- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

Little Rock Trojans Day set for Aug. 23

Ajani Oyindamola — Mon, 30 Jul 2018 13:46:29 +0000

University of Arkansas at Little Rock fans are invited to help kick start the 2018-19 Little Rock athletic season at the 2018 Little Rock Trojans Day on Thursday, Aug. 23, from 6-8 p.m. For the second-straight year, Little Rock is teaming up with the 3rd Street Sector Merchants Association with Dugan’s Pub, located at the corner of Rock and 3rd Streets, serving as the host venue for the block party. The event proved to be a great success last year with a large contingent of Trojan fans joining the department downtown. Little Rock will once again team up with 103.7 The Buzz that evening as part of the station’s afternoon show “Drive Time Sports,” broadcasting live on site from the downtown event. Hosted by Randy Rainwater, a number of Trojan head coaches will be featured during the show from 4-7 p.m. that evening. The Trojans will be represented by student-athletes and coaches from its athletic programs, as well as the Little Rock dance team and pep band. The event will provide opportunities for fans to take pictures and get to know their favorite Little Rock student-athletes. In addition, the downtown bridges will be lit maroon that night to help promote Little Rock’s team. Season tickets for the 2018-19 Trojan men’s and women’s basketball teams, as well as the 2018 volleyball season, are currently available by calling the Little Rock Athletic ticket office at 565-8257 or online at. The Trojans’ 2019 Sun Belt Conference basketball schedule has already been released with the full slate scheduled to be released in the coming weeks.

Trojans earn Team Academic Award for 13th time

Ajani Oyindamola — Fri, 27 Jul 2018 13:23:08 +0000

For the 13th time in program history, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock volleyball team has earned the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s (AVCA) Team Academic Award for the 2017-18 academic year. This is the eighth time in the last nine years that Little Rock has earned the AVCA Team Academic Award. The Trojans first earned the award for the 1997-98 academic year. The Trojans were one of 164 Division I teams to earn the honor as they posted a cumulative grade-point average of 3.35 through the 2018 spring semester. In the Sun Belt Conference, Little Rock was one of five teams to earn the award, including Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia State, and ULM. The Trojans were also one of 19 Division I teams that met their Dig Pink fundraising goal while earning the Team Academic Award. Funds raised benefited the Side-Out Foundation which sponsors the development of treatments and clinical trials for individuals with stage IV breast cancer. Across all levels and divisions, 973 teams earned the AVCA Team Academic Award — a number that broke last year’s record of 835. The award, which was initiated in the 1992-93 academic year, honors collegiate and high school volleyball teams that displayed excellence in the classroom during the school year by maintaining at least a 3.3 cumulative team GPA on a 4.0 scale or a 4.1 cumulative team GPA on a 5.0 scale. The AVCA Team Academic Award is the single largest award offered by the number of schools, players, and coaches honored. Since the 2000-2001 season, the number of recipients has increased every single year but two, while amassing a 619-team increase over the span of the last decade. Since the award’s inception in 1993, the amount of award winners has increased from 62 to its current number of 973. Little Rock will begin the 2018 season against Division I newcomer North Alabama at the Jacksonville State Invitational on Aug. 24 in Jacksonville, Alabama.

