ATHLETICS

The UCA Bears and Sugar Bears transitioned to the ASUN (Atlantic Sun Conference) on July 1, 2021, ending a highly successful, 15 year partnership with the Southland Conference (SLC).

UCA’s more than 425 student-athletes maintained a combined overall GPA of 3.20 for the 15th consecutive semester. Under the SLC, UCA was awarded the Academic Performance Award for the second year in a row as the member institution with the highest Academic Progress Rate (APR). More than 200 student-athletes were named to the SLC Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll, and UCA’s Will Siler ’21 claimed one of Southland’s two prestigious 2021 F.L. McDonald Postgraduate Scholarships to attend medical school.

Despite COVID-19, the Bears and Sugar Bears maneuvered through the pandemic using rigorous, thorough testing procedures in conjunction with the Student Health Clinic and Conway Regional Health Systems. UCA athletics continued to compete throughout the year as they were one of few teams at the FCS level to complete a full season in the traditional fall season.

FOOTBALL

◊ Robert Rochell was selected by the Los

Angeles Rams, making him the Bears’ fourth

NFL draftee in the past six years.

◊ Twelve student-athletes were named to the 2020 Fall All-Southland Conference team, including Offensive Player of the Year, Tyler

Hudson.

◊ Hudson and Rochell were named finalists for the Walter Payton Award and the Buck

Buchanan Award, respectively.

VOLLEYBALL

◊ Emily Doss and Bailey Waddington were named to the All-Southland Conference team.

◊ Charlie Tidwell was named to the SLC

All-Tournament team.

BASEBALL

◊ Head coach Allen Gum retired after 11 seasons and 310 victorious games.

◊ Freshman Tyler Cleveland was named the

SLC Relief Pitcher of the Year and a first-team

All-SLC selection.

MEN’S SOCCER

◊ The Bears won the Missouri Valley

Conference Tournament in 2017 and 2018 in back-to-back NCAA Tournaments.

◊ UCA had three players named to the All-Sun

Belt team.

WOMEN’S SOCCER

◊ Sophomores Emma Hawkins and Abby

Gibson were named to the All-SLC team.

◊ Hawkins, Hadley Dickinson and Gracie Hair were named to the Southland Conference

All-Academic team, all with GPAs above 3.3.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

◊ The Bears played consecutive games at

Arkansas, Ole Miss and Mississippi within a span of five days in December 2020.

◊ Rylan Bergersen was a third-team All-

SLC selection after finishing third in the conference in scoring, second in assists and first in minutes played per game.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

◊ The Sugar Bears won two games at the 2021 SLC Tournament before losing in the semifinals in Katy, Texas.

◊ Lucy Ibeh earned three SLC postseason honors, including SLC Newcomer of the

Year, first-team All-SLC Honors and SLC All-

Defensive Team recognition.

CROSS-COUNTRY

◊ The UCA women’s cross country won its second consecutive Southland Conference championship.

◊ Head coach Beau Theriot was named the SLC

Women’s Cross Country Coach of the Year for the second consecutive year.

◊ Both the women’s and men’s squads were named NCAA Division I All-Academic teams by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross

Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

TAYLOR WEBB 15

years UCA competed in the Southland Conference before officially joining the ASUN Conference on July 1, 2021

3

3 of 18 UCA athletic teams, women’s golf, women’s tennis and women’s basketball, who recorded zero positive covid-19 tests over the past year of rigorous testing

Tyler hudson 44

44 years track and field/ cross country coach Richard Martin has been a part of UCA Athletics. He retired from coaching in the spring of 2021

SCOTTIE PIPPEN COURT

On June 14, 2021 UCA unveiled the Scottie Pippen Court, named for its most famous alumnus. Pippen, who came to UCA as a walk-on student manager from Hamburg, Ark., in 1983, went on to play 17 years in the NBA, winning six championships with the Chicago Bulls. “It’s a great feeling.” an emotional Pippen said, “Every day, I’m thankful for the opportunity. The University of Central Arkansas has been a guide in my life. This is my family.”

◊ The UCA women’s golf team finished runnerup at the 2021 SLC

Tournament and two players finished in the top five individually, with all five Bears finishing in the Top 20.

◊ The men’s golf team finished sixth at the 2021 SLC Tournament.

TENNIS

◊ Women’s tennis had two doubles players and three singles players named to the All-Southland Conference team.

◊ Yada Vasupongchai, Fuka Nonoyama and Maja Gledic were named

SLC Players of the Week during the 2021 season.

SOFTBALL

◊ The Bears finished 21-6 in Southland Conference play in 2021.

UCA won 37 games overall, the second-most in the history of the program.

◊ The Bears landed five players on the All-SLC teams, including

Freshman of the Year in outfielder, Jenna Wildeman.

◊ Wildeman was an All-Region selection, the winner of the New

Balance/NFCA Golden Shoe Award and the SLC Softball Student-

Athlete of the Year.

BEACH VOLLEYBALL

◊ The UCA Beach Bears had three pairs named to the All-SLC teams.

◊ Faith Hasness was one of 10 student-athletes from the SLC to earn All-Academic honors with a 3.96 grade-point average.

TRACK AND FIELD

◊ UCA sent five student-athletes to the NCAA West Regionals, including sprinters Ajah Criner and Zachary Jewell, hurdler

Jordan Atkins, triple jumper Taylor Coleman and middle distance runner TJ Robinson.

◊ Jewell earned All-America honors as he qualified for the NCAA

Nationals in Eugene, Oregon, finishing 16th in the nation in the 100 meter dash.

elin kumlin

JENNA WILDEMAN

Jared Chatham