GAC individual championships
starts Thursday in Russellville
CONWAY – The Southern Arkansas women's tennis team wrapped up its final action before the GAC individual championships as the squad competedat the UCA 1st Fall Invite. Teams included Harding, Arkansas, Arkansas State, McNeese State, Oral Roberts, Kansas City, Murray State, and Central Oklahoma.
Southern Arkansas picked up a handful of victories across the two-day event.
SAU's Lena Milosevic topped Harding's Allison Carpenter 6-1, 6-1 and Greta Wallin won 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4) against McNeese State's Natalia Ballo. Honoka Yoshimura won 6-3 over Harding's Allison Jenkins and in doubles action Sarah Roy and Simone Simas defeated Harding's Joee Crocker and Allison Jenkins 7-5.
The Lady Muleriders now prepare for the GAC Individual Championships in Russellville on Thursday through Saturday. Southern Arkansas currently has three players on the roster that have won individual flight titles at the GAC Championships. Milosevic won the flight three title in the fall of 2019, while Simas captured the flight four championship and Brenda Teixeira won the flight six title in 2018.
SAU to host 11th annual
Lois Davis Invitational
After competing at the Steve Guymon Invitational at Harding in Searcy last weekend, Southern Arkansas will host its 11th annual Lois Davis Invitational on Friday.
At Harding, senior Rob Kraus produced a fifth-place finish and six other Muleriders helped fill up the top 20 individually as SAU finished in third place as a team with 60 total points.
Kraus' career-best 4-mile time of 20:57.8 made him the lone Mulerider to cross the tape in under 21 minutes. However, the next six Muleriders, including four freshmen, all finished in the ensuing 90 seconds as it was a strong showing for the SAU men in their second meet of the season.
Carlos Armendariz nearly slipped into the top ten as he posted an 11th-place time of 21:47.1. Jaime Quinones finished 13th and just ten second back of Armendariz at 21:57.3, while Jorge Sanchez placed 15th and rounded out the sub-22 minute times for the Muleriders with a 21:59.0 result.
Of the 55-runner field, SAU placed all of its runners in the top 30.
For the Lady Muleriders, true freshman Logan Warren recorded a fourth-place finish.
Warren's top-five finish at a quick time 19:20.3, the best of her young career, highlighted a showing by the Lady Muleriders that included three other runners placing in the top 12. Bronwyn Buchanan and Dakota Cassidy finished back-to-back in eighth and ninth, respectively. Buchanan posted a 5K time of 19:52.3; just in front of Cassidy who was right on her heels with a finish of 19:53.1.
Leah Sanders placed 12th to round out SAU's top four which put the Lady Muleriders just eight points back of host Harding's 41 second-place points. Sanders finished her effort at 20:15.0. Senior Carley Hale placed 17th in a time of 20:31.1 as SAU positioned five runners in the top 20 to total 49 points; 75 points ahead of fourth-place Henderson State.
-- SAU Sports Information