Student-athlete looks forward to future as sports trainer, coach

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 10 Jul 2018 13:41:37 +0000

Brandon Brady, who is pursuing a master’s degree in sport management at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, can’t imagine a better future than to help young student-athletes pursue their dreams. completed his last year as a member of the Trojan men’s basketball team in 2018 and plans to make a career of helping high school and college student-athletes, the same way his father and coaches did for him. Being a basketball player is a matter of family pride for the Bradys. His father, Dexter Brady Sr., has coached basketball for more than two decades. His older brother, D.J., attended school at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and was a high school basketball standout in Dallas, Texas, while his younger sister, Morgan, plays basketball at the University of Tulsa. Brady’s older brother, Jeremy, went a different route and played football at the University of Tulsa. “I started playing basketball when I was 3 years old,” Brady said. “I grew up watching my brothers. Both of them were athletes, and my dad coached me all the way until I was 16. He had his own Amateur Athletic Union team, so I played for him. I traveled all around the country to compete in tournaments against the top players in the nation.” He credits his family full of athletes for giving him the inspiration, drive, and support to pursue his passion for basketball. “I’d just like to say my family has been a great part of my success. That great foundation has made me spread my wings,” Brady said. “My brothers give me that competitive drive, and I try to follow in their footsteps. My biggest mentor is my dad. He has made sure that we were smart, took care of our grades, and got a good education. I asked him for a lot of advice on life and on the basketball court.” Having played basketball on his high school teams at Red Oak High School in Texas and Pulaski Academy in Little Rock, Brady played basketball at Eastern Oklahoma State College as a freshman and Lyon College in Batesville as a sophomore. Brady had always dreamed of playing Division I basketball in college. In 2015, he made the decision to transfer to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and earned his place as a Trojan as a walk-on member of the team. “I transferred to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock because all my family is here, and it was close to home,” Brady said. “I could be closer to my parents, and I wanted to play at the Division I level. I wanted to push myself. I first played at junior college level then at the NAIA level , but I wanted to see if I could play with the top players in the country at Division I level, so I came to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock.” As a student-athlete, Brady’s best moments come from bonding with his teammates and coaches while traveling around the country. There is one moment that stands out as the most memorable of his time as a student-athlete. He served as the Trojans student manager during the 2015-16 season, when the team made it all the way to March Madness. “My most memorable experience was when Coach Beard was here, and we won a record 30 games and went to the March Madness tournament,” he said. “At the Sun Belt Conference tournament, we won the whole game and it was great excitement when they displayed our name for the March Madness. We went to Denver and played against Purdue. That was the best experience I had.”

Brandon Brady

He also enjoyed being active in the community. Basketball team members often volunteered at Arkansas Children’s Hospital and area schools, giving eager students game tickets as well as advice about going to college and encouraging them to listen to their teachers. Brady graduated in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. By that time, he had already started a personal sports training business, B. Brady Skills Training, for high school and college basketball players, primarily with student-athletes from his high school alma mater, Pulaski Academy. The experience inspired him to earn his master’s degree in sport management, which he will earn in 2019, having decided that a future as a trainer and coach was in the cards. He is also looking forward to an internship with the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Athletics Department to gain more professional experience during the upcoming school year. “I have been doing the training business for three years. I go back to my old high school, and I reach out to players and do training sessions to develop their game. I teach them things I have learned over the years to help them out,” Brady said. “I plan on working in college coaching or high school coaching and growing my skills training business. Maybe I should pick one but staying around basketball is the biggest thing.” Brady said that mentors like his father and his high school coach, Roger Franks, and college coaching staff over the last six years have made a positive impact on him. Little Rock, helped him develop basketball skills and a love of the game, which he wants to share with fellow student-athletes. “Basketball is a peaceful, active thing. Whenever you play, a lot of other stuff doesn’t matter,” he said. “It takes your mind off the stresses of life. It’s a beautiful game to play. Basketball teaches you life lessons. You can play basketball, and it can teach you about hard work, how to communicate, how to stay disciplined, and how to be responsible. That’s what I love about basketball.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock announces spring soccer schedule

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 06 Mar 2018 14:34:39 +0000

Little Rock head soccer coach has announced the Trojans’ 2018 spring schedule. All games on the spring schedule will be played in the central Arkansas region. “These spring games are the perfect opportunity for me to see the girls in action without the pressure that comes in the fall, allowing them to get to know some of my tactical ideas,” Foster said. “The team has worked extremely hard in our off-season workouts as the general level of fitness has improved. But there’s nothing quite like the joy of playing games.” Little Rock then plays host to the Toronto Blizzard, a training program for aspiring collegiate players, on Thursday, March 15 at 7 p.m. Little Rock then plays host to both Tulsa and Missouri State on Saturday, March 31, at the Coleman Sports Complex. The match against the Golden Hurricane gets underway at 1:30 p.m., followed by a 3 p.m. start against the Bears. The Trojans’ lone road game of the spring schedule will take place on Wednesday, April 4, when Little Rock makes the trek north of the river to Conway, facing Central Arkansas at 7 p.m. The 2018 spring schedule comes to a close on April 7-8 at Burns Park as the Trojans will compete in the annual event which raises funds for the Arkansas Chapter of the Komen for Cure Foundation. “We have a good mixture of opponents – Division I, Division II, and a Canadian club team,” Foster said. “I think the games will be competitive, and I’m excited for our fans to get their first look at our team as we gear up for the 2018 Sun Belt Conference schedule.” All games are open to the public and are free of charge. 2018 Little Rock Soccer Spring Schedule

