Jones was redshirted during his Freshman year, but the amount of recognition he has received this year definitely makes up for it. Jones was honored with the award of Silver Medalist in the Sun Belt Conference and has broken U-A Little Rock鈥檚 school record a stunning total of four times.

Jones is also the school record holder for indoor and outdoor, tied for 17th in the nation for indoor, and notably cleared 7鈥�1 (2.16 meters) at the South Alabama Invitational in February of this year.

Of course, to get this type of recognition and earn these levels of success, work has to be put in behind the scenes. At times it can be difficult, but Jones says that he faces these challenges head-on by living by the mantra, 鈥淏elieve in yourself because hard work is worthless for those that don鈥檛 believe in themselves.鈥�

Undoubtedly, Johnathan Jones is an athlete to watch out for. His skills and potential are more than impressive, and he can only continue to become greater.

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This was their first game after the upsetting PK loss in the Sunbelt Conference tournament against South Alabama in November. The Oklahoma Cowgirls came in hot scoring their first goal at minute eight from a corner kick that gave them the momentum to continue on to their second goal of the match at minute 26. 

The pressure was on, but Saskia Wagner, the Trojans鈥� goalkeeper, had five outstanding saves that really showed her determination throughout the game. Regardless of the heat OSU brought, Wagner was there to cool it down. 

With a missed penalty at minute 29 and another goal from the Cowgirls minute 41, Oklahoma was leading 2-0 at the end of the first half. However, the Trojans were still hopeful for what the next 45 minutes could bring. 

Moving on to the second half, Wagner had a huge safe that kept the score at 2-0 but just seven minutes later, at minute 57, the Cowgirls netted their third goal of the game. At minute 84, the Trojans had a wonderful scoring opportunity but with the extensive dive, the Cowgirls鈥� goalkeeper had, their attempt fell short. 

The Trojans were on the defense for much of the game but still attempted seven shots and of those, four were shots on goal. 

Follow the Trojans on the road to Jonesboro for their second game of the spring season on Saturday, March 6 at 2 p.m. against the Arkansas State Wolves.

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Cameron Jackson, a sprinter for the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, has been recognized with the Freshman of the Year award for the 2021 Sun Belt Conference Indoor Track Awards. He is the first freshman in the history of 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock to receive this award.

鈥淚t means a lot considering I am the first freshman to get the award but hopefully not the last. My coach had kind of warned me. He texted me one night 鈥楬ey, be checking Sun Belt media tomorrow, exciting news is coming,鈥欌�� said Jackson. 鈥淚 think the anticipation of him figuring out who Freshman of the Year was greater than mine. It鈥檚 pretty great, definitely couldn鈥檛 have done it without God, my family and my team.鈥�

Jackson runs as the anchor in the 4×1 relay, 100m and 200m outdoor races and 60m and 200m indoor races. The award came after the race at the indoor conference championship meet where Jackson ran a 6.75 sec 60m race.

Many athletes discover their talent at a young age and develop it as they grow. However, that was not the case with Jackson. He tried many sports and ultimately decided to focus on track his last year of middle school and because of his talent, practicing in college was a goal of his.

鈥淚t鈥檚 the [knowledge that you are good at it,鈥� said Jackson. 鈥淵ou are capable of competing at the collegiate level as well as the lifestyle that I have always wanted for myself.鈥�

Coming from Kilgore, a small town in east Texas, Jackson knew that challenges laid ahead when moving to college, especially due to the closeness of his family. His father had a significant impact on him developing his skills as a runner. However, when he came to visit 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, he felt comfortable and at home.

鈥淐oach [Behnke] found a way to let me know that he was always there,鈥� said Jackson. 鈥溾�業f you have any questions about the recruiting process let me know, I am not going to rush you into the process.鈥� Most of my other schools were like 鈥榳e are going to offer, and we need an answer within a week.鈥� Coach Behnke was like 鈥榳ell take your time, we do hope you choose us鈥� and he was really adamant about getting me here and him constantly checking in, calling, even the small things, just let me know that he really wanted me to be at this university.鈥�

Jackson had several great college options but in visiting 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, Coach Behnke was the deciding factor in him committing. Behnke has also had a positive impact on Jackson and developing his skills into a more well-rounded athlete and sprinter. His selflessness as a coach has also influenced Jackson into becoming more self-aware.

