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Newly signed Arkansas bills allow for local regulation of crypto mining
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed two bills into law on Friday that restore local authority to regulate crypto mining operations in the state.
Senate Bill 78 allows city governments to pass ordinances regulating crypto mines and mandates the use of noise-reduction technologies. Senate Bill 79 requires these mines to obtain permits from the Oil and Gas Commission. Both bills also place restrictions on foreign ownership from certain nations such as China.
The legislation is a reversal of last year’s Act 851, also known as the Arkansas Data Systems Act of 2023, which cut the ability of municipal bodies to regulate the industry.
The Arkansas House convenes on April 25. How does crypto mining work, and how have things gone wrong?
Crypto mines use powerful computers to repeatedly solve complicated equations, a process that requires industrial-size fans to cool the machines and consumes large amounts of energy. These fans produce loud decibel levels, and the facilities often operate 24 hours a day – putting a strain on the power grids of the rural areas where the mines are located.
Arkansas currently has 18 crypto mines operating in the state, most of which are in small towns such as Macedonia and DeWitt. Many residents have complained about the noise levels of these facilities being a public nuisance, and the inability of local governments to regulate the industry has worsened the issue.
Sen. Joshua Bryant, R-Rogers, who was the original sponsor of Act 851, was a co-sponsor of the recent bills that undid many of the changes that his previous legislation put in place. He spoke more on his reversal, acknowledging that the existing law was not functioning as intended.
“It’s not a change of heart,” Bryant said. “We want to make sure that we enable not just our counties to be able to make sure people are good neighbors…that was the sound attenuation mechanism that gave the standing to your neighbor to sue if you don’t comply with this business model of how to mine for crypto as nuisance-free as possible.”
Critics have suggested that Act 851, which was signed in the final days of last year’s legislative session, was rushed through the legislature without a full understanding of its consequences. Sen. Stephanie Flowers, D-Pine Bluff, went after Bryant on the senate floor during debate.
“Senator, you don’t have one of these [mines] in your area, do you?” Flowers asked. “You didn’t know much about anything about this when you filed that bill last year, did you?”
The two bills passed through the House on April 17 and the Senate on April 24 before being signed into law on May 3.
Arkansas State Capitol Controversy over foreign ownership restrictions amidst national security claims
At a Thursday press conference, Sanders cited the necessity of the foreign ownership restrictions as a way to “shut down Chinese Communist Party influence in our state and re-establish local control over crypto-mining facilities.”
Jimmy Chen, the Asian-American CEO of the company operating a crypto mine in DeWitt, said that he has been unfairly targeted in the legal battles surrounding his business.
“I came to America when I was a kid and became a citizen many years ago,” Chen said. I testified about all of this in court last year…Unfortunately, ever since then I have heard a constant barrage of false claims that Jones Digital is ‘majority Chinese-owned.’ That’s false. I’m the manager of Jones Digital, and I’m American…These false claims are nothing more than dog-whistles meant to stoke fears about me and my business.”
Crypto issue not finished yet
Sen. Greg Leding, D-Fayetteville, was one of just three senators to vote against SB 78, alongside Flowers and Sen. Bryan King, R-Green Forest. King filed six resolutions with a more aggressive approach towards regulation, but none of them received the required votes. Leding said that he chose to side with his colleague on the issue.
“Sen. King has been a vocal opponent of some of these crypto mining facilities, and so I sort of defer to his judgment,” Leding said. “I just asked him for his opinion. ‘Do you think this piece of legislation is satisfactory? Is it going to do enough?’ He didn’t think it was.”
Leding also said that he feels this issue is far from over in Congress.
“It is my understanding that the more crypto-friendly pieces of legislation were the ones to advance,” Leding said. “There was enough lobbying on behalf of the crypto facilities to keep Sen. King’s resolutions at bay. I do expect when we come back in January for a regular session there will be far more lawmakers who want to address these facilities much more aggressively.”
Both bills will be effective immediately, with companies having 90 days to comply with the updated laws.
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Washington County shutters Crisis Stabilization Unit
The Washington County Crisis Stabilization Unit has been shut down after seven years in cooperation with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
The unit served as a voluntary program for those suffering from mental health or substance abuse problems to seek alternative methods of help aside from psychiatric hospitalization or law enforcement intervention, according to the county’s website.
Leslie Taylor, the vice chancellor of communications and marketing at UAMS, provided the following statement:
“Unfortunately, because of a lack of staffing, UAMS was forced to go ahead and close the Washington County CSU,” Taylor said. “When we gave the County notice in March that we wouldn’t be continuing our contract in the long term because of the CSU’s underutilization, we hoped to continue operating through June. Unfortunately, over the next several days, we received staff resignations that left us with only four employees. This made it impossible for us to keep the doors open any longer.”