Thursday, March 15 vs. Toronto Blizzard – 7 p.m. (Coleman Sports Complex)
Saturday March 31 vs. Tulsa – 1:30 p.m. (Coleman Sports Complex)
Saturday, March 31 vs. Missouri State – 3 p.m. (Coleman Sports Complex)
Wednesday, April 4 at Central Arkansas – 7 p.m. (Conway, Ark.)
Saturday, April 7 and Sunday April 8 – Kick For the Cure 7-on-7 Tournament (Burns Park)

Audra Larson named assistant soccer coach

Ajani Oyindamola — Sat, 03 Mar 2018 14:26:51 +0000

Head coach has announced the addition of as Little Rock’s assistant coach. Larson joins the Trojans with a successful background as both a coach and a player and will work primarily with the Little Rock goalkeepers. “I’m delighted to be able to welcome Audra to our staff,” Foster said. “She had an incredibly successful playing career and know she’ll bring those high standards to our program as our assistant coach. She’ll do a great job with our goalkeepers and is someone that has a talent to be able to establish positive relationships within our team.” Larson comes to Little Rock after spending the past two seasons as an assistant coach at Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee. In her two years with the Phoenix, she helped guide the team to a 27-10-3 record, including a 12-1-1 mark in Mid-South Conference play. Cumberland held its opponents to a 1.05 goals against average during that span, winning an undefeated conference title in 2017. Larson established herself as one of the top goalkeepers in the country during her playing career at Messiah College in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, setting an NCAA record for both men’s and women’s soccer with 68 career shutouts in net. Larson also set the NCAA record for consecutive shutouts with 55 and was a key figure in helping lead the Falcons to the 2012 Division III national championship as a freshman. For her career, Larson finished with an 88-4-8 record in goal with a 0.24 goals against average and 158 saves in 100 matches, totaling just shy of 8,888 minutes in net. She was an NSCAA second team All-Mid-Atlantic Region and second team All-MAC Commonwealth selection as a senior, earning honorable mention honors as both a sophomore and junior. Larson helped guide Messiah to three conference championships and four postseason appearances, advancing to the Final Four as a senior. A native of Montoursville, Pennsylvania, Larson earned her bachelor’s degree in communications from Messiah in 2016, followed by her master’s degree in sport management from Cumberland in 2017. With Larson making her debut on the Trojan sideline last Thursday, Little Rock opened its spring schedule with a 3-0 win over Harding at the Coleman Sports Complex. The Trojans have five games remaining in its training season, returning to action on Thursday, March 15, against the Toronto Blizzard at 7 p.m. at the Coleman Sports Complex.

Little Rock women’s basketball team wins Sun Belt Conference Regular Season Championship

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Mon, 26 Feb 2018 14:46:23 +0000

