When a person thinks of the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith and Lion athletics, they can’t help but think of success. That success has been quite apparent over the years, both in the playing arenas and in the classroom.

The Lions have claimed national championships in men’s basketball (1981, 2006) and women’s basketball (1995), as well as competing yearly for conference and regional championships in all sports for over a half-century.

Since 2000, the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith has claimed seven Bi-State Conference championships (2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008) and three Region II championships (2001, 2002, 2006) in men’s basketball. The women’s basketball team has shared one Bi-State Conference Championship (2003), claimed the outright Conference Championship in 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008 and the Region II Championship in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2008. Dale Harpenau, head baseball coach, has guided his team to 363 wins and the 2007 Region II Championship while playing in one of the toughest conferences in the nation. UA Fort Smith volleyball has had their share of success, winning conference championships in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 and Region II tournament championships in 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2007. The volleyball program also holds the distinction of being named an NJCAA Academic All-American Team eight times (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007).

The golf and tennis teams, while beginning just their fourth year of competition, have already made an impact both regionally and nationally. The men's golf team won back-to-back-to-back Region II tournament titles (2006, 2007, 2008) and finished a program-best fourth place in the 2008 NJCAA national tournament. The women's golf team though small (1 member in 2006, two in 2007, four in 2008) has competed well at both the regional and national level. The Lady Lions were Region II tournament runner-up and finished eighth in the national tournament this past spring. Men's and women's tennis have both won regional titles in their first three years of competition. The men's team finished the 2008 season with a seventh-place finish at the national tournament, while the women finished the year with a 23rd-place at the national tournament.

The UA Fort Smith athletic department takes great pride in its facilities. Crowder Field, which is the home of the baseball team, is one of the best baseball facilities in the region. The Stubblefield Center, which opened in January of 2002, is one of the finest athletic complexes in the country. Home of both basketball programs and the volleyball program, the Stubblefield Center also houses the athletic offices and team locker rooms. In addition to Lion athletic events, the Stubblefield Center has also hosted state high school tournaments in basketball and volleyball, as well as community events ranging from choral and band concerts to graduation ceremonies.

Although the Lions have accomplished great things on the courts and fields, it is the classroom where the UA Fort Smith administration and the entire athletic department staff are primarily focused. Each University of Arkansas –Fort Smith athlete is supported in every academic area to assure that his or her academic goals are met. This is evident through the care and attention that each athlete receives from athletic academic advisors Julie Mosley, Will Collier and Dustin Smith, as well as tutors and coaches.

The athletic department at UA Fort Smith, like the rest of the campus community, is striving daily to be the best in all areas, giving students and student-athletes the best chance to succeed.

Mission Statement

The mission of intercollegiate athletics at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith is to provide student athletes with the opportunity to compete within a structured sporting environment that facilitates and enriches the student athlete’s intellectual, personal, cultural, and professional development.

• The UA Fort Smith athletic program is committed to supporting student-athletes as they attempt to attain their educational goals and will monitor academic progress towards degree completion.

• A strong athletic program makes a significant positive contribution to University recognition by the public, students, faculty, staff, and alumni.

• Intercollegiate athletics supports the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith’s goal for a diverse academic community and seeks to generate a unifying spirit among all institutional constituencies.

• The UA Fort Smith athletics program provides equal opportunity for participation for all people regardless of race, gender, religion, or sexual orientation.

• The UA Fort Smith athletics program believes in an unwavering commitment to the best practices of sportsmanship and sound ethical conduct from all participants, coaches, players, administrators, staff, faculty, students, and community members alike. Pressure to win without regard to the student athlete’s academic, physical, or psychological well being will not be tolerated.

• The UA Fort Smith athletic program is to be administered in accordance with the policies of conference and other state, regional, and national organizations in which the University holds membership.

ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT NEWS

UA Fort Smith Accepts Invitation To Join Heartland Conference

The University of Arkansas - Fort Smith’s search for an NCAA Division II athletic conference is over. Athletic director Dustin Smith announced on Monday that UA Fort Smith has accepted an invitation to join the prestigious Heartland Conference, a now 10-member league based in Waco, Texas.

UA Fort Smith will begin play in the Heartland Conference with the start of the 2009-10 season.

“It’s a historic day for UA Fort Smith athletics as we continue our transition to NCAA Division II status,” Smith said. “We are thankful to now have a home, and we feel the Heartland Conference fits the mission and goals of our institution and athletic department.”

UA Fort Smith, which is in its final year as a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association, is currently in the second year of the three-year Division II membership process.

UA Fort Smith will be a provisional Division II member next season while competing in the Heartland Conference. UA Fort Smith’s teams, however, will not be eligible to compete in postseason play until the 2010-11 season, when it becomes a full-fledged member of Division II.

“We are excited about beginning play in Division II next year and being a member of the Heartland Conference,” UA Fort Smith chancellor Dr. Paul B. Beran said. “We will be playing schools that will be on par with us. … This is a great moment.”

The Heartland Conference is the newest Division II conference. The conference, which was founded in 1999, covers a distance of more than 1,050 miles from north to south and 610 miles east to west.

UA Fort Smith will join current Heartland Conference members Dallas Baptist University, Incarnate Word University, St. Edward’s University, Lincoln University, St. Mary’s University, Newman University, Texas A&M International University, Oklahoma Panhandle State University and the University of Texas - Permian Basin.

“We look forward to establishing ourselves at the Division II level, and the Heartland Conference will be a great opportunity for us to showcase our program – athletically and academically,” Smith said.

The Heartland Conference sponsors six men’s sports – cross country, soccer, basketball, baseball, golf and tennis – and seven women’s sports – cross country, soccer, volleyball, basketball, golf, softball and tennis.

UA Fort Smith currently competes in four men’s sports – basketball, baseball, golf and tennis – and four women’s sports – volleyball, basketball, golf and tennis. Next season, it also will field men’s and women’s cross country teams.

Smith said the Heartland Conference not only is a great fit for UA Fort Smith athletically but academically as well.

Universities in the Heartland Conference offer a wide range of undergraduate, graduate and professional programs. The strength of the student-athlete concept is well supported by the many NCAA scholar-athletes in each school, the high cumulative GPA of the student-athletes in each school and the high number of student-athletes who graduate from each institution in the Heartland Conference.

“We are proud of their commitment to academics at the conference level,” Smith said. “That’s what we expect of our student-athletes.”

Smith said he is looking forward to a long relationship with the Heartland Conference.

“We are excited about being a member of the Heartland Conference and look forward to playing in the conference for many years to come,” Smith said.

UA Fort Smith Continues Search For Conference Affiliation

The University of Arkansas - Fort Smith will continue its search for a NCAA Division II athletic conference affiliation after receiving notification on Wednesday morning that it would not be invited to join the Gulf South Conference.

UA Fort Smith Chancellor Dr. Paul B. Beran received the official notification of the decision made by the President’s Council of the Gulf South Conference during Wednesday’s session of the NCAA National Convention, which is being held this week in Washington, D.C.

In making its decision, the President’s Council cited the current balance within the conference’s two divisions – eight teams in the West Division and eight teams in the East Division – as being the desired management structure that they want to maintain for the conference.

“UA Fort Smith has a strong athletic program, excellent facilities, and most importantly, dedicated and energized athletic personnel,” Beran said. “The athletic department administration and I will immediately begin to pursue other conference opportunities.”

This past July, the athletic department received approval from the NCAA Division II membership committee to proceed to the second year of the two-year exploratory phase of the three-year membership process.

UA Fort Smith is currently competing in its final season as a member of the NJCAA.

“UA Fort Smith has demonstrated full ability to be a strong member of any NCAA Division II conference,” Beran said. “We will move forward to not only join another conference of equal or greater quality and stature, but also we will move forward to show our huge capacity for being the university of choice for student athletes.”

