/news-archive/tag/track-and-field/ ÌÇÐÄVlog´«Ã½ Little Rock Tue, 11 Sep 2018 16:06:50 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 /news-archive/2018/09/11/reid-named-academic-success-coordinator-for-trojans/ Tue, 11 Sep 2018 16:06:50 +0000 /news/?p=71803 ... Reid named academic success coordinator for Trojans]]>  as an academic success coordinator. In this role, Reid will work with both the Trojans’ compliance and academic offices in maintaining an atmosphere of success for Little Rock student-athletes.  A former Division I track and field student-athlete, Reid comes to Little Rock after spending the past season as the director of operations for track and field/cross country at the University of Texas. During her time in Austin, Reid handled the day-to-day operations of the program, working in conjunction with the coaching staff with multiple administrative duties, including team travel and planning. Prior to her time at Texas, Reid spent six seasons working in the athletic department at Colorado State University, her alma mater. Reid worked with the Rams football team for two seasons as the director of football administration and community relations after serving four seasons as the director of operations as well as the jumps coach for the Colorado State track and field program. In 2013, while still competing at an elite level, Reid served as a policy research worker in the Colorado State Office of Policy and Compliance. Reid was a standout student-athlete at Colorado State, earning honorable mention All-America honors in the high jump in 2013 as she was a national qualifier in the high and triple jumps. She earned All-Conference honors and holds a number of spots in the CSU track and field record books. Before coming to Fort Collins, Reid earned All-America honors at Johnson County Community College, earning runner-up honors four times at the NJCAA national championships. She was tabbed the USTFCCCA National Field Event Athlete of the Year in both indoors and outdoors in 2012, placing in the top-10 in six different events. A native of Las Vegas, Nevada, Reid was a two-time Mountain West All-Academic Award honoree in 2011 and 2012. She earned her second bachelor’s degree in liberal arts with a minor in media studies and Spanish from Colorado State in 2014. In the same year, she was honored as the NACDA N4A Wilma Rudolph Student-Athlete Achievement Award recipient.]]> /news-archive/2018/09/04/director-track-and-field-cross-country/ Tue, 04 Sep 2018 13:43:59 +0000 /news/?p=71677 ... ÌÇÐÄVlog´«Ã½ Little Rock hires new director and head coach of Trojans’ Track and Field/Cross Country]]> An All-American and national champion as a competitor and a 13-year coaching veteran with multiple conference titles under his belt, Behnke brings a wealth of experience and championship credentials to Little Rock. “Coach Behnke brings a strong track record of success and student-athlete development to our track and field and cross country programs,” Conque said. “J.P. has seen firsthand what it takes to build a championship-caliber program. We are excited to have him lead our young men and women and we look forward to seeing our program grow under his leadership.” “I am extremely humbled and honored to be named the next director of Track and Field/Cross Country for the Little Rock Trojans,” Behnke said. “I would like to thank Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics and his staff for welcoming me to the Little Rock family. I see a very promising future for Trojan Athletics and I am excited to have the opportunity to lead this program to the next level.” Behnke joins the Trojan staff after serving as a member of the Oakland University track and field staff since 2006 in a variety of roles. Most recently, he has served as the Grizzlies’ interim head coach since March of 2018, guiding Oakland’s men’s program to their first-ever conference championship at the 2018 Horizon League Outdoor Championships. During his 12 seasons in Oakland, Behnke coached 37 conference champions in 13 different events and played a key role in helping lead the Grizzlies to five Horizon League Cross Country Championships from 2015-17, including three-straight for the women from 2015-17. Behnke has been a mentor to a number of Oakland student-athletes, including the Grizzlies’ first All-American in distance runner Jason Bigelow in 2010. He guided Oakland’s middle distance group to eight consecutive 800-meter championships from the 2014 indoor season through the 2017 outdoor season. A number of his athletes earned All-Horizon League honors, including Aaron Davis being named the Horizon League