For the second consecutive season, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock women’s basketball won the Sun Belt Conference Regular-Season Championship outright with a 61-35 victory against Appalachian State on Saturday afternoon at the Jack Stephens Center. The victory marked Little Rock’s fifth regular-season title and was the third in the past four years. Little Rock now has a combined 14 regular season, division and tournament titles — all in head coach ‘s tenure (2003-present). The Trojans (18-9, 15-1 Sun Belt) were led by senior in her final home game as she had a team-high 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Graduate also played her final home game at the Jack and finished with seven points, three rebounds, and two steals. Freshman tallied 10 points to go along with three rebounds and three assists. Little Rock ended the game shooting 27-for-46 from the field (42.2 percent), 4-for-10 from three and 3-for-7 (42.9 percent) from the foul line. The Mountaineers (7-21, 5-12 Sun Belt) had just one player in double figures as LaPresha Stanley finished the game with 10 points and six assists. Bayley Plummer had a game-high 11 rebounds in addition to seven points. App State was 13-for-46 (28.3%) from the field, 0-for-13 from three and 9-for-17 (52.9 percent) from the foul line. The Trojans went into the fourth quarter with an insurmountable 30-point lead. Up 54-29, Townson and Keys stepped off the Jack Stephens Center floor for the final time with 5:33 left to play. led the Trojans with five points and three rebounds in the final 10 minutes of action. All 12 of Little Rock’s fourth-quarter points came off the bench. Little Rock held App State to just 15.4 percent (2-for-13) in the third quarter as it outscored the Mountaineers 13-6. Townson was the period’s leading scorer with four points and two assists. Up 38-17, Little Rock scored nine consecutive points to take its largest lead of the game at 47-17. Eight of Little Rock’s 13 points came off App State turnovers. The Trojans ended the first half with a 36-13 lead over the Mountaineers after outscoring App State 14-7 in the second quarter. Little Rock was 7-for-16 (43.8 percent) for the period while App State was 3-for-10. Up 30-13 with 3:41 left in the quarter, the Trojans ended the half on a six-point run thanks to jumpers from Lasker, and Townson. Little Rock was scorching in the first quarter as it shot 10-for-17 (58.8 percent) while ending the period with a 22-6 lead. The Trojans held the Mountaineers to just 21.4 percent (3-for-14) and forced six App State turnovers. Little Rock began the game on a 9-0 run before App State finally responded. After the Mountaineers’ bucket, the Trojans finished the quarter on a 13-4 run. Lasker led the quarter with eight points after going 3-for-5 from the field with two threes. ended the game with eight points and six rebounds while Inkina finished the game with eight points, two rebounds and two assists. came away with six points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals. ended up with five points and six boards, and tallied four points, three rebounds and two steals. had three points off a three-point shot. In their time with the Trojans, Keys and Townson have helped the Trojans to a 46-1 record in home conference games, a 78-14 record in Sun Belt games, and an overall record of 109-48 since 2013. With its final home game at the Jack in the books, Little Rock will now travel to ULM for its next-to-last regular-season contest on Thursday at 5 p.m.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock to honor Gary Hogan during First Pitch Banquet

Ajani Oyindamola — Wed, 10 Jan 2018 16:37:27 +0000

The third annual Little Rock Baseball First Pitch Banquet, presented by Thompson Electric, will be Friday, Jan. 26, at 6:30 p.m. inside Fisher Court at the Jack Stephens Center. The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will be honoring the most recent Little Rock Hall of Fame inductee and longtime coach of the Little Rock baseball program, . Hogan had an 11-year stint as the head coach for the Trojans spanning from 1986-1996 where he recorded 276 wins, the most in school history. In the 1987 season, Hogan orchestrated one of the greatest moments and upsets in school history by taking down then No. 1 Oklahoma State. “We simply wouldn’t have the Little Rock baseball program without all of Coach’s hard work and the way he basically built the field with his bare hands in to what it is now,” head coach praised. “We want to recognize Coach Hogan for all the hours and time he has put in with this program and the community to help support the Little Rock baseball program.” The banquet will showcase the entire 2018 Trojans baseball program, which features many new faces including eight new freshmen and 14 junior college transfers. Players will be signing autographs throughout the evening and meeting fans of all ages. “This is always a night with great energy and excitement about the upcoming season,” Curry said. “It is a wonderful opportunity for our community to meet the team, hear about how the program and players have connected with the community and how the fall has gone.” General admission tickets are $35 while corporate tables with 10 seats are $500. Supporting sponsors can buy a table for $1,000 and will receive recognition in the banquet program along with other perks. To purchase tickets, contact at the Little Rock ticket office by phone at 501-565-8257 or by email at cepage@ualr.edu.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock student-athletes achieve record high GPA scores

