Razorback Roundup -- Jan. 11

RAZORBACK ROUNDUPJan. 12, 2009MEN’S BASKETBALL (12-2, 0-1) Arkansas recorded its second victory in eight days over a top 10-ranked team with Tuesday’s 67-61 win over No. 7 Texas in front of a crowd of 19,012. Michael Washington had 22 points and nine rebounds, Courtney Fortson a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds along with five assists, and Stefan Welsh 20 points. The win came eight days after the 96-88 home win over No. 4 Oklahoma. On Saturday, the Hogs dropped their SEC opener to Mississippi State, 70-56 at home. Washington had game highs of 18 points and 15 rebounds. The loss snapped a 10-game winning streak and a 16-game winning streak in Bud Walton Arena. The Razorbacks are on the road this week – first at Ole Miss for a 7 p.m. non-televised game on Wednesday and at Florida on Saturday for a 1:05 p.m. (central) tilt televised by Raycom Sports.WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (11-6, 0-2) The Razorbacks have an open date on Thursday in the SEC schedule before hosting current league co-leader Auburn on Sunday. Arkansas opened SEC play with a 62-42 loss to LSU at home last Thursday then fell at Kentucky on Sunday, 72-63. Freshman Lyndsay Harris led four Razorbacks in double digits Sunday, and with her scoring returned to a double digit season average. Arkansas has four players, led by senior Ceira Ricketts (13.1 ppg), averaging 10 or more points a game. Seniors Whitney Jones and Ayana Brereton round out the double-digit scorers.FOOTBALL Sophomore D.J. Williams and senior Casey Dick were honored at the Little Rock Touchdown Club Banquet at the Embassy Suites in West Little Rock last Saturday. Williams was recognized as the most valuable player for the Razorbacks this season after shattering the school record for receptions by a tight end with his 61 catches for 723 yards and three touchdowns. Dick was presented with the prestigious Paul Eells Award. The award is presented annually to the Razorback player who has exhibited perseverance, determination, courage and resolve in the face of difficult circumstances while also continuing to uphold the highest of standards as a player, teammate and student. Senior center Jonathan Luigs has accepted an invitation to play in the Under Armour Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. The game will be played on Jan. 24 and televised by the NFL Network.MEN’S GOLF Arkansas dos not again see tournament play for another six weeks, but three of its members recently participated in the Dixie Amateur, played Dec. 20-23 at the par-72 Heron Bay Golf Club in Coral Springs, Fla. David Lingmerth ended the event in a six-way tie for 22nd place with a 5-under 283 (69-71-71-72). Andrew Landry followed by three strokes to land in a tie for the 34th spot, shooting 286 (68-70-76-72). Will Osborne also made an appearance on the leader board at No. 39 with a 1-under par 287 (71-70-71-75). The Razorbacks return from the off-season Feb. 23 at the John A. Burns Intercollegiate in Hawaii for their first tournament of the spring.WOMEN’S GOLF Arkansas returns to action at the LSU/Cleveland Golf Classic in Baton Rouge, La., March 13-15.GYMNASTICS (1-0) The 12th-ranked gymnastics team scored a program-best opening score with a 195.775, defeating No. 21 Ohio State Friday in Barnhill Arena. Arkansas swept all the individual titles behind a team-leading performance from junior All-American Casey Jo Magee. Magee won the all-around title, the fifth of her career, and took top honors in the uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise. Junior All-American Michelle Stout picked up the win on the vault for Arkansas. Arkansas competed four all-arounders and took the top three places in the meet. Magee won with a 39.300 followed by Stout with 39.200 and Nagashima with a career-best 39.050. Arkansas travels to No. 9 Oregon State Friday for a tri-meet with the Beavers and California.MEN’S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD No. 3 Arkansas opened the season with eight event wins, one NCAA automatic mark and two NCAA provisional marks at Friday’s Arkansas Invitational. Senior Nkosinza Balumbu triple jumped 53-0.75 to punch his ticket to the NCAA Championships in March.WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD No. 11 Arkansas opened the season with one NCAA automatic mark and three NCAA provisional marks at Friday’s Arkansas Invitational. Katie Stripling won the pole vault, clearing 13-9.25 to earn her spot at the NCAA Championships in March.SOCCER A 1 p.m. press conference is scheduled for Monday to introduce new Razorback head coach Erin Aubry. The media event will be held in the interview room at Barnhill Arena. Aubry is now on campus after being hired on Dec. 23 as the seventh head coach in Arkansas soccer history. Aubry served as the head coach at Morehead State during the past four seasons. In 2008, she led the Eagles to the program’s first Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) title and its first NCAA Tournament appearance. Aubry is the seventh head coach in school history and will inherit a Razorback team that finished 11-8 last season after a school-record 9-1 start. Arkansas hasn’t advanced to the SEC Tournament since 2000. Aubry recently completed her fourth season as head coach at Morehead State. The Eagles finished the 2008 season with a 9-9-3 record, including 4-2-2 mark in conference play.SWIMMING AND DIVING (8-1, 3-1) The No. 22 Razorbacks downed No. 23 Missouri and Kentucky on Saturday at Arkansas Natatorium. It was Arkansas’ first win over Missouri since 1994 and the first over Kentucky since 1992. Yi Ting Siow, in her first competition with the Razorbacks since transferring to Arkansas last January, won three events (100 breast, 200 breast, 200 IM). Next, the Razorbacks host the Kansas Jayhawks on Jan. 22 at 4 p.m.MEN’S TENNIS The Hogs are ranked No. 46 in the initial ITA rankings heading into their spring schedule and the team also boasts two players in the top 40. Senior Blake Strode is the No. 15 player in the country after a strong fall which included a trip to the ITA National Indoor Championships. Strode is ranked No. 3 in the central region. Sophomore Matt Hogan, who joined the Razorbacks last January, jumped from No. 125 to No. 39 after advancing to the finals of the Wilson/ITA Central Region Championships and qualifying for National Indoors. He is ranked No. 4 in the central region. In doubles, the team of Hogan and Strode broke into the top 15 nationally, ranking No. 14 and ranking No. 3 in the region. The Hogs are back on the court in Auburn, Ala., Jan 23-25, at the Auburn Spring Classic.WOMEN’S TENNIS Arkansas is ranked No. 14 in the nation in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association pre-season poll for the program’s highest pre-season ranking ever. Two-time ITA National Indoor Singles champion Aurelija Miseviciute is No. 2 in the country while sophomore Anouk Tigu is No. 66. In doubles, Tigu and senior Nanar Airapetian are No. 8. Arkansas is back in action on Saturday for the Virginia Collegiate in Charlottesville.OLYMPIC SPORTS PRESS CONFERENCETuesday at 1 p.m. in the Barnhill Arena interview room.