鈥淲hen you come from watching your coach put everybody, 80, 90 people ahead of himself all the time, it really changes your point of view of how you view a lot of things and how you react to a lot of situations,鈥� said Jackson. 鈥淏ehnke has always kept his cool, kept his calm, everything he handles in a professional manner. So after watching him do that constantly, it just drives me even more to be a better person.鈥�

Jackson knows that he has made history with this accomplishment, but he is just getting started. He has various goals that he hopes to accomplish in the next three years of his academic and athletic career at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock.

鈥淸Some] goals that I鈥檓 hoping to have accomplished by the end of my career at 糖心Vlog传媒LR include successfully getting my degree, making new family members instead of just teammates, and winning a conference title,鈥� said Jackson.

Aside from Jackson鈥檚 award, the Trojans received six all-conference honors, the most the program has received since 2011.

Jackson has so much future ahead of him and he is excited and optimistic for what is to come.

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The Trojans showed improvement throughout the game with multiple attempts on goal and freshman goalkeeper, Saskia Wagner, once again, shining through with her ability to keep the game afloat. She blocked a total of seven shots on goal with five being in the first half. 

Thirty minutes into the first half and six shots on goal later, the Red Wolves attempted a long shot that snuck into the top left corner, making it almost impossible for Wagner to block. The Red Wolves were now leading 1-0 but the Trojans continued fighting. 

The last 15 minutes saw some action with a few shots on goal by the Trojan and a few fouls committed by the Red Wolves. 

With the second half in full swing, the Trojans were playing tough, and the defense really showed character and was not letting anything through. They only saw about five shots on goal and two that were skillfully stopped by Wagner. 

The Trojans showed tenacity and hard work throughout the game. They are excited to continue improving their skills and teamwork while playing against competitive teams. 

Little Rock is traveling just an hour south to Pine Bluff on Tuesday, March 16 to take on the 糖心Vlog传媒PB Golden Lions at 3 p.m.

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Battle hit three back-to-back 3-pointers to get Little Rock back from a deficit and force an overtime period.

鈥淚 knew I had to score since they were packing the paint up a little bit and they were just kind of leaving the arc open,鈥� Battle said. 鈥淎s it went in, I had to keep my composure. I couldn鈥檛 get too hype, couldn鈥檛 get too excited. I had to move to the next play, because the game isn鈥檛 over until the horn goes completely off.鈥�

She extended that hot shooting into overtime, hitting another pair of 3-pointers, which led her to a career-best scoring output and her first double-double of the season as she added 11 rebounds.

With the win, Little Rock (12-7, 8-4 Sun Belt) swept the rivalry weekend series over Arkansas State (9-9, 4-8), while the Red Wolves lost their seventh-straight game. The Trojans also continued their perfect record at home against A-State as the Red Wolves are winless all-time at the Jack Stephens Center.

Freshman guard Tia Harvey exceeded her career high for the second straight game, scoring 16 points. Senior forward Krystan Vornes almost closed out her senior night game with a double-double, scoring 12 points and nine rebounds. Vornes鈥� performance was critical in overtime, hitting four out of four free throws down the stretch refusing A-State to come back.

Trinitee Jackson led A-State with 13 points, followed by Payton Martin with 12 points. Martin, who entered the weekend with over 1,000 career points, was unable to provide another scoring option for the Red Wolves in overtime after fouling out. It was a tough loss for the Red Wolves. Head coach Matt Daniel was way more pleased with the fight in Saturday鈥檚 game, although it didn鈥檛 make the loss easier.

鈥淚t stung more in the locker room today. The reason it stung more is because we invested more,鈥� Daniel said.