Ajani Oyindamola — Mon, 08 Jan 2018 14:23:23 +0000

Continuing to add to its legacy in the classroom as well as in competition, University of Arkansas at Little Rock Athletics finished the fall 2017 semester with a cumulative 3.3 grade point average among its nearly 200 student-athletes, a new high for the athletic department. 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.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock basketball games will raise money for Arkansas Children’s Hospital

Ajani Oyindamola — Fri, 05 Jan 2018 14:09:14 +0000

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Athletics will team up with on Saturday, Jan. 13, to raise money for the hospital’s Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit as the Trojans play a Sun Belt Conference doubleheader against Texas State at the Jack Stephens Center. The Trojans will help support ACH’s Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit, raising funds to purchase the new EASE Application to support families. Two dollars from each ticket sold for the Jan. 13 doubleheader will go towards the cause, giving Trojan fans a chance to assist young patients locally. EASE Application is a program that will improve patient experience and engagement through communication between care givers and patients. With this technology, the cardiovascular unit and operating room will be able to securely and safely update families on their child’s status from the preparatory stage, through surgery, and into recovery. The technology allows parents and family members to have immediate updates on their children from their bedside, including video and text updates. By obtaining this application, Arkansas Children’s Hospital will be able to enhance its commitment to communication, reduce anxiety, and increase patient satisfaction. The Jan. 13 doubleheader gets underway with the Little Rock women facing Texas State at 3 p.m. at the Jack, followed by the men’s game at approximately 5:15 p.m. To secure your tickets for ACH Night, contact the Trojan ticket office at 565-8257.

Coach Foley earns 750th career win

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Thu, 04 Jan 2018 16:07:23 +0000

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Head Coach became the 12th Division I head coach in NCAA women’s basketball history to earn 750 career wins as Little Rock defeated the University of Louisiana at Monroe 57-37 on Dec. 31, 2017, at the Jack Stephens Center. Among men’s and women’s coaches in Division I, Foley is just the 30th head coach to obtain 750 career victories. “It means I’ve been coaching a long time,” Foley said. “I’ve had some great kids and great teams. It hasn’t been a two or three-year deal, it’s been 30 years of coaching great kids.” put in a blistering performance for Little Rock (5-8, 2-0 Sun Belt) as she tallied a career-high 23 points and went 11-for-19 from the field with seven rebounds. did her part with a season-high 16 points to go along with seven rebounds and one steal. DeGray put up a career-high 11 boards with four points and three assists. tied her career high for rebounds with eight as she tallied four assists, three points and a game-high two steals. ULM (3-10, 0-2 Sun Belt) had no players in double figures as Arsula Clark and Latangellia Walker led the Warhawks with eight points each. Little Rock owned a 12-9 lead after one quarter of play behind Keys’ six points. Both sides shot 33.3 percent from the field while the Trojans had a 14-8 lead in rebounds. The Trojans upped their lead to 24-18 at the half after shooting 41.7 percent (5-for-12) in the second quarter. DeGray led the period with six points and upped her game total to 10. Tied at 14, the Trojans went on a 6-0 run with a layup by DeGray, a jumper by Townson and two free throws by DeGray. The Trojans’ lead increased to 15 after three quarters of play with a 42-27 lead. Little Rock shot 57.1 percent (8-for-14) in the third period as DeGray increased her game total to a career-high 19 points. Up 31-22, the Trojans went on a 9-0 run to take an 18-point lead at 40-22. With a victory in their grasp, the Trojans took their largest lead with 11 seconds left in the game as drilled a three to put Little Rock up by 20. Lasker ended the game with five points, four rebounds and four assists while had four points, four assists, three rebounds and a block. The Trojans were dominate on the boards with a 47-25 advantage — the biggest margin since outrebounding Georgia State 36-16 in Jan. 2016. Little Rock had 18 offensive rebounds to go along with 29 on defense. Little Rock committed its fewest turnovers this season with nine while ULM had 13. The Trojans ended the game shooting 43.3 percent (26-for-60) while the Warhawks shot 31.9 (15-for-47).

- University News Archive - ����Vlog��ý Little Rock