The unit was officially shuttered on April 12. Tad Sours, the communications director for Washington County, said that there are currently no plans to find a replacement provider for the CSU.
“UAMS has been a great partner, and we appreciate their service to Washington County,” Sours said. “They have been gracious in their handling of this difficult situation. While we deeply regret the loss of such an amazing community resource, the lack of support and structure from the State of Arkansas has made the continued operation of the CSU impossible in Washington County.”
The 16-bed unit located on Mill Ave. was one of four CSUs established by the state in 2017, with the other units being placed in Pulaski County, Sebastian County, and Craighead County.
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New report shows racial disparities in Arkansas death penalty
Capital punishment has long been a contentious issue in the United States, and a recent set of studies shines light on significant racial disparities on death rows across the country.
Reprieve, a prominent activist group, released a new report examining over 1,400 cases in the U.S since 1982. It found that Black people have a 220% higher chance of suffering a botched lethal injection than white people.
These botched procedures cause a prolonged, painful death for inmates, according to the report. Reprieve found that among botched injections, “over a third lasted over 45 minutes” and “over a quarter lasted an hour or more.”
Arkansas was specifically mentioned, as 75% of botched lethal injections involved Black victims, despite Black people making up just 33% of executions in the state, according to the study. The sample size for this was four botched injections.
Most of the botched injections in Arkansas took place during the “execution spree” in April 2017, when the state scheduled eight executions in the span of 11 days to use the last of its lethal injection drug supply before it expired. McKesson, the pharmaceutical company that distributed the drugs, sued the state to stop the injections, claiming the drugs had been purchased illegally.
“The high rate of botched executions in Arkansas could be attributable in part to the rushed pace of executions in the state, as well as the illicit sourcing of drugs that were nearing their expiration date,” the report said.
Similar disparities were found in other states, with over 80% of botched procedures in Georgia and Oklahoma involving Black victims despite only accounting for 30% of executions in both states.
“We know that there’s racism in the criminal justice system,” Reprieve executive director Maya Foa said. “We know it’s there in the capital punishment system, from who gets arrested, who gets sentenced, all of it. This is, though, the first time that it’s been looked at in the context of the execution itself.”
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Key Races and Abortion Ballot Initiative Highlight 2024 Arkansas Primary
The results are in from last month’s Arkansas primary, as voters flocked to the polls to cast their ballots in an important election year.
In addition to many key races, a ballot initiative concerning reproductive rights is garnering substantial public interest. The proposed Arkansas Abortion Amendment would protect abortions up to 20 weeks, and allow later exceptions in cases of rape, incest or danger to the mother.
Arkansas’ current law, which bans abortions at all stages of pregnancy with few exceptions, is one of the most restrictive in the nation. The initiative needs almost 91,000 signatures by July to be placed on the ballot in November, when it can be adopted as an amendment to the state constitution if a simple majority of voters approve it.
Sawyer Hansen, a volunteer with Arkansans for Limited Government, was working around the polls on Super Tuesday to gather signatures for the initiative. The organization is one of the leading sponsors of the proposal. Hansen said he enjoys the opportunity to support what he feels is the majority opinion on an important issue.
“I think as far as issues that people can actually vote on, this is the number one thing that’s going to affect this election,” Hansen said. “I think it’s been proven in Kansas, Ohio and Kentucky that when this is put to a popular vote, it passes – regardless of how red the state is…Arkansas is lucky because we have a ballot initiative system where citizens can do exactly what I’m doing and we can let the people vote.”
Image Credit: Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette In the presidential primaries, both frontrunners won sweeping majorities in the state. Democrat incumbent Joe Biden received 88.5% of the vote in and all of the delegates. Republican Donald Trump won 76.9% of the vote and 39 of 40 delegates, with the other belonging to challenger Nikki Haley, who has since dropped out of the race.
With Trump embroiled in legal controversies on multiple fronts and questions of age and mental acuity surrounding both candidates, the election is shaping up to be a contentious race between the current and former president. Despite Trump’s numerous court battles, the vast majority of Arkansans still raced to the ballot box to cast their vote for him.
“He’s the one that’s going to bring our country back where it needs to be,” said one Fayetteville voter donning a “Women for Trump” shirt. “I think that anyone that looks in an objective manner [will see] that he is being persecuted and tried to be kept off the ballot.”
While the presidential race wasn’t particularly close in either party, there were several hotly-contested elections at the state and local level in this cycle. One of those was the district court judge position, where Springdale deputy prosecutor Taylor Samples squared off with local patent attorney Mark Scalise.
“We’ve got a couple really big judicial elections,” Rep. Nicole Clowney said. “People don’t realize how much of an impact that those have. I feel like those are hard to know about the candidates going in because they are nonpartisan…but that’s the way it should be.”
