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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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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Stanton has also been equally involved in service. He was an active member and usher at One Church in Conway, and was a part of the disaster relief team, Convoy of Hope, working the tornado relief efforts in Vilonia. Additionally, he served as a coach and disciple for the American Football Mission Camp to Czech Republic. He also has been a Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership ambassador from 2011-2016, and was the co-founder and vice president of the Hendrix College Fishing Team.

In a joint effort to honor the Southern Athletic Association’s most elite student-athletes, Summit Management Corporation and the SAA partnered to create the annual SAA Man and Woman of the Year. The awards, selected by a committee comprised of Summit Management and SAA representatives, are given to the senior class male and female nominees who best exemplify traits of leadership, character, athletic and academic success.

The criteria for SAA Man and Woman of the Year nominees included that they must be a senior with no eligibility remaining, they must have been named First Team All-SAA in the sport in which in the participated during their athletic careers, and they must have qualified for the SAA Academic Honor Roll during their tenure as a student-athlete. Additionally, SAA Man and Woman of the Year candidates are expected to be involved in their local community in some meaningful way.

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CONWAY – Hendrix College junior right fielder Matthew Lillard was named to the D3baseball.com National Team of the Week on Tuesday.

He hit .667 (8-for-12) with six runs, six RBI, two doubles and two home runs as the Warriors went 3-0 on the week. In Wednesday’s 8-7 win against Ozarks, the Dallas native went 2-for-4, including a double and home run, with three RBI. Lillard was 3-for-4 with a double, RBI and two runs scored in Saturday’s 14-3 win at Oglethorpe.

He capped the week by going 3-for-4 with three runs, two RBI and a solo home run in a 10-8 victory over the Petrels. For the week, Lillard had a .714 on-base percentage and 1.333 slugging percentage.

Hendrix will open the SAA Tournament in Memphis on Friday against Millsaps at 2:30 p.m.

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ATLANTA, Ga. – The Hendrix College men’s lacrosse team dominated Oglethorpe University 26-5 in Southern Athletic Association action Sunday.

The Warriors (7-5, 2-2) tied their program wins record and scored the third most goals in school history.

The Stormy Petrels (1-12, 0-4) scored the first goal 4:20 into the contest, but the Orange & Black answered with a 14-1 run over the rest of the half. Hendrix scored seven unanswered goals in the third and early in the fourth to go up 22-2. OU found the cage three times in a row, but Hendrix netted the final four goals of the game for the 26-5 victory.

For the game, Hendrix recorded 26 goals, 13 assists, 71 shots, 48 on goal, 60 ground balls, won 30 faceoffs, 14 turnovers and 11 caused turnovers while going 15-of-17 on clears. Oglethorpe had five goals, two assists, 17 shots, seven on goal, 21 ground balls, five faceoffs, 23 turnovers and five caused turnovers while going 13-of-17 on clears.

Hendrix Notes
– Freshman midfielder Elias Ramos went 18-of-21 on faceoffs, tie for the fourth most won in school history. He also had a goal, an assist and seven ground balls.
– Junior midfielder Tucker Holihan was 12-of-13 on faceoffs with nine ground balls and a goal.
– Senior Alex Ortenstone recorded three goals and three assists.
– Sophomore attacker Matt Latham scored four times with five ground balls.
– Freshmen Brendan Rolland and Allen Weber each had three goals and two assists.
– Freshman T. Michael Thomas recorded two goals, two assists, six ground balls and caused a turnover.
– Alex Wood, Drew Scanlan, Graham Marcus, Jason Blatt, Owen Morse, Cullen Robinette and Thomas Adamo also had a goal a piece.
– Junior defenseman Reed Mershon had an assist and three caused turnovers.
– Sophomore Andrew Davidson had a goal and an assist.
– Adamo caused a pair of turnovers.
– Sophomore Dominic Dachile recorded three caused turnovers and three ground balls.
– Marcus and Blatt each picked up six ground balls.
– Sophomore Russell Riley recorded two saves in 21 scoreless minutes in goal.

