UA Fort Smith’s SAAC will conduct its “Bundle Up Fort Smith” community service project on Nov. 17 when the UA Fort Smith men’s basketball team hosts the University of the Ozarks Eagles in its season opener at 7 p.m. at the Stubblefield Center.

Fans are encouraged to bring a coat, a pair of shoes or both with them to the game, and members of SAAC will be on hand to collect these clothing items at both entrances of the Stubblefield Center.

The clothing items collected will go to help those in need to stay warm this winter.

“With the winter season approaching, some people don’t have coats or jackets to stay warm or shoes to keep their feet warm,” said UA Fort Smith director of athletic compliance Will Collier, who is the SAAC sponsor. “This is an opportunity for our student-athletes to do something to help those in need in our community and help improve their quality of life.”

This project is a part of SAAC’s on-going community service project aimed at assisting those in need in the Fort Smith area. Earlier this month, SAAC members participated in a canned food drive to collect food for Thanksgiving food baskets for needy families in Fort Smith. The group visited 398 houses and collected 1,019 canned food items, as well as $110 in donations.

SAAC is a committee made up of student-athletes assembled to provide insight of the student-athlete experience and offer input on the rules, regulations and policies that affect student-athletes’ lives on NCAA member institution campuses. It also is a public service organization and participates in various community service projects throughout the year.

Freshman Sean Geraghty of Fort Smith covered the men’s 8k course in a time of 31:07 and finished 44th to lead the Lions’ contingent. Freshman Rylan Williams of Waldron, Ark., ran a time of 31:33 and finished 45th, while freshman Andrew Hubbard of Fort Smith ran a time of 35:44 and finished 50th.

Incarnate Word’s Shayn Weidner ran a time of 25:53 to win the event, which featured 51 runners. Weidner’s effort helped Incarnate Word win the overall team title. Newman University was second and Dallas Baptist was third.

Junior Erica Burgess of Converse, Texas, was the only Lady Lion to compete in the women’s 6k run. She ran a time of 26:17 and finished 24th among 61 runners. Dallas Baptist’s Hannah Steffan ran a time of 22:40 to win the event.

Dallas Baptist won the overall title, while Incarnate Word was second and Newman University was third.

UA Fort Smith competed in the conference meet despite not being eligible to win the conference title because of its provisional status this season.

Junior Fabiane Nass and sophomore Cameron Terrell were named this week’s Heartland Conference Academic Student-Athletes of the Week, and freshman Sean Geraghty was named the Heartland Conference Men’s Cross Country Player of the Week.

UA Fort Smith has had seven student-athletes earn the academic honor so far – junior tennis player McKenzie McCullough of Henryetta, Okla.; junior volleyball player Lucia Najselova of Nitra, Slovakia; sophomore volleyball player Heidi Luks of Tallinn, Estonia; sophomore tennis player Matheus da Silva of Brasilia, Brazil; and junior golfer Ethan Adamson of Fort Smith.

Nass, a junior right side hitter on the volleyball team, has a cumulative 3.75 grade-point average while majoring in business administration.

The native of Santa Catarina, Brazil, played in 152 games as a sophomore and was third on the team with 343 kills, fifth on the team with 37 aces, third on the team with 257 digs and second on the team with 99 blocks.

She was named to the MSU-West Plains Tournament of Champions all-tournament team and was named NJCAA All-Region II. She is currently second on the team with 251 kills, second with 104 total blocks and third with 214 digs. During the Lady Lions’ win against Texas Woman’s University on Thursday, Nass had a career-high 20 kills.

Terrell, a sophomore on the men’s tennis team, has a cumulative 3.30 grade-point average while majoring in biology.

The Little Rock, Ark., native was 14-17 while playing No. 4 singles last spring and was 19-9 as a doubles player. He was a part of a Lions team that was named a NJCAA Academic All-American Team.