Team Cheshier Wins UA Fort Smith Athletic Club Golf Tournament

It took a scorecard tiebreaker Monday afternoon to settle the championship of the annual University of Arkansas - Fort Smith Athletic Club Golf Tournament at Hardscrabble Country Club.

Team Cheshier and Team Wilson each carded a sizzling 53 to finish tied for the lowest score, but Cheshier’s team took home first place honors via the tiebreaker.

There also was a tie for third place between Team Pernod Ricard USA and Team ServiceMaster – each carded a 55 – but Team Pernaud Ricard USA won the tiebreaker to take third-place honors with Team ServiceMaster finishing fourth.

Twenty-five teams comprised of members of area corporations, businesses and media organizations competed in the annual affair, which raises funds for the UA Fort Smith athletic scholarship fund.

UA Fort Smith Athletic Club Golf Tournament

Place/Team Score

1. Team Cheshier 53

Dr. Jim Cheshier

Ty Adams

Kevin Thopson

Brandon Zimmerman

2. Team Wilson 53

Bill Wilson

Greg Wilson

Buddy Wilkins

Travis Warner

3. Team Pernod Ricard USA 55

Brian Hastings

Melissa Hanesworth

Steve Lovett

Dewayne Shock

4. Team ServiceMaster 55

Tommy Smith

Rodney West

Steve Roland

Scott Waller

UA Fort Smith Receives Approval To Enter To Second Year Of Exploratory Phase

The University of Arkansas - Fort Smith is now one step closer to becoming an official member of NCAA Division II.

The athletic department received official approval from the NCAA Division II membership committee on Thursday, July 24, to proceed to the second year of the exploratory phase of the three-year NCAA Division II membership process.

“This is a huge milestone for UA Fort Smith athletics,” Dr. Paul. B. Beran, UA Fort Smith chancellor said. “It shows our ability to work together, as well as the strength of the leadership from the athletic director to the coaches and their commitment to the NCAA process. It also shows the leadership from our former athletic director, baseball coach Dale Harpenau, and his ability to lead the coaches in building the foundation for this process.”

UA Fort Smith was informed of the membership committee’s decision during a conference call to athletic director Dustin Smith and assistant athletic director/senior woman administrator Beth Presley.

Smith said it was exciting news for the athletic program, which began its transition from NJCAA to NCAA Division II status a year ago. UA Fort Smith will begin its final year of competition as a member of NJCAA in August.

“The membership committee looked favorably on the progress we made in the first year of the process,” Smith said. “The hard work of the members of our administration, athletics board, coaches, faculty and staff made this a reality. It is really a testament to the hard work and dedication of our institution.”

One of the main requirements of a prospective NCAA Division II member during the first year of the exploratory phase is that the program conducts a self-study review of areas like governance and commitment to rules compliance, academic integrity, equity and student-athlete well-being.

Overall, Smith said the membership committee was pleased with the program’s self-study report. On occasion, some programs have been forced to repeat the first year of the exploratory phase when their progress has been deemed to be insufficient by the membership committee.

“There is always anticipation when you await word of this magnitude,” Smith said. “We want to do everything we can to make this transition a smooth one for all parties involved. It is great to know the hard work of so many has been rewarded and recognized.”

During the second year of the exploratory phase, UA Fort Smith will be visited during the spring semester by one or more of the membership assistant directors as well as members of the NCAA Division II membership committee and the mentoring group, which consists of representatives from the University of Arkansas - Monticello.

At that time, an assessment will be made to determine whether or not the athletic program is prepared to move into the provisional year of the membership process.

“The NCAA has designed this process for all schools to better prepare themselves for the NCAA,” Smith said. “This is a commitment that involves everyone at UA Fort Smith. Dr. Beran and I are committed to moving UA Fort Smith to the next phase of the process.”