Oglethorpe Notes
– Nathaniel Gillespie led the Petrels with two goals.
– Tyler Stridiron had a goal, an assist, six ground balls and three caused turnovers.
– Andrew Houghton recorded a goal and an assist.
– Sulton Rahim also scored a goal.
– Andrew Kwapil picked up six ground balls.
– Sean Merritt had 22 saves in goal.

Up Next
Hendrix will face Birmingham-Southern College on in conference action on the road Saturday.

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TEXARKANA, Texas – The Hendrix College baseball team lost to Austin College 9-4 in Texarkana, Texas at Tiger Field Wednesday afternoon.

The Kangaroos (5-15) outhit the Warriors (7-10) 15-9. The Hendrix pitching staff did manage to strike out 11 batters.

Austin scored in the bottom of the second when second baseman Seth Howard singled and later scored on a base hit from center fielder Oscar Hernandez.

Hendrix tied it up in the fifth when senior catcher James Martin led off with a single, stole second and advanced to third on error on the attempt. Martin crossed the plate on a passed ball by the ‘Roo catcher.

Austin went up 3-1 in the bottom of the fifth after two runs were scored on two hits, an error and a passed ball. They added three more runs in sixth when first baseman Scott Gelbart hit a double with the bases loaded that brought everyone home.

In the top of the seventh, sophomore third baseman Dylan Bowers and sophomore shortstop Jorge Leon hit back-to-back singles. Junior right fielder Drew Judson followed with triple off the center field wall to make the game 6-3. Judson scored on a passed ball, cutting the deficit to two runs.

Brett Taff recorded a two-run double and later stole home in the bottom of the eighth to give Austin the 9-4 win.

Hendrix used seven different pitchers with freshman reliever Hayden Seay (0-1) taking the loss. Taff (1-1) earned the win by allowing five hits, an unearned run, a walk and two strikeouts over five frames. Gonzalez picked up a four-inning save, giving up four hits, two earned runs, two walks and three strikeouts.

Hendrix Notes
– Leon went 3-for-5 with a pair of stolen bases.
– Judson drove in two runs with the triple.
– Sophomore second baseman Tanner Cooper had a pair of hits.
– Bowers singled and scored.
– Martin had a hit, a stolen base and a run.
– Junior first baseman Jakie Wiegand also posted a single.
– Freshman reliever Skylar Furey struck out two batters in a perfect fourth inning.

Austin Notes
– Taff went 3-for-5 with two runs, two RBI and a stolen base.
– Catcher Michael Winterrowd was 3-for-5 with a RBI and a double.
– Gelbart drove in three runs with his double.
– Gonzalez was 2-for-4 with a stolen base, run scored and RBI.
– Left fielder Thomas Oberg was 2-for-4 with two runs.

Up Next
Hendrix will take on Sewanee at home in a Southern Athletic Association series beginning Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Hendrix College women’s basketball team won the Southern Athletic Association Tournament by knocking off top-seeded Birmingham-Southern College 60-55 at Bill Battle Coliseum Sunday afternoon.

With the win, the third-seeded Warriors (18-10) qualify for the NCAA Division III Tournament for the fourth time in program history, joining the 1996, 1997 and 2000 squads to make it.

The host Panthers (17-11) jumped out to an 18-4 lead and led 20-11 at the end of the first quarter. Hendrix fought back to cut the deficit to 27-24 at halftime.

The Warriors started the third quarter with a 7-0 run to take a 31-27 advantage with 6:36 left in the period and would lead 46-44 headed into the final quarter. BSC took a 55-53 lead with three minutes remaining in the game. Hendrix scored the final seven points of the game with junior forward Heather Prowse tying it up, then junior center Sara Dyslin putting the Orange & Black up with a layup  at the 1:10 mark.

Prowse, who was named the tournament MVP, went 3-for-4 at the line in the final 11 seconds of the game to put the game out of reach for the Panthers.