Samples won the race, receiving 53% of the vote. He will replace the retiring Judge Jeff Harper, and will take his seat on Jan. 1, 2025.
Taylor Samples (left) and Mark Scalise Another close primary took place in the US House race between incumbent Rep. Steve Womack and state Sen. Clint Penzo. Despite a significant financial disadvantage, Penzo led a strong campaign, levying criticisms that Womack’s policies were not conservative enough.
With the endorsement of Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Womack fended off the challenge from Penzo by receiving 54% of the vote and winning reelection.
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Local deaths highlight greater American drug epidemic
The tragic deaths of two Fayetteville residents from heroin and fentanyl overdoses in 2022 trained a local spotlight on the broader national drug epidemic that killed over 100,000 Americans last year.
Both Hannah Dodson and Rob Hodous were described by their respective families as special people to be around, but neither one received the help that they needed in the end. They each went through the ringer of punishment and attempted rehabilitation, from drug courts and prison time to halfway houses and rehab centers.
Kirk Lane is a former Arkansas drug director and Benton police chief now overseeing the Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership. He says that the United States, and Arkansas, in particular, needs to shift its mentality regarding addiction.
“Arkansas struggles with providing resources for treatment,” Lane said. “Stigma still plays a big part of this where a lot of people don’t recognize the substance use disorder and opioid use disorder as a disease, and that’s the way we need to look at it. And if we start treating this issue as a disease and not a moral criminal failing, we defeat the stigma.”
The need for rehabilitation rather than punishment was apparent in Dodson’s case, as she went in and out of prison numerous times and endured harsh treatment that bordered on abuse. She was frequently denied access to medication for her Crohn’s disease, and even had her eyeglasses taken away for a month on a technicality. Hannah’s mother, Jean Button, says that her daughter’s time in prison only worsened her ongoing drug problems.
Hannah Jean Dodson, obituary image “I wish I knew the answer, but I don’t think the answer is prison,” Button said. “Punishment has not shown to be effective.”
Lane also said that potent synthetic opioids like fentanyl have made drug use even more of a risk in recent years.
“45 people in the first six months of this year in Arkansas died from a drug overdose, a lot of them dealing with illicit drugs like fentanyl and other poisons mixed into drugs,” Lane said. “A lot of people didn’t know what they were getting.”
This was true in the death of Hodous, who unknowingly bought heroin that was laced with fentanyl, leading to his overdose. His mother, Kim, flipped the script by going after the drug dealer that killed her son. As a result of this, 33-year-old Ethan Driskill will spend the next 38 years in prison.
“Rob was really clear that he was buying heroin which he was going to shoot up, so Ethan knew he was going to shoot it up,” Kim Hodous said. “The judge basically said…you gave him a loaded gun and all but pulled the trigger.”
Hodous said that drug dealers are notoriously hard to convict because the direct chain of evidence between purchase and overdose is often difficult to connect. This was different in her son’s case, as home cameras hauntingly captured the entire process of his death, from injection to his final moments.
Rob’s sister, Allie, was able to use his phone records to further nail down the events leading up to his overdose. These unique circumstances were what allowed the Hodous family to convict their family member’s killer.
“From what I understand…why it’s so hard to convict these drug dealers is that you have to be able to definitively tie that the drugs they took were the drugs that killed them,” Kim Hodous said. They had Ethan Driskill in custody in nine days. They said that is like a world record anywhere.”
Rob Hodous, image from NWA Democrat-Gazette Lane said that he hopes to see a major policy shift to better address this still-growing issue.
“It’s the society we’ve built,” Lane said. “We’re the number one illegal drug use country in the world, and that demand is there no matter how you try to stop it…As long as you have that demand and somebody’s willing to pay for it, you’re going to have that problem”
“I hate to say it, but I think it’s our generation that has made it worse for the next. We did not take this seriously, and we gave away our children’s future for profit.”
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Fayetteville Police cracking down on widespread underage drinking
Last month, the arrest of 19-year-old actor Paxton Singleton—most notably featured in the Netflix series “The Haunting of Hill House”—drew national attention to the problem of underage drinking in Northwest Arkansas.
Singleton was charged as a minor in possession of alcohol. With his mugshot rapidly circulating online, the case illustrates the damage that an alcohol-related arrest can do to someone’s reputation.
In October, the Fayetteville Police Department announced a partnership with the University of Arkansas Police Department to crack down on the growing problem of underage drinking on and around Dickson Street. Jason French, a Fayetteville PD lieutenant, said that while this has always been an issue throughout his 23 years in law enforcement, there has been a surge in recent years coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many students have been taking advantage of online websites that produce realistic fraudulent IDs with scanning capabilities. French said the department has assisted businesses in the entertainment district by showing bouncers and bartenders how to better recognize fake IDs. Additionally, multiple police cars patrol Dickson Street most nights to help ensure public safety.