Outdoor Male Athlete of the Year after winning both the 100 and 200 meter runs. Behnke mentored Nick Girodat to the Horizon League record in the indoor 60 meter dash and worked extensively with Zach Stadnika, who registered a Horizon League record 39 points and captured first place in the decathlon in the 2018 outdoor championships. Prior to his time in Oakland, spent one season as an assistant coach for both track and field and cross country at Macomb Community College in Warren, Michigan, from 2005-06. There he worked as the Monarchs’ recruiting coordinator and worked with Joe Dugall, the 2006 NJCAA Indoor High Jump national champion. Benhke is a U.S.A. Track and Field Level II certified coach, earning the distinction for jumps in 2008 and for sprints, hurdles and relays in 2010. On the track, Behnke was a three-year standout at Lake Superior State in Marie, Michigan, setting school records in the 800 meter run in both indoor and outdoor seasons and was a two-time All-GLIAC honoree in the event. Behnke’s first two seasons of competition were at Lansing Community College where he was a member of the Stars’ 1998 NJCAA national championship cross country team. He was the NJCAA Super Regional champion in the 800-meters in 1999, being named an All-American in the 800 meter run and as a member of the 4×800 meter relay team. The Rochester Hills, Michigan, native earned his degree in recreation management from Lake Superior State in 2002, then attained his master’s degree in health science from St. Francis University.]]> /news-archive/2018/07/09/milton-williams-retirement/ Mon, 09 Jul 2018 15:35:27 +0000 /news/?p=71068 ... Williams announces retirement from Track and Field/Cross Country Program]]>  has announced his intention to retire from the program.  “It has been one of the greatest honors and pleasures of my life to serve as the director of men’s and women’s track and field/cross country at Little Rock,” Williams said. “I’d like to thank the many athletes who chose Little Rock as their home. I’m grateful to have been your coach. You inspired me every day with your own personal stories of courage and will to win. To my coworkers in the Department of Athletics, thank you for your friendship. You are absolutely the best, and I am better for having worked with you.” Williams came to Little Rock in 2001 as the associate head coach and was named the head coach for track and cross country in 2004. In 2014, he was named the director of track and field/cross country. Williams was named the Sun Belt Women’s Cross Country Coach of the Year in 2005 and went on to earn the award three times on the men’s side in 2007, 2010, and 2012. In 2012, Williams helped the men’s team win the Sun Belt Championship for the fifth time in school history. Under Williams’ tenure as head coach/director, the Trojans tallied five All-American selections in outdoor track, two appearances at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and two appearances at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Over his career at Little Rock, Williams helped his student-athletes earn 37 individual Sun Belt Conference Championships across all events. “Little Rock Athletics is most appreciative to coach Williams for his loyal 17 years of service,” Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Chasse Conque said. “Milton’s career has been highlighted by numerous accomplishments but none more important than the mentoring and development he provided hundreds of student-athletes over the years. Milton has helped considerably in growing the program and we are grateful for his passion for the Little Rock Trojans.” Williams brought several years of experience into his role at the head of the Trojan program. Besides his coaching background, Williams was an NAIA All-American in the shot put in 1980 and a 1984 Olympic trial qualifier in the shot put as well. Williams was inducted into the Arkansas Track & Field Hall of Fame in June 2013. Prior to Little Rock, Williams was the head track and cross country coach at Cabot High School in his hometown of Cabot, Arkansas. From 1986 to 1990, Williams was the head strength and conditioning coach at Louisiana State University where he directed strength programs for all LSU teams, several of which went on to conference and national championships. During his tenure at LSU, Williams worked closely with four basketball players who were first-round NBA draft picks: Shaquille O’Neal, Chris Jackson, John Williams and Stanley Roberts. Williams graduated from Arkansas-Monticello in 1982 and received his master’s from Northeast Louisiana University in 1984. A nationwide search for Little Rock’s next director of track and field/cross country will begin immediately.]]