For the game, the Warriors shot 37.7 percent (20-of-53) from the field, 6-of-18 from three-point range and 14-of-18 at the free throw line. They also recorded 30 rebounds, five assists, nine turnovers, three blocks and 10 steals. The Panthers shots 41.7 percent (20-of-48) overall, 7-of-15 from three-point territory, 8-of-12 at the line and had 33 boards, eight assists, 14 turnovers, two blocks and three steals.

Hendrix Notes
– Prowse scored a season-high 20 points with nine rebounds to lead the Warriors.
– Dyslin, who was named to the All-Tournament Team, had 13 points, six rebounds and a blocked shots.
– Junior center Madison Martin added nine points, seven boards, a block and a steal off the bench.
– Leah Smith and Leah Boehl each scored six points.
– Freshman guard Amber Turner had a season-high five steals to go with three points and three rebounds.
– Senior guard Hailey Bode registered three points, two rebounds, a block and a pair of steals.
– Sophomore forward Maddie Anderson had two assists and two steals.

Birmingham-Southern Notes
– Emilee Olsen led the Panthers with 11 points and seven rebounds.
– Laura Van Peursem tallied eight points, five boards, three assists and a block.
– Jothani Dixon and Jameice Holmes each scored nine points.
– Camillia Carter had eight points, five rebounds and three assists.

Up Next
Hendrix will find out their destination in the NCAA Division III Tournament on the selection show at 1:30 p.m. Monday. The selection show can be seen at http://www.ncaa.com/liveschedule.

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CONWAY – Hendrix College junior Sara Dyslin was named the Southern Athletic Association Women’s Basketball Player of the Year for the second consecutive year on Friday. Dyslin also made the All-SAA First Team, while junior Heather Prowse was selected to the Second Team and junior Madison Martin earned Honorable Mention.

Dyslin, a center from San Jose, Calif., averaged 18 points and 12.3 rebounds per game with 22 assists, 35 blocks and 27 steals. She ranks 67th in the nation in scoring, 19th in rebounds per game and 33rd in field goal percentage (55.1 percent). Dyslin leads the conference in rebounds and field goal percentage, is second in scoring and fourth in blocks per game.

Dyslin is the second two-time conference player of the year for Hendrix and the first since Lauren Turnbow earned Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference honors in 1997 and 1998. Dyslin is also the reigning SAA Volleyball Player of the Year.

Prowse, a forward from Mount Vernon, Ark., averaged 8.4 points and 6.5 rebounds per game with 56 assists, seven blocks and 36 steals. She ranked seventh in the league in steals per game and ninth in rebounds and assists per game. Prowse was an All-SAA Honorable Mention in 2016.

Martin, from Longview, Texas, averaged 9.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game with 23 assists, 12 blocks and nine steals. She ranked eighth in the SAA in field goal percentage (41.6) and seventh in rebounds per game.

Hendrix will open the SAA Tournament with sixth-seeded Berry College in Birmingham, Ala. at 8 p.m. Friday.

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CONWAY – Hendrix College senior Hank Aldous was named the Southern Athletic Association Men’s Basketball Player of the Year on Friday. Aldous also was selected to the All-SAA First Team and sophomore Preston Smith was named to the Second Team.

Aldous, a guard from Dallas, led the league in scoring with 16.8 points per game. He also was third with 6.8 rebounds per game, ninth with 66 assists and sixth with 20 blocks. He shot 45.3 percent (121-of-267) from the field and recorded 25 steals. Aldous was selected as an All-SAA Honorable Mention in 2015.

Aldous is the first conference player of the year in men’s basketball for Hendrix since Jason Rhodes was the 1995-96 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference top player.

Smith, a guard from McKinney, Texas, averaged 15.9 points per game with 47 assists, 80 rebounds, eight blocks and 25 steals. He ranked fourth in the nation with a 49.4 (78-of-158) three-point field goal percentage and was 32nd in three-pointers made. Smith led the SAA in three-point percentage, was third in scoring and 10th in free throw percentage (75.2 percent).

The Warriors, who are the fifth-seed in the SAA Tournament, will take on fourth-seeded Sewanee in the first round at 3 p.m. in Memphis, Tenn.