The Little Rock seniors had an outstanding performance Saturday, refusing to lose on their senior night against the Red Wolves. Little Rock head coach Joe Foley couldn鈥檛 be more proud of his two senior stepping up.

鈥淕reat night for the seniors, [Vornes] hit big free throws and Teal hit big three鈥檚 so I can鈥檛 even express enough how much I appreciate those seniors.鈥�

Little Rock now travels to Monroe for a two-game Sun Belt Conference series starting Feb. 19 at 3 p.m.

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The Red Wolves were scoring well over 50% and kept a lead of 10 plus points in the first half, but the Trojans kept fighting and closed the gap to two points in the last eight minutes. Junior forward Nikola Maric tied the game with a layup 65-65, with only 40 seconds left in the game. A-State player Christian Willis shot a jumper in the last 10 seconds bringing the score up to 67-65 with no time left for the Trojans to score more points.

Little Rock has 17 double-doubles this season, while ranked second nationally. Three teams in Little Rock鈥檚 conference are in the top-10 of double-doubles, Arkansas State is ranked sixth. Little Rock鈥檚 defense has been very important. They held opponents under 70 points in nine of the last 11 games, while making that 10 out of 13 games after this weekend. However, they are struggling to find their touch for shooting, getting an average of 64 points a game.

One of the most consistent players on the team, Maric, led the Trojans with 16 points. Maric was followed by White. He played an unbelievable ball game, getting a career high of 15 points while scoring 10 out of the 15 points in the second half. Senior guard Ben Coupet Jr. had a career high of 8 rebounds. Coupet is ranked fourth on the team averaging 9.5 points a game, scoring 7 points in Saturday鈥檚 game. Other Trojans (10-11, 6-8 Sun Belt Conference) scoring double figures were sophomore guard Marko Lukic with 14 points, and senior forward Ruot Monyyong with 13 points. Monyyong also added five rebounds, while being the Sun Belt鈥檚 active leader in rebounds.

Arkansas State(10-9, 7-5 Sun Belt Conference) had a 3-pointer field goal percentage of 50% while Little Rock only had a percentage of 32%. They had two players scoring double digits. Willis had a total of 12 points, while Marquis Eaton led the Red Wolves with 23 points. A-State’s top rebounder Omier got fouled out in the last two minutes of the game, having a total of six rebounds. Arkansas State鈥檚 rebounding threat Norchad Omier and Little Rock鈥檚 Monyyong challenged each other in the rivalry games this weekend. Omier ranks top five in the Sun Belt conference in rebounds per game, while Monyyong ranks seventh.

The Trojans put up a fight, but it wasn鈥檛 enough this weekend. They will have a chance to break their losing streak when they play against ULM in Monroe. Little Rock will be playing: Fri. Feb. 19th at 6 P.M. and Sat. Feb. 20th at 4 P.M.

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After 347 days, Little Rock鈥檚 baseball team can finally start their season with a game against the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles, which was taken away last year due to the coronavirus. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 really put words onto how much it means to play a game,” Senior pitcher Aaron Funk said. “Being back on the field like that was unreal, it was awesome.鈥�

Funk had five straight innings of scoreless pitching, while only allowing one hit. Funk received Sun Belt鈥檚 Preseason Pitcher of the year, and he led last year’s league with 31.1 innings pitched while he was ranked 26th nationally with 37 strikeouts. In Sunday’s game, he had a total of five strikeouts in five innings.

The Trojans had a total of four runs, with Graduate Student and infielder Chris Prentiss scoring two of them. In the previous two seasons, he played at Jackson State University batting .322 as a senior in 15 games. Prentiss received First team All-SWAC selection his junior year while batting .381 with 61 hits.

ORU infielder Caleb Denny scored the first run for their team in the sixth inning to tie up the game. Denny also hit a home run in the eighth inning, trying to get his team back in the game, bringing the score up to 3-2 for the Trojans. The red shirt freshman received Summit League Preseason Freshman of the year and Perfect Game Preseason Summit League Freshman of the year in 2020.