> /news-archive/2018/06/12/track-all-american/ Tue, 12 Jun 2018 15:05:29 +0000 /news/?p=70745 ... Trojans earn four All-American honors]]> , , and were named Second Team All-Americans by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on June 11. Student-athletes earned Second Team All-America status by virtue of finishing between ninth and 16th place, including as members of a relay team, at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships this past week in Eugene, Oregon. In Little Rock’s first-ever relay appearance at the NCAA Championships, Andrews, Calhoun, Clark, and Okeze finished 12th with a school record of 39.31 seconds in the 4×100-meter semifinals on June 6. It was the second consecutive meet in which Little Rock had posted a school record. Before Andrews, Calhoun, Clark and Okeze, the Trojans’ men’s outdoor team had only three All-American selections in program history. Two-time outdoor All-American Chris Johnson earned his last selection in 2005, and Leo Settle was the Trojans’ first All-American selection in 1997. Okeze was also named a USTFCCCA Honorable Mention for finishing 20th in the 200-meter semifinals June 6. In the upper right photo, ÌÇÐÄVlog´«Ã½ Little Rock student-athletes Charles Okeze and Travion Clark compete in the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at the University of Oregon. ]]> /news-archive/2018/06/08/track-championship/ Fri, 08 Jun 2018 13:58:42 +0000 /news/?p=70739 ... Trojans post school record at NCAA track and field championships]]> Entering the semifinals with the eighth-fastest seed time in the 4×100-meter relay, , , and posted a school record of 39.31 seconds and placed 12th overall. Little Rock’s time beat the previous school record of 39.35 set on May 26 at the NCAA West Preliminaries. The Trojans were just a hundredth of a second off the fourth-fastest time in Sun Belt Conference history, and they tallied the fastest time by a Sun Belt school since 2014. Two hours after the 4×100, Okeze suited up once again for the third heat of the 200-meter semifinals. Entering the semifinals with the 21st-fastest seed time, Okeze ended his season by finishing seventh in his heat and 20th overall with a time of 20.89 seconds. The Trojans’ exit from the NCAA Championships concludes the 2017-18 athletic year for Little Rock. For the latest updates on Little Rock’s track and field programs, follow @LittleRockTFXC on Facebook and Twitter.]]> /news-archive/2018/01/08/athletics-gpa/ Mon, 08 Jan 2018 14:23:23 +0000 /news/?p=68920 ... ÌÇÐÄVlog´«Ã½ Little Rock student-athletes achieve record high GPA scores]]> It marks the second-straight semester the Trojans have set a record for combined GPA among its 12 athletic programs, besting the 3.27 cumulative GPA set following the spring 2017 semester. “I could not be more proud of the GRIT and hard work our student-athletes continue to demonstrate in the classroom,” said Director of Athletics Chasse Conque. “We have enjoyed academic success at Little Rock for many years, but setting GPA records in back-to-back semesters speaks volumes about our even stronger commitment to the classroom. Our young people, our coaches, and Senior Woman Administrator should be commended for their dedication as we continue to graduate champions.” Seven of the Trojans’ 12 athletic programs finished the fall 2017 semester with a 3.0 GPA or higher as 135 Little Rock student-athletes posted a 3.0 or better. With the performance in the fall, Little Rock’s student-athletes have posted a department-wide GPA above 3.0 for the 11th-straight semester. Women’s golf once again led the way, posting a 3.76 GPA during the fall and holds a 3.7 cumulative grade point average. Soccer’s 3.7 GPA ranked second as both programs achieved impressive results during their competition season, seeing a combined 29 student-athletes eclipse the 3.0 mark. Men’s golf also had a strong showing during their competition season with a 3.44 GPA during the fall, aided by six players above a 3.0, followed by swimming and diving’s 3.37 and baseball’s 3.35 grade point averages. The two teams had the most total number of student-athletes above a 3.0 GPA, led by 30 from swimming and diving and 28 from baseball. Women’s basketball finished the fall semester with a team GPA of 3.14 with volleyball adding a 3.11 GPA as nine players from each squad ending the fall semester with a 3.0 GPA or better. With the fall semester in the books, nine Trojan programs have a team cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher, led by women’s golf’s 3.7. Soccer ranks second at 3.6 followed by swimming and diving (3.47) and volleyball (3.41). Baseball (3.39), men’s golf (3.38), women’s basketball (3.09) and women’s track and field and cross country (3.03) round out the list. Academic performance continues to be a major priority for the Little Rock Athletic department as the Trojans also boast a Graduation Success Rate of 81 percent, leading all Division I programs in the state of Arkansas for the fifth-straight season.]]