most in school history, while his 46 passing touchdowns and 5,004 passing yards recorded over his first two seasons with the Red Wolves stand as the fifth (tied) and seventh most, respectively.

Last season, Hatcher was tabbed a two-time Manning Award Star of the Week while leading the nation in passing yards per completion (17.74).  He ranked seventh in the nation in pass efficiency (179.2) and 20th in passing touchdowns (19).

Hatcher has also been named a 2021 PFF Preseason Second Team All-Sun Belt selection, while finding a place on the Athlon Sports preseason all-conference squad as well.

The Maxwell Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football.  Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 25 awards now boast over 800 recipients, dating to 1935.

Season tickets for the Red Wolves’ 2021 campaign are available for purchase through the A-State Ticket Office, located at First National Bank Arena’s lower red entrance, in person, by phone at 870-972-2781 or online at AStateRedWolves.com

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