Other College Sports Capsules: Florida's Bruder wins Honda Award for softball
NEW YORK (AP) — Kelsey Bruder of Florida is the winner of the Honda Sports Award as the nation's top softball player.
Bruder, of Corona, Calif., hit a home run in the first inning against Alabama, helping Florida to a 9-2 victory and a spot in the Women's College World Series finals this month.
Florida lost to Arizona State 7-2 in the final on June 7.
Bruder led the Southeastern Conference this season in runs (32), hits (40), RBIs (36), slugging percentage (.883) and home runs (11). She now plays professionally for the Florida Pride in the National Pro Fastpitch league.
The other candidates were Ashley Hansen of Stanford, Jolene Henderson of Cal, and Chelsea Thomas of Missouri. The nominees were selected by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.
As one of the Honda winners in 12 sports, Bruder is eligible for Collegiate Female Athlete of the Year honors. The Honda-Broderick Cup will be awarded June 27 in New York.
Student signs to play softball at Central Arkansas
CONWAY, Ark. (AP) — An Arkansas high school standout has signed an NCAA national letter of intent to play softball at the University of Central Arkansas.
The school announced Tuesday that head coach David Kuhn signed Caitlyn Cooksey of Morrilton. The catcher and outfielder was an all-state and all-conference selection for Morrilton High School. Cooksey was named Morrilton 's co-most valuable player after hitting .416 with seven home runs this past season.
Men's Basketball
Martin finalizes staff hiring Harris, Pancratz
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee coach Cuonzo Martin has filled out his full-time coaching staff, hiring two people for support jobs.
Martin announced Tuesday he has hired Marco Harris as student-athlete welfare coordinator, while Mark Pancratz will be coordinator of video scouting.
The coach says Harris is like a brother. A fellow native of East St. Louis, Ill., Harris has owned his own business over the past decade while coaching in high school and AAU basketball. He coached Booker T. Washington High in Tulsa, Okla., to a state title earlier this year.
Pancratz has been at Tennessee since 2006 starting as a graduate assistant and working as video coordinator. He spent the past two seasons as liaison to the university's marketing and development offices.
Radford hires VCU's Jones as men's hoops coach
RADFORD, Va. (AP) — Virginia Commonwealth assistant coach Mike Jones has been named head men's basketball coach at Radford. Radford announced Jones' hiring Tuesday and says he will be introduced at a news conference on Wednesday.
As an assistant to Shaka Smart, Jones helped VCU make its first Final Four appearance last season. Jones replaces Brad Greenberg, who resigned last month.
Greenberg went 55-68 in four seasons. He was suspended for four games in February for NCAA violations tied to impermissible team travel and associated extra benefits for an ineligible player.
MSU Billings hoops signs Northern Colorado guard
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — MSU Billings men's basketball coach Jamie Stevens says former University of Northern Colorado athlete David Arnold will play for the Yellowjackets this season.
The 6-foot-2 guard, a native of Highlands Ranch, Colo., was part of two 20-win teams at Northern Colorado and last season helped the Bears to the Big Sky Conference regular season and tournament titles. Stevens said Tuesday that Arnold's "ability to shoot the basketball is exactly what we need at the guard position."
Montana State men's hoops adds three players
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Montana State men's basketball coach Brad Huse has announced the addition of three players and the loss of a player due to academic ineligibility.
Huse says the Bobcats have signed guard Christian Moon of Henry Ford Community College in Detroit and prep standout Mike Dison of Spring, Texas, while former Bozeman High center Patrick Webb is walking on. Huse says Chris McCall was declared academically ineligible after the spring semester. He averaged 2.6 points and 1.5 rebounds per game as a freshman.
Wrestling
ISU assistant leaves to pursue career in ministry
AMES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa State assistant wrestling coach Eric Voelker is resigning to pursue a career in the ministry. Voelker, a former two-time NCAA champion for the Cyclones at 190 pounds, joined coach Kevin Jackson's staff last fall.
Voelker says he's been moving towards a full-time career in the ministry for years. He is joining the staff at the Lutheran Church of Hope in West Des Moines. Voelker was a three-time NCAA All-American with the Cyclones from 1987-89.