“The advancements in the world of fraudulent identification are another part of it,” French said. “This academic year, we’ve already trained over 200 business employees in the detection of fraudulent IDs…our enforcement is always matched with education to our businesses…A better course of detection for fraudulent IDs is actually the human eye. Ninety-nine percent of the fraudulent IDs that we’ve seen this year have all the capabilities of scanning as a legitimate ID.”
Police enforcement efforts have clearly made an impact, as word of the recent crackdowns has spread throughout the UARK student body. These students took to TikTok to joke about the increased police presence.
“It does help when it’s a college because stuff like that can spread by word of mouth,” French said. “If so and so gets popped with a fake ID and arrested, then it’s safe to say their friends are probably not going to try that same thing.”
Criminal defense attorney Adam Rose has represented numerous UARK student-athletes, including a prominent football player who was arrested on Dickson Street but exonerated by bodycam footage. He has plenty of experience dealing with alcohol-related cases, and said that underage drinking charges carry an emotional toll as well as a significant monetary cost.
“Going to jail and being detained is a pretty traumatizing experience for most people,” Rose said. “Overall, you’re probably looking between $5,000-$6,000 on fines, cost of a (car breathalyzer) and an attorney. Pretty substantial financial cost.”
While attorneys can help get charges reduced or expunged from a defendant’s criminal record, Rose said these arrests never fully go away in the digital age.
“Clients have their mug shot out there forever…I know a lot of students who struggle with that,” Rose said. “People with the internet can screenshot it…and there’s really not much you can do about that.”
Rose said that the city will likely be safer as a result of these restrictions, as underage drinking often correlates to an increase in drunk driving and traffic accidents. The National Highway Traffic Safety Control Administration rates Arkansas as one of the worst states in America for pedestrian traffic fatalities, with multiple deaths happening on campus and around Dickson Street in recent years.
“We do get a lot of death cases from drunk driving, so I don’t blame the city for having a crackdown on underage drinking,” Rose said. “People who are underage don’t process alcohol nearly as quickly…alcohol is going to hit their blood stream quite a bit more intensely…so the likelihood of them getting into an accident and hurting themselves or somebody else is pretty high.”
UARK is also making an administrative effort to reduce underage drinking on and around campus. All new students are required to participate in online drug and alcohol training before they come to campus, and the police department refers student offenders to the University for potential sanctioning.
“We expect students to adhere to the code of conduct,” UARK chief of staff Laura Jacobs said at a Town and Gown Committee meeting in January. “We have a rigorous and robust process for holding students accountable when we discover that they have not been upholding the standards that we have set out for them.”
French said that while he knows there will always be a draw for underage people to consume alcohol, it is in the best interest of public safety to reserve alcohol consumption for those who are of age.
“The entertainment district is a fun area…so it’s certainly understandable that people under the legal drinking age want to partake in that environment,” French said. “But that sentiment wouldn’t be shared if an underage drinker in the entertainment district was seriously hurt…or found to be intoxicated when they shouldn’t have been there in the first place. I think the police department has an obligation to the safety and security of the city.”
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New Arkansas Edge Collective the latest venture into vast world of NIL in college sports
by Michael Main and Georgia Irons
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark, Dec. 8, 2023 – Since the early beginnings of the NCAA and college sports, student-athletes have been strictly forbidden from receiving payment for their services. From under-the-table cash payments in McDonald’s bagsto Heisman Trophy winners being stripped of their awards, some of the biggest controversies in college athletics have involved pay-for-play scandals. Then came the era of name, image and likeness, which has caused universities across the country to scramble to adapt.
In 2019, California became the first state to take steps toward supplemental compensation for college athletes with the Fair Pay to Play Act. After a series of legal challenges culminating in a Supreme Court case, the NCAA adopted an interim policy legalizing NIL. On July 1, 2021, college athletes across the country began signing endorsement deals.
Over the last three years, NIL has ballooned in both size and scope. According to the New York Times, over 100 NIL collectives have been identified across the country, including at least one for every major conference program in college football. The average starter at big-name football programs takes in around $100,000 per year, and star players such as USC’s Caleb Williams and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders have been able to use their fame to earn millions of dollars.
Colorado quarterback Shedder Sanders, son of the legendary Deion Sanders On Nov. 28, the University of Arkansas made a new venture into the world of NIL by announcing a partnership with Blueprint Sports to launch the Arkansas Edge collective. Following a similar model to other schools like Ole Miss and Missouri, the grassroots collective allows businesses, brands, and community members to join the school’s NIL fundraising efforts.
Branding for the Arkansas Edge collective Fans can make a one-time donation to the sport of their choosing or become members of the collective by purchasing a subscription in different tiers starting at $50/month. The student-athletes are then compensated in exchange for non-profit work or brand marketing.