The athletic department underwent many changes during the first year of the exploratory phase to meet the requirements of NCAA Division II membership, especially in the administrative and support staff areas. UA Fort Smith hired a senior woman administrator, a sports information director, a compliance officer and two full-time athletic trainers and appointed a faculty athletic representative.

UA Fort Smith will continue to implement the remaining necessary changes required for membership during the second year of the exploratory phase, particularly in the number of sports it offers. Currently, the athletic program offers eight sports – volleyball, men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, men’s and women’s golf and men’s and women’s tennis – but will have to add two additional sports. Smith said the program will add men’s and women’s cross country beginning with the 2009-10 school year.

“We have made several key changes in the past year that have helped us get to the point we are currently,” Smith said. “NCAA Division II requires member institutions to sponsor a minimum of 10 varsity sports. We will add additional sports as needed to meet those requirements, but we could also add more in the future.”

UA Fort Smith also is in the process of determining the best possible conference affiliation that offers championships in all the sports it currently sponsors.

If UA Fort Smith is given the approval to proceed to the provisional year after the committee’s visit in the spring, it will be able to compete as a NCAA Division II member in 2009-10, but it will not be able to compete for postseason championships for that one year. The following year (2010-11), UA Fort Smith will be a full-fledged member of NCAA Division II.

“This process is a marathon not a sprint,” Smith said. “Our institution and athletic department believe in what the NCAA stands for and represents. We are excited about the progress we have made, and look forward to continuing that progress over the course of the next year.”

Harpenau Steps Down As Athletics Director

You’ll never hear Dale Harpenau boast about what he’s done while athletics director at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith. The success of the Lions athletics program during the five years of his tenure, however, is obvious.

Seven of the eight UA Fort Smith teams have won at least one NJCAA Region II championship, and all but one has made at least one appearance in their respective NJCAA national tournament with men’s basketball winning the 2006 national championship.

“Men’s basketball winning the national championship was pretty big,” Harpenau said. “Getting to be a part of that was a lot of fun.”

As the athletics program begins its second year of its transition from NJCAA to NCAA Division II, Harpenau will step down as athletics director effective July 1. He will be succeeded by current assistant athletics director Dustin Smith.

Harpenau will remain on staff as head baseball coach.

“As we started to make the change to NCAA Division II, it became apparent to me that it was going to be difficult to continue doing both jobs and do a good job at both,” said Harpenau, who recently finished his 10th season as head baseball coach. “It’s strictly a professional decision on my part and a family decision. This will allow me to be able to spend more time with my family.

“They are all active in a lot of activities, and I want to be a part of that.”

Harpenau joined the UA Fort Smith staff in May of 1998 as head baseball coach, succeeding legendary Lions coach Bill Crowder. Prior to coaching the Lions, Harpenau was head baseball coach for 11 seasons at Arkansas Tech University.

He succeeded former UA Fort Smith men’s basketball coach Doc Sadler as athletics director in May of 2003. Sadler, who had been athletics director and head basketball coach for five seasons, left to become assistant men’s basketball coach at the University of Texas - El Paso. Sadler went on to become head coach at UT - El Paso and is currently the head coach at Nebraska.

Harpenau was instrumental in the growth of the athletics department during his tenure as athletics director, which included the addition of men’s and women’s golf and men’s and women’s tennis.

“We’ve had a good run the past five years with the success we’ve had both on and off the court and on and off the field. I feel good about where things are at, and we’re headed in the right direction,” Harpenau said. “I’ve been really fortunate in that I’ve had some really good people to work with and have had an administration that has been really supportive. And I’m very appreciative of our fans, who have continued to come out and support our program.”

Smith, 31, joined the UA Fort Smith staff in May of 2007 as assistant athletics director. Prior to that, Smith was the transfer enrollment manager for three years at East Central University in Ada, Okla., (2004-2007) and director of recruitment for two years at Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Alva (2002-2004).

The Pawhuska, Okla., native also worked as student activities coordinator at Murray State University in Tishomingo, Okla., for one year (2001-02).