Sophomore center fielder Tyler Williams hit a bunt in the top of the seventh inning to make ORU scrabble to get the ball to a base. This allowed for Canyon McWilliams to score, bringing the Trojans back in the lead. Williams had scouts looking at him nationally his freshman year, batting .220 with two doubles, a triple and a home run while also stealing four bases.

Eldridge Figueroa doubled in the ninth inning, allowing Nathan Lyons to get his first run of the season. Eight Trojans registered a hit, Figueroa leading with a total of three hits followed by Noah Dickerson with two.

糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Senior Pitcher Hayden Arnold had the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning, finishing out the game pitching a total of six strikeouts in four innings. Hayden pitched four balls, allowing ORU’s B Gibson to walk to first base, advancing every player to the next base. This way Jake McMurray was able to score ORU鈥檚 third and final run.

Arnold still closed out the game with a win when ORU鈥檚 batter hit a fly ball in the hands of infielder Miguel Soto. The Trojans win their first game of the season 4-3.  鈥淏eing able to play and getting over here and getting the win, we鈥檙e very proud and fortunate.鈥� Coach Chris Curry said while showing his gratitude towards game host Oral Roberts.

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In an interview at the end of the match, head coach Niel Erisman expressed his thoughts. 

“Even though it was a tough night, we had some individuals that I thought did pretty well,” he said. “Guys like Triston closed the gap and learned a lot about what they can and can’t do. It was a good experience, it was a tough experience, and it was hard, but it was much needed.”

糖心Vlog传媒-Little Rock is home to the one and only NCAA Division 1 wrestling program in Arkansas. The program began in 2018, and this year, they won their first D1 match in the history of the program against Fresno State. 

The team has seen ongoing success including the NCAA Coaches Ranking of Paul Bianchi, a senior on the team, at number 26. On Jan 31, senior day, Bianchi gave the team some recognition with his 3-0 win against some of the best teams in the conference. 

Now the team is preparing for the 2021 Pac-12 Championships. This year, the conference tournament will take place in Corvallis, hosted by Oregon State. 

The conference tournament begins this Sunday, Feb 28 at 1:30 p.m. central time. Don鈥檛 miss out on the Trojans as they wrestle for that championship. 

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There were many highlights from this meet with Arkansas-Little Rock student athletes. Competing against fifteen other strong southern schools in the NCAA only made the Trojans look more intimidating. Multiple athletes broke personal and school records to set forth new ones: allowing the team to place high in the NCAA. 

In men’s high jumping, sophomore Johnathon Jones not only set a new Personal Record of 7鈥�1, but is now ranked second in the Sun Belt conference and eighth nationally. This is extremely impressive considering he had red-shirted last indoor season competing unattached with a PR of 6鈥�11.50. Compared to his competition, Jones feels he is in a good place right now to remain in the top ten, but has plenty of work ahead of him if he wants to make top five. Despite a recent obstacle that has presented itself in the form of a nagging knee problem ,with proper care, Jones will be able to overcome this injury to have a great conference.

An intersquad battle ensued during the 800 meter men’s race as sophomore Colby Swecker, junior Ricardo Banks , and freshman Logan Nelson gave the other schools a run for their money. The first 200 is well-known as the hardest part of the 800 as it can not be run too fast or the runner will suffer later on. As the men stayed relaxed for the first 400 as they should, Swecker was feeling confident and made a move to pass a preceding runner and Banks followed instantly. Working together, they moved up through the ranks finishing hard and placing well. In their heat, Swecker took second and Banks third: overall finishing sixth and seventh. For his first season running indoor track Nelson running and finishing the way he did was impressive. He took 13th overall. On top of this, all three set new personal records where Swecker ran a 1:53.79, Banks a 1:53.95, and Nelson a 1:57.04.

Speeding things up to the men鈥檚 60 meter race, freshman Cameron Jackson set a new personal record of 6.77 seconds and ranked second in the Sun Belt conference. From the gun to the finish line in heat 2 lane 4, Jackson was  relentless in the race. Jackson was also able to beat the 200 meter top runner during this race. He qualified for finals where he ran in lane 3 and took first. Based on these races, Jackson has set himself up nicely for having a chance at winning conference in his event.