> /news-archive/2017/08/18/student-athletes-sun-belt-academic-honors/ Fri, 18 Aug 2017 19:27:46 +0000 /news/?p=67658 ... ÌÇÐÄVlog´«Ã½ Little Rock student-athletes earn Sun Belt academic honors]]> were on honored as the Sun Belt Conference released its Commissioner’s List and Honor Roll Aug. 15.  More than 100 Trojans were honored with placement on one of the league’s two lists. The Commissioner’s List recognizes student-athletes with grade point averages (GPA) above 3.5, and the Honor Roll recognizes student-athletes with GPAs between 3.0 and 3.49. The 106 total student-athletes on those lists is up from last year’s total of 99. Fifty-six student-athletes made the Commissioner’s List in 2017 — the second-highest total since 2014. The Trojan baseball team had the highest number of student-athletes on both lists with 28 members in total. Fourteen members of the team were named to the Commissioner’s List, and 14 others were named to the Honor Roll. Soccer had the highest number of student-athletes named to the Commissioner’s List with 17. Seven others were named to the Honor Roll for a total of 24 student-athletes recognized by the league. Little Rock track and field and cross country combined for 22 student-athletes on the Sun Belt lists. Four men and four women were named to the Commissioner’s List, and five men and nine women were named to the Honor Roll. Women’s basketball had eight student-athletes honored by the league with one on the Commissioner’s List and seven on the Honor Roll. Eight members of the Trojan volleyball team were placed on the Sun Belt lists, as four earned spots on the Commissioner’s List and four earned spots on the Honor Roll. Men’s golf saw seven of its student-athletes honored as six earned placement on the Commissioner’s List and one made it to the Honor Roll. Women’s golf also had seven student-athletes honored by the league as six made the Commissioner’s List and one made the Honor Roll. Men’s basketball had two players earn a spot on the league’s Honor Roll. ÌÇÐÄVlog´«Ã½ Little Rock’s honored student-athletes include: Commissioner’s List

• Zach Baker, Baseball
• Jacob Boggess, Baseball
• Kale Emshoff, Baseball
• Ryan LeMoine, Baseball
• Cory Malcom, Baseball
• Matt McDowell, Baseball
• Keegan Meyn, Baseball
• Cody Daylor, Baseball
• Corbin Osburn, Baseball
• Hunter Owens, Baseball
• Riley Pittman, Baseball
• Christian Reyes, Baseball
• Dylan Slayton, Baseball
• Dalton Thomas, Baseball
• Ronjanae DeGray, Women’s Basketball
• Grady Bourguignon, Men’s Golf
• Zach Coats, Men’s Golf
• Danial Durisic, Men’s Golf
• Brady Edwards, Men’s Golf
• Nico Parra, Men’s Golf
• George Scanlon, Men’s Golf
• Shania Berger, Women’s Golf
• Emelie Blennow, Women’s Golf
• Sabrina Bonanno, Women’s Golf
• Lucy Owen, Women’s Golf
• Thea Wakeford-Wesmann, Women’s Golf
• Peyton Weaver, Women’s Golf
• Arola Aparicio Gili, Soccer
• Madison Bingham, Soccer
• Sara Cavanagh, Soccer
• Jaylin Finney, Soccer
• Sammi Gregory, Soccer
• Doro Greulich, Soccer
• Harrison Hayworth, Soccer
• Nora Hellmers, Soccer
• Hali Long, Soccer
• Jaclyn Purvine, Soccer
• Shara Robbins, Soccer
• Samantha Rolka, Soccer
• Lisa Ryan, Soccer
• Sairra Tucker, Soccer
• Kayla Turner, Soccer
• Josie Verslues, Soccer
• Quin Wilkes, Soccer
• Davion Campbell, Track and Field/Cross Country
• Tyler Davis, Track and Field/Cross Country
• Nghia Dinh, Track and Field/Cross Country
• Kendrick Dunn, Track and Field/Cross Country
• Jasmine Blunt, Track and Field/Cross Country
• Sara Claycomb, Track and Field/Cross Country
• Akeia Joyner, Track and Field/Cross Country
• Hunter Paul, Track and Field/Cross Country
• Marina Avram, Volleyball
• Taylor Lindberg, Volleyball
• Veronica Marin, Volleyball
• Sydnee Martin, Volleyball

Honor Roll

• Justin Cooper, Baseball
• Bryce Dimitroff, Baseball
• Justin Garcia, Baseball
• Ty Gunter, Baseball
• Cameron Knight, Baseball
• Cody McGill, Baseball
• Danny Mitchell Jr., Baseball
• McKinley Moore, Baseball
• Preston Oberling, Baseball
• Zach Ours, Baseball
• Ben Patranella, Baseball
• Jacob Rateliff, Baseball
• Cole Townsend, Baseball
• Reed Willenborg, Baseball
• Brandon Brady, Men’s Basketball
• Shandon Goldman, Men’s Basketball
