Razorback Roundup -- Nov. 23

RAZORBACK ROUNDUPNov. 23, 2009BASEBALL: Head coach Dave Van Horn announced his signing class of 14 for the 2010-2011 season. The group includes Barrett Astin (Forrest City, Ark.), Dominic Ficociello (Fullerton, Calif.), Bronson Gillam (Bossier City, La.), Jeff Harvill (Keithville, La.), Jared Lakind (Cypress, Texas), Brandon Moore (Fort Smith, Ark.), Justin O’Conner (Muncie, Ind.), Houston Pruitt (Springdale, Ark.), Jacob Rice (Tulsa, Okla.), Nolan Sanburn (Kokomo, Ind.), Ryne Stanek (Overland Park, Kan.), Colby Suggs (Sulphur Springs, Texas), Pierce Trumper (Ft. Collins, Colo.) and Jake Wise (Houston, Texas). All 14 members will enter the Razorback program as freshmen. Arkansas begins its 2010 season with a three-game series against Ball State at Baum Stadium Feb. 19-21. The Razorbacks play their first seven games at home.MEN’S BASKETBALL (2-1): The Razorbacks went 1-1 on the week with a Tuesday night loss against No. 20 Louisville at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo., and a thrilling 81-72 overtime win against Appalachian State on Friday at Bud Walton Arena. Freshman Marshawn Powell continues to be a spark to the Razorbacks as he notched his second double-double of the season against Louisville, then scored 29 against the Mountaineers to lead Arkansas to victory. Sophomore Rotnei Clarke was named the SEC Player of the Week for scoring his school-record 51 points and setting four school, arena and SEC records against Alcorn State. The Razorbacks are home for three games in the next seven days. It begins with a Tuesday night contest with Morgan State, followed by a game on Friday against East Tennessee State and concluding with a Sunday afternoon game against South Alabama.WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (2-1): The Razorbacks improved to 2-1 on the year with a 95-78 win over East Tennessee State in Bud Walton Arena Sunday. Freshman Dominique Robinson led Arkansas with 17 points on a 5-of-6 performance from three-point range. She paced four players in double figures for Arkansas. The Razorbacks next travel to the Caribbean Challenge in Cancun, Mexico, facing Iona and Western Kentucky, Thursday and Friday, respectively.MEN’S AND WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY: The Arkansas cross country teams finish the 2009 season with 10K and 6K races, respectively, at the 2009 NCAA Cross Country Championships, on Monday (today) at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Ind. The men’s race is at 11:08 a.m. CST and the women’s race at 11:58 a.m. Both championship races will be broadcast live on Versus and streamed online via NCAA.com. Last week, men’s head coach Chris Bucknam and junior Dorian Ulrey were recognized by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches’ Association. Bucknam, in his second season at Arkansas, was named the NCAA South Central Region Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year. He led the Razorbacks to a runner-up finish at the SEC Championship and a meet win at the NCAA South Central Regional Championship. Ulrey, a native of Port Byron, Ill., was named the NCAA South Central Region Men’s Runner of the Year. Ulrey earned a runner-up finish at the SEC Championship and won the NCAA South Central Regional Championship.FOOTBALL (7-4, 3-4): Arkansas finishes the regular season schedule this Saturday at LSU. The Razorbacks take on the Tigers at 6 p.m. CT and the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN. The Razorbacks have defeated LSU each of the last two seasons. The last time UA beat LSU three-straight years was 1927-29. Last week, UA defeated Mississippi State in Little Rock, 42-21. For his effort, quarterback Ryan Mallett was one of four nominees nationally for the AT&T All-America Player of the Week award. MEN’S GOLF: The Razorbacks are off until Feb. 14-16 when they compete at the Battle at the Beach in Newport Beach, Calif.WOMEN’S GOLF: The Razorbacks are idle until the Central District Invitational Feb. 22-23, in Parrish, Fla. GYMNASTICS: Arkansas is ranked No. 8 in the GymInfo preseason rankings. GymInfo provides the official NCAA rankings for collegiate men’s and women’s gymnastics. Of Arkansas’ 11 regular-season meets, nine are against teams ranked in the top 25. Arkansas, which opens the season Jan. 9 at home against No. 20 Arizona, also has meets against No. 1 Georgia, No. 3 Alabama, No. 4 Florida, No. 6 LSU, No. 9 Oklahoma, No. 14 Auburn, No. 22 Minnesota and No. 25 Washington. Last year, Arkansas advanced to the NCAA Super Six, finished fifth in the nation and earned a No. 5 final ranking.SWIMMING AND DIVING (4-1, 2-1): Senior Yi-Ting Siow automatically qualified for the NCAA Championship and set a Doris Z. Holloway Pool record in the 200-yard breaststroke Sunday on the final day of the Purdue Invitational at the Boilermaker Aquatic Center in West Lafayette, Ind. Siow touched in at 2:09.01 in the 200y breaststroke to earn her second event win of the invitational. Siow’s time is the fastest in the NCAA this season by almost two-and-a-half seconds. The No. 18 Razorbacks picked up six more NCAA “B” cuts Sunday to bring the weekend total to 16. The Hogs also return home with new school records in the 100y butterfly and the 400y medley relay. Arkansas returns to action Jan. 3-5 at the Georgia Diving Invitational while the entire squad returns to the pool with a dual meet against North Texas on Jan. 9 at Arkansas Natatorium. WOMEN’S TENNIS: Arkansas competes again on Jan. 23 against Oklahoma State and St. Louis at George M. Billingsley Tennis Center and Dills Indoor Stadium.MEN’S TENNIS: The Razorbacks return to action Jan. 17 to start the spring season against the Washington Huskies in Fayetteville.VOLLEYBALL (13-17, 7-12): The Razorbacks split a pair of five-set contests during the final home weekend of the season. In Friday’s match, Arkansas defeated Auburn, 32-30, 22-25, 25-22, 20-25, 15-10, behind a match-high 28 kills from Jasmine Norton, who earned her sixth SEC Freshman of the Week award to open the week, and a career-high 15 kills by Amanda Anderson. Kelli Stipanovich and Kristin Seaton added 15 and 14 kills, respectively. Phoebe Bautista posted a career-high 33 digs, the second-highest match total in program history, and Cassie Clarke had an SEC-high 66 assists. Against Georgia in the weekend finale, three Razorbacks–Norton (21), Seaton (18) and Stipanovich (15)–had double-digit kills, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Bulldogs. The 18 kills were a season high for Seaton. Before Sunday’s match, Seaton and Lindsay Scanlan were recognized for Senior Day. Away from the court, head coach Robert Pulliza announced the addition of five players for the 2010 season: Alexandra Fitzmorris (Overland Park, Kan.), Haley Koop (Spring, Texas), Clarissa Pavey (Plano, Texas), Raymariely Santos (Ponce, Puerto Rico) and Charmaine Whitmore (Fort Smith, Ark.). The Razorbacks close the season Wednesday at Ole Miss in a match scheduled for a 7 p.m. (CT) start in Oxford, Miss.OLYMPIC SPORTS PRESS CONFERENCE:Tuesday at 1 p.m. in the Barnhill Arena interview room.