Gaining new distance in men鈥檚 weight throw, sophomore Isaiah Parker did something extraordinary. Parker鈥檚 first throw went 15 meters which was a personal record. For his second throw, he beat his brand new personal record immediately with a throw of 16.28 meters. Clearly training has been going well as he has gotten the technique down for the spin, and followed it with a powerful throw. The key to conference for Parker will be further improving his technique in order to be successful.

In the women’s mile, senior and women鈥檚 distance captain, Kimberly Boni, broke new ground in her collegiate athlete career. Boni ran an impressive 5:16 mile which ranked her as 16th in Conference. After three years of battling multiple injuries, Boni has made this year different. Since cross country season in the fall, she has been preparing for the conference race and by trusting in her training and coaches, Boni is expected to triumph. 

Persistence and intense focus is what led freshman Avianna Trinidad to reach new heights in women鈥檚 pole vaulting. Trinidad continued to clear each jump smoothly making it over the bar. It wasn鈥檛 until the fifth jump, though, that there was victory. Trinidad tied the Arkansas-Little Rock school record with a height of 12鈥�5 meters. 

In the women鈥檚 60 meter race, Little Rock athletes set two personal records. It began with the block starts. Neither one wasted a single second taking full advantage of their opportunities. Kendall Johnson ran a 7.71 second dash, and Maliyah Holland a 7.84 making for two very smooth and fast races. Both are expected to do well at conference.

During this season, indoor track athletes have already faced some big challenges including limited meets and competition due to COVID, along with no spectators or fans at the meets. Despite these challenges, their dedication and persistence keeps them moving forward. The Arkansas-Little Rock track team has become increasingly mentally motivated to take advantage of every opportunity to improve. 鈥淲hat I have learned from this sport so faris to bet on yourself,鈥� Jones said. 鈥淭he bar will always go up and if your confidence doesn鈥檛 move when the bar does then you鈥檒l never clear it鈥�.

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鈥淚t shows you how important the seniors are to our team, and when they are on it and play to the best of their ability, they take our team to another level,鈥� expressed head coach, Mark Foster, about the skillful and hardworking seniors. 

From the start of the match, ULM was putting pressure on the Trojans. At minute 16, the Warhawks scored off a header from a corner kick that put them in the lead 1-0. Not long after, at minute 23, Little Rock鈥檚 only corner kick of the game was taken by senior midfielder, Morgan Smocavich that beautifully curved into the box, and with a slight header touch by senior forward, Doro Greulich that put the ball to the far right back of the net, the game was now 1-1. 

鈥淚t just shows how good Morgan is at crossing the ball. Every corner is very dangerous for her and I am glad I got my head at the end of it. It gave us good momentum to finally get into the game and to get going and to win the game at the end,鈥� said Greulich. 

Energized from their performance during the first match, the Trojans came in ready to untie the game. Their tenacity shined through with their possession in the second half. The Little Rock soccer team kept the pressure and amounted great opportunities but remained scoreless, pushing for overtime. 

All too familiar overtime ended just as soon as it began. Within three minutes, senior defender Bergros Asgeirsdottir set up a pass to junior midfielder Abril Lucio who skillfully touched and set up the ball inside the box for a fully loaded kick that went right past the ULM goalkeeper to the back of the net. The whistle blew and the Trojans came out victorious. 

After just two months and 10 games, the Little Rock soccer team is going into the postseason. The Trojans finished their regular season strong, full of potential and determination鈥攁 cohesive team that has grown together and is now ready for the Sun Belt Tournament. 

The Trojans will travel to Foley, Alabama for the first round of the Sun Belt Tournament on Monday, Nov. 2. Little Rock ranks fourth in the West division and will go head-on with Georgia Southern, the fifth ranking team in the East division. The game kicks off at 1:30 p.m. Tune in to ESPN+ to support your Trojans while on the road.

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