Geraghty earned his second weekly cross country honor of his young collegiate career. The Fort Smith native ran a time of 37:27.97 and finished 32nd among 576 male and female runners of all ages in the Open 10k event of the Chile Pepper Festival hosted by the University of Arkansas on Saturday at Agri Park in Fayetteville.

Fifty-two students and student-athletes went door-to-door throughout Fort Smith neighborhoods on Saturday collecting canned food items for Thanksgiving food baskets they will prepare for needy families.

“One of the guys who was in my group was like ‘I feel really good that I used a Saturday to help people,’” said UA Fort Smith tennis player Cameron Terrell, who helped organize the food drive. “It was cool. That was pretty much the common sentiment among everybody. They were excited to be there and really glad they could help.”

The group visited 398 houses and collected 1,019 canned food items, as well as $110 in donations. Terrell, a sophomore from Little Rock, Ark., said the group was really excited about the response.

“Most of the people who were home were really excited about helping us,” Terrell said. “They were glad they could give, too. They were glad we included them in the giving process.”

Initially, Terrell said the group had hoped to collect enough food to make baskets for 40 families but because of the overwhelming outpouring of support from the community that they now hope to make baskets for 60-75 families.

The group is working with the Community Clearinghouse, which will provide them with a list of needy families. They expect to make their food basket deliveries the week before the Thanksgiving holiday.

“We had a lot of help from Caring for the Northside and Sebastian Commons,” Terrell said. “Sebastian Commons provided us pizza, and Caring for the Northside provided the T-shirts and the transportation, which we really needed.”

The door-to-door food drive also was a community service project adopted by the UA Fort Smith Student-Athlete Advisory Council.

SAAC is a committee made up of student-athletes assembled to provide insight of the student-athlete experience and offer input on the rules, regulations and policies that affect student-athletes’ lives on NCAA member institution campuses. It also is a public service organization and participates in various community service projects throughout the year.

Student-athletes representing men’s and women’s tennis and baseball participated in the food drive.

“A huge part of SAAC is community service, and it was great to see our student-athletes jump on this opportunity to help a large number of people in our community,” said UA Fort Smith compliance director Will Collier, who is the SAAC sponsor. “Too often athletes are criticized for only wanting to do things for themselves, and it’s exciting that our athletes want to help others and be a positive influence in their community.”

The Lions and Lady Lions each ran in the Open 10K event, which featured 576 male and female runners of all ages.

Geraghty, a freshman from Fort Smith, finished 32nd with a time of 37:27.97 to lead the Lions. Freshman Rylan Williams of Waldron, Ark., finished 73rd with a time of 40:51.07, and freshman Andrew Hubbard of Fort Smith finished 132nd with a time of 44:11.37.

Burgess, a junior from Converse, Texas, finished 106th with a time of 45:59 to lead the Lady Lions. Freshman Alex Haynes of Texarkana, Texas, finished 172nd with a time of 45:59.

UA Fort Smith SAAC members, along with members of Caring for the Northside, will be collecting canned food for Thanksgiving meals for those in need in Fort Smith.

SAAC is a committee made up of student-athletes assembled to provide insight of the student-athlete experience and offer input on the rules, regulations and policies that affect student-athletes’ lives on NCAA member institution campuses.

SAAC also is a public service organization and participates in various community service projects throughout the year.

Geraghty, who’s from Fort Smith, finished 36th with a time of 23:45.20 in the four-mile event, which featured 39 runners. Freshman Rylan Williams of Waldron, Ark., finished 37th with a time of 24:31.32, and freshman Andrew Hubbard of Fort Smith finished 38th with a time of 25:51.43.

Abilene Christian’s Amos Sang won the meet with a time of 18:58.25. Tarleton State won the meet with a combined time of 1:41.53. Abilene Christian was second in the four-team field with a time of 1:41.26, West Texas A&M was third with a time of 1:44.43 and Dallas Baptist was fourth with a time of 1:45.14.

UA Fort Smith only has three runners and did not factor into the overall team results.

Burgess, who is from Converse, Texas, was the only Lady Lion to compete in the women’s 4k run and finished 26th in the 47-runner field with a time of 16:37.87.