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CONWAY – The Hendrix College football team closed out their 2016 campaign in dominant fashion, defeating Sewanee – The University of the South 62-14 at Young-Wise Memorial Stadium Saturday afternoon.

The Warriors (7-3, 5-3 Southern Athletic Association) racked up 609 yards on 55 plays for a school record 11.1 yards per play. The Orange & Black defense limited the Tigers (0-10, 0-8) 340 yards on 79 plays, for a 4.3 average. The Hendrix defense also tied the school record with 13 tackles for loss.

Sewanee turned it over on downs on the opening drive of the game and Hendrix scored three plays on a Seth Peters pass to senior tight end Doug Phillips for 12 yards. The Tigers used a 13-play 74-yard drive capped by a three-yard keeper from quarterback Sam Hearn to tie it up.

The Warriors opened the second quarter with a five-yard pass to junior Nate Hodapp to take the lead for good. Senior defensive end Tyler Clifton sacked Hearn for nine yards and caused a fumble, which led the Tigers punt being blocked by freshman Trace Sugg, giving Hendrix just 30 yards to go for another touchdown. Back-to-back 15-yard passes to Hodapp resulted in the home team taking a 21-7 lead early in the second. Hendrix scored again on their next drive when Peters found junior Ben Luedtke for a two-yard score.

Sewanee punted to Dayton Winn who returned it for a 53-yard touchdown, the first punt return TD in school history to give Hendrix a 35-7 lead just before halftime.

The Warriors scored on the first drive of the second half when Hodapp caught a pass for a 36-yard score. Later in the quarter, sophomore Michael Spainhour found the end zone on a 26-yard pass from Peters to put Hendrix up 49-7. The Tigers’ ball was stripped by junior Jake Brantley and picked up junior Kody Smith who returned the fumble for a school record 47 yards. Two plays later Peters foundDayton Winn for a 47-yard pass to go up 55-7.

Sewanee made the game 55-14 early in the fourth quarter on a Allan Puri 11-yard pass to Steven Hearn. Hendrix tacked on their final score when Winn flicked a five-yard pass to Clifton with 8:32 left in the game.

The game was the final in the career of 28 seniors for Hendrix – Gray Stanton, Taylor Tibbits, Peters, Winn, Clifton, Phillips, Caleb Brake, Dillon Wade, Steve Crenshaw, Matt Ramirez, Ethan Hoppe, Ben Cunningam, Shaquille Grant, John Donald, Harrison Newton, Thomas Eddlemon, Alex Atchley, Trent Middleton, Max Cassidy, Jared Lincoln, Zach Tuttle, Brooks Billings, Spencer Smith, Mark Hickey, Jake Falleur, Stephen Stearman, student assistant Tyler Austin and student assistant Gregory Kelley.

Hendrix Notes
– The Warriors compiled 6,000 yards of total offense this season, averaging a new NCAA Division III record of 600 yards per game.
– Their 62 points was the most since bringing back the program in 2013.
– Peters went 23-of-27 passing for 414 yards and a school record seven touchdowns. He also set a school record with a 296.5 pass efficiency and 14.4 yards of total offense per play.
– Winn rushed 10 times for 65 yards, was 1-of-1 passing for five yards and a TD and had four catches for 77 yards and a touchdown.
– Hodapp finished with five catches for 91 yards and tied the school mark with three touchdowns.
– Hoppe had four catches for 114 yards.
– Stanton tied his career high with 10 tackles, 3.5 for a loss, and two sacks.
– Ramirez and junior linebacker Jared Goff each had nine tackles.
– Smith finished with eight tackles, as did Brantley and junior safety Michael Kramer.
– Clifton recorded seven tackles, 3.5 for a loss, a sack and a forced fumble.

Sewanee Notes
– Hearn went 16-of-24 for 146 yards.
– Mikey Plancher had 24 carries for 85 yards.
– Tony Dykes led the defense with nine tackles.
– Hayden Reece had eight tackles.

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