“I’m going to have some big shoes to fill. It’s headed in the right direction, and I’m going to try to continue what he’s done,” Smith said. “I’m not a coach, and I’m not going to be a coach. I’m not going to call plays and tell them what kind of defenses to run, but I will do the best I can to get them the things they need to be successful.”

Smith, who holds bachelor’s degrees in mass communication and physical education and a masters’ degree in sports administration, is eager to take on the challenge of the athletics director position, particularly at a time when the program is transitioning from NJCAA to NCAA Division II.

UA Fort Smith recently completed the first year of the two-year exploratory period, which is the initial phase of the NCAA Division II membership process.

“I had the chance to learn under coach Harp for a year,” Smith said. “I got the chance to learn the ins and outs of Lions athletics, and it was a valuable learning experience. The best thing is that coach Harp is not going anywhere. I will have him as a tremendous resource of information and experience.”

New Staff Members Join Athletics Department

The University of Arkansas - Fort Smith athletics department has announced the hiring of head athletics trainer Jeff McGee, assistant athletics trainer Rae Tribble and compliance officer Will Collier.

McGee, 34, joins the UA Fort Smith staff after previously serving as an assistant athletics trainer at the University of Arkansas, where he worked with men’s track and field and cross country and assisted with summer football.

The Fayetteville, Ark., native holds a bachelor’s degree in athletics training from Oklahoma State University (2006) and a master’s degree in education from the University of Arkansas (2007).

While at Arkansas, McGee was a trainer for teams that won one indoor track national championship and six Southeastern Conference track championships and worked with legendary Razorbacks track coach John McDonnell, who recently retired after 36 seasons and 42 national championships.

At UA Fort Smith, McGee will supervise an athletics training department that will monitor the health and well-being of more than 100 student-athletes representing eight sports. McGee said he is excited about heading up his own department.

“We’re going (NCAA) Division II, and I get the chance to be here on the ground floor and help build up (the training department),” McGee said. “I’m not about wanting to be at a large university. I want to be at a place where I can make a difference and the teams are good. And, that’s what we have here.”

McGee, who is married to wife Ashley, will begin his position at UA Fort Smith on July 1.

Tribble, 24, joins the UA Fort Smith staff after previously serving as a graduate assistant trainer at the University of Arkansas, where she worked with football, women’s basketball, track and field and volleyball.

The Money, Miss., native holds a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology from Mississippi State University (2006) and a master’s degree in athletics training from the University of Arkansas (2008).

Tribble will begin her position at UA Fort Smith on July 1.

“I am so impressed with the facilities, and I’m excited to work with the athletics teams here,” Tribble said. “I’m honored to be a part of the UA Fort Smith family.”

Collier, 26, joins the UA Fort Smith staff after serving as compliance assistant at the University of Arkansas the past 2 ½ years.

The Savannah, Ga., native holds a bachelor’s degree in public relations from Southern University (2005) and a master’s degree in human resource management from the University Arkansas (2008).

Collier moved from Georgia with his parents, who are employed at the University of Arkansas, to Arkansas in 1994 and is a 2000 graduate of Fayetteville High School. He played basketball and ran track at Southern University in Baton Rouge, La., and went on to become assistant women’s basketball coach there for two seasons, during which time the Lady Jags twice advanced to the NCAA tournament.

He will be UA Fort Smith’s first compliance officer and will begin his position on July 1.

“I had a great feel when I was down there,” Collier said. “The people are really nice, and the campus is bigger than what I thought it was. I was really impressed. I’m excited about getting started.”

UA Fort Smith recently completed the first year of the two-year exploratory period, which is the initial phase of NCAA Division II membership. UA Fort Smith will begin its final season as a member of NJCAA in August.

“We look forward to Jeff, Rae and Will joining the staff here at UA Fort Smith,” UA Fort Smith assistant athletics director Dustin Smith said. “They will help us in our transition to Division II, and they will be a valuable part of that transition.”