Dallas Baptist’s Hannah Steffan won the meet with a time of 14:40.31 and helped lead the Lady Patriots to the overall team title. Dallas Baptist posted a combined time 1:15.12.

Midwestern State was second in the five-team field with a time of 1:18.53, West Texas A&M was third with a time of 1:20.04, Abilene Christian was fourth with a time of 1:23.55 and Tarleton State was fifth with a time of 1:24.15.

Hubbard, a freshman from Fort Smith, covered the 8k course in a time of 25:53.60 and finished 89th in the event’s University Division, which featured 245 runners.

The former Southside Rebel finished just ahead of high school and college teammate Sean Geraghty, who finished 93rd with a time of 25:57.40. Geraghty had led the Lions contingent in its previous two meets.

Northern Arizona’s Jordan Chipangama won the event with a time of 23:44.70 and helped lead the No. 5-ranked Lumberjacks to the overall title. The NCAA Division I Lumberjacks posted a combined time of 2:00.58.30 to top the field of 25 teams.

UA Fort Smith does not have a full five-member team and did not factor into the overall team standings.

Freshman Alex Haynes continued her streak of leading the Lady Lions squad. Haynes, who is from Texarkana, Texas, posted a time of 21:08.90 and finished 181st in the University Division of the 5k event, which featured 211 runners. Haynes has led the Lady Lions in all three of their meets.

Junior Erica Burgess, who is from Converse, Texas, posted a time of 21:35.10 and finished 186th.

Texas Tech’s Lillian Badaru won the event with a time of 17:10.50 and led the Lady Red Raiders to the overall title. Texas Tech had a combined time of 1:27:37 to top the field of 24 teams.

The Lady Lions do not have a full five-member team and did not factor into the overall team standings.

UA Fort Smith will return to action Saturday when it competes in the Abilene Christian University Invitational at Abilene, Texas.

And, he’s been rewarded for his efforts by the Heartland Conference.

Geraghty was named men’s cross country player of the week, becoming the first-ever Lions cross country runner to earn the weekly honor.

The former Southside Rebel posted a time of 22:44.5 and finished 43rd in the event that was held in Waco, Texas, and featured Baylor University, Texas A&M University and fellow Heartland Conference member Dallas Baptist University.

It was the first-ever meet for UA Fort Smith, which is competing in cross country for the first time in school history.

Newman University senior Melissa Ortiz of Wichita, Kan., was named women’s cross country player of the week. She set a new school record with a time of 15:27 to win the Maple Leaf Invitational, which was hosted by Baker University in Baldwin City, Kan.

Ortiz became the first Newman cross country runner to win a race in the program’s eight-year history and helped lead Newman to a fifth-place finish in the meet.

Freshmen Sean Geraghty and Alex Haynes led the Lions and Lady Lions, respectively, on Friday night as UA Fort Smith competed against NCAA Division I Baylor and Texas A&M and NCAA Division II Dallas Baptist.

Baylor won the 6K men’s event with a total time of 1:36:17.10, followed by Texas A&M (1:38:35.3) and Dallas Baptist (1:44:38.2), which was picked to finish second in the Heartland Conference.

UA Fort Smith, which is a provisional NCAA Division II member and competes in the Heartland Conference, only has three runners and did not factor into the final team standings.

Geraghty, who’s from Fort Smith, finished 43rd with a time of 22:44.5, while freshman Rylan Williams of Waldron, Ark., was 46th with a time of 23:55.1 and freshman Andrew Hubbard of Fort Smith was 48th with a time of 27:41.

Baylor sophomore Robbie Knorr posted a time of 18:48.2 to win the men’s event, which featured 49 runners.

Baylor also won the 4K women’s event with a total time of 1:11:26.9, followed by Texas A&M (1:14:06) and Dallas Baptist (1:15.09.5), which was picked to win the Heartland Conference.

UA Fort Smith only has three runners and did not factor into the team standings.