• Sydney Chastain, Women’s Basketball
• , Women’s Basketball
• Anna Hurlburt, Women’s Basketball
• Keanna Keys, Women’s Basketball
• Emily Lytle, Women’s Basketball
• Kaitlyn Pratt, Women’s Basketball
• Kiara Scott, Women’s Basketball
• George Trujillo, Men’s Golf
• Pernille Orlien, Women’s Golf
• Bailey Fithian, Soccer
• Fali Garuba, Soccer
• Camilla Olsson, Soccer
• Claire Palmer, Soccer
• Shannon Shields, Soccer
• Sara Small, Soccer
• Logan Strange, Soccer
• Imad Amenzou, Track and Field/Cross Country
• Zodani Francois, Track and Field/Cross Country
• Terence Goodwin, Track and Field/Cross Country
• Emilio Medina, Track and Field/Cross Country
• Jaquez Wilson, Track and Field/Cross Country
• Brittney Anderson, Track and Field/Cross Country
• Anika Charles, Track and Field/Cross Country
• Nicole Edison, Track and Field/Cross Country
• Tyra Gilliam, Track and Field/Cross Country
• Adela Hernandez, Track and Field/Cross Country
• Tyler Kelly, Track and Field/Cross Country
• Widline Lageroy, Track and Field/Cross Country
• Christina Nickerson, Track and Field/Cross Country
• Rebeca Solis, Track and Field/Cross Country
• Hope Larmour, Volleyball
• Miona Milovanovic, Volleyball
• Tiara Wilkins, Volleyball
• Aubrey Wilson, Volleyball

]]> /news-archive/2017/03/29/little-rock-trojan-track-and-field-day/ Wed, 29 Mar 2017 15:00:46 +0000 /news/?p=66674 ... Community invited to Little Rock Trojan Track and Field Day]]> will honor the senior men’s and women’s track and field team student-athletes during Senior Day as they compete in the Little Rock Open. Arvest Bank and Little Rock Athletics will provide free hot dogs, chips, and drinks. ]]> /news-archive/2016/08/30/student-athletes-high-marks/ Tue, 30 Aug 2016 16:36:15 +0000 /news/?p=65002 ... ÌÇÐÄVlog´«Ã½LR student-athletes earn high marks over summer]]> student-athletes at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock to shine, as they posted a combined 3.06 grade point average over the summer semester. The Trojans had 63 student-athletes enrolled in summer classes representing seven Little Rock teams. Five of those teams saw its student-athletes finish the semester with grade point averages higher than 3.0. Overall, 40 of those 64 student-athletes posted GPAs of 3.0 or higher in the summer months. The Little Rock women’s track and field/cross country squad had the highest grade point average of any team over the summer, finishing with a semester GPA of 3.3. Two of the three Trojans finished with a GPA above 3.0 for the summer, and one of them earned a perfect 4.0 for the semester. The Trojans’ cumulative GPA stands at 3.31. The Trojan men’s golf team had the second-highest semester GPA, ending the term with a combined 3.2. Three of its four student-athletes posted GPAs above 3.0, and two earned perfect 4.0s. Little Rock men’s golf now has a cumulative GPA of 3.28. Little Rock volleyball’s semester GPA was 3.14, with 10 of the 14 volleyball players earning grade point averages of 3.0 or higher in the summer. Four players on the team came away with perfect 4.0 averages for the semester. Trojan volleyball’s cumulative GPA is now up to 3.34. The Trojan men’s cross country and track team combined for a 3.1 grade point average. Three of its four student-athletes get a GPA of 3.0 or better. One had a perfect 4.0. Little Rock women’s basketball had a grade point average of 3.08 over the summer. Twelve of the program’s 14 student-athletes earned a GPA of at least 3.0 during the summer, and four of them came away with 4.0s. The program now has a cumulative GPA of 3.1. The Trojan baseball team saw eight of its 12 student-athletes from the summer semester earn 3.0 GPAs or better, and the team earned a semester GPA of 3.06. Those 12 players now have a cumulative GPA of 3.37. In the upper right photo, ÌÇÐÄVlog´«Ã½LR women’s track and cross country team member Anika Charles (second from left) is one of the ÌÇÐÄVlog´«Ã½LR student-athletes who earned a perfect 4.0 grade point average during the summer semester. ]]> /news-archive/2016/08/12/wodak-sets-season-best-olympic-10k/ Fri, 12 Aug 2016 20:46:56 +0000 /news/?p=64890 ... WODAK SETS SEASON BEST IN OLYMPIC 10K]]> The time was just 12 seconds shy of Wodak’s personal best set in 2015. Wodak became the second former Little Rock cross country/track athlete to participate in the Olympic Games, joining Dawn Williams’ 800-meter race in 1996. Competing for Canada, Wodak found herself racing in the same field as winner Almaz Ayana of Ethiopia, who broke the 10K world record by 14 seconds, finishing in 29:17.45. Wodak still holds the Canadian record in the 10K as well as the 8K.]]>