Haynes, who is from Texarkana, Texas, finished 43rd with a time of 16:56.8, while junior Erica Burgess of Converse, Texas, finished 47th with a time of 17:34.7 and freshman Jacqueline Bowen of Rogers, Ark., finished 48th with a time of 17:37.8.

Baylor senior Nichole Jones posted a time of 14:07.3 to win the women’s event, which featured 51 runners.

UA Fort Smith will return to action on Sept. 19 when it competes in the Missouri Southern University Stampede at Joplin, Mo.

One thing, however, has remained constant – his passion for running. Needless to say, Merritt was excited this past spring when he was hired as the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith’s first-ever cross country coach.

While the limited recruiting time was somewhat of a challenge, the always peppy-positive Merritt made the most of his opportunities.

“It was a real slow start, but there was no settling. The reality of it is that we are only going to take qualified athletes with great attitudes no matter how few or how many I get,” Merritt said. “We have a small team coming up.”

UA Fort Smith will begin its inaugural cross country season on Friday when the Lions and Lady Lions compete in the Baylor University Bear Twilight Invitational in Waco, Texas.

Merritt’s first men’s team consists entirely of former prep runners – freshman Sean Geraghty of Fort Smith; freshman Andrew Hubbard of Fort Smith; and freshman Rylan Williams of Waldron, Ark.

His women’s team consists of former junior college and prep runners – freshman Jacqueline Bowen of Rogers, Ark.; freshman Alex Haynes of Texarkana, Texas; and junior Erica Burgess of Converse, Texas.

With only one seasoned college-level runner on either squad – Burgess ran track at Cloud County Community College in Concordia, Kan., the past two seasons – much of this inaugural season will be focused on simply getting acclimated to college-level competition for the runners and their coach.

Merritt has 20 years of experience in endurance and cross country running, ranging from the 800-meter dash to marathons, and is certified as a Level II USA track and field coach, specializing in endurance events.

The Rogers, Ark., native is U.S. Army Master Fitness trained and has served as head coach for company-, battalion- and post-level Army running teams, as well as junior high- and senior high-level track and cross country teams.

However, this will be Merritt’s first collegiate head coaching position.

“We’ve got good talent on both squads. We are going to focus on goal orientation for this first season and then go into a process-driven program after this season,” said Merritt, who also is a technical instructor in UA Fort Smith’s electronics department.

“We are going to try and hit times without the stress. I don’t care what place they come in, but I want them to hit their times. Next season, we will forget about that and go much more toward what the process and strategy is that we need to be focusing on to be successful.”

UA Fort Smith will compete this season as a provisional member of NCAA Division II. The Lions and Lady Lions, who will begin their first season of competition in the Heartland Conference, are not eligible for regular-season conference championships or postseason play.

Merritt said he will take full advantage of that provisional period to establish a firm foundation for the program, while also building toward next season when UA Fort Smith will be able to compete for conference titles and postseason play.

“I’m real excited about the lack of necessary peaking and necessary competition because you are sacrificing training when you are actually trying to compete. By having the natural reduction in stress there, I am able to train them like I want to and push them a little harder with a little more volume and maybe risk a little more intensity,” Merritt said.

“It’s really great preparation for the following year. I think we will do great anyway when we go to our meets. They are coming in ready, but since we are coming in to this first phase without having to worry about that conference championship, we are going to be able to reduce the stress level on the athletes and let them give 100 percent.”

The Bear Twilight Invitational is the first of five regular-season meets and the first of three primarily NCAA Division I meets for UA Fort Smith. Merritt isn’t shying away from tough competition.

“I’m excited about the meets,” Merritt said. “I’m a realist, and I don’t expect to go in and win those things. I am going to expect a good performance. I am going to expect their performance to show despite good competition, and I will be happy.”

Eight teams will have a chance at capturing the women’s title, while six teams will battle it out for the men’s title.

Conference coaches have tabbed defending men’s champion University of the Incarnate Word as the favorite to repeat as league champion. Dallas Baptist University and Newman University are picked to finish second and third, respectively.

The remainder of the field competing for the men’s title will be Texas A&M International University, University of Texas - Permian Basin and Oklahoma Panhandle State University.

League coaches have voted defending women’s champion Dallas Baptist University as the favorite to repeat as champion. The University of the Incarnate Word and Newman University are picked to finish second and third, respectively.

The remainder of the field competing for the women’s title will be Lincoln University, Texas A&M International University, St. Mary’s University, University of Texas - Permian Basin and Oklahoma Panhandle State University.

The University of Arkansas - Fort Smith, which will be a first-year member of the conference, will compete in men’s and women’s cross country, but as a provisional NCAA Division II member, UA Fort Smith will not be eligible to compete for conference titles or compete in postseason play this season.

HEARTLAND CONFERENCE COACHES’ PRESEASON POLLS

MEN

1. University of the Incarnate Word

2. Dallas Baptist University

3. Newman University

4. Texas A&M International University

5. University of Texas - Permian Basin

6. Oklahoma Panhandle State University

WOMEN

1. Dallas Baptist University

2. University of the Incarnate Word

3. Newman University

4. Lincoln University

5. Texas A&M International University

6. St. Mary’s University

7. University of Texas - Permian Basin

8. Oklahoma Panhandle State University

Note: UA Fort Smith is a provisional member of NCAA Division II and is not eligible to compete for the regular-season conference championship or compete for postseason play this season.

The NCAA has granted UA Fort Smith provisional Division II membership status beginning with the upcoming academic year. UA Fort Smith athletic director Dustin Smith received official notification from the NCAA during a conference call on Thursday afternoon.

“A lot of work has gone into getting to this point. By no means is it over, but it is a huge step in the right direction and a positive movement for the institution and the athletic department,” Smith said. “A lot of worries have ended with this decision. We are one step closer to the prize, and that prize is active membership in Division II.”

As a provisional member, UA Fort Smith will compete at the NCAA Division II level this upcoming season, but its teams will not be eligible to compete for conference or region championships or participate in postseason play.

Once the provisional year is completed, UA Fort Smith will be eligible for full active membership. That decision will be made by the NCAA in July 2010. Smith said he expects UA Fort Smith to be granted full active membership at that time.

“In the whole process if (the NCAA) doesn’t feel that you have done what you are supposed to do, you repeat the year that you are on,” Smith explained. “I can’t ever say that (full active membership) is a done deal, but hopefully a year from this time, we can say that it’s a done deal and that we are an active Division II school.

“We have the pieces in place, and I would not foresee them saying that we would have to repeat the third year (the provisional year).”

UA Fort Smith announced its intentions to leave the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and pursue NCAA Division II membership prior to the start of the 2007-08 season.

UA Fort Smith completed the first year of the two-year exploratory phase required for Division II membership and was given approval by the NCAA on July 24, 2008, to move to the second year of the membership process for the 2008-09 academic year.

Two members representing the NCAA membership committee conducted a two-day, on-site visit at UA Fort Smith this past April, during which time they toured the campus and the athletic facilities and interviewed administrators, faculty and staff about the university’s academic and athletic policies and procedures.

Their favorable report – as well as UA Fort Smith’s work throughout the early stages of the membership process – was instrumental in the committee granting the university provisional membership status.

“My goal in this whole process was to do as much as we could on the front end to look and present ourselves as a Division II school,” Smith said. “We looked at a lot of institutions both in the state and in the region to give us some guidance and to set a standard for us to follow.

“My whole philosophy was that ‘if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.’ Obviously, there are schools around us who have been successful as Division II schools. We wanted to implement some of the things they do, and (UA Fort Smith Chancellor) Dr. (Paul) Beran has given us great guidance in doing that and has been very supportive of that. I think the (membership) committee was pleased with what we have done.”

This past spring, UA Fort Smith accepted an invitation to join the Heartland Conference and will begin competition in the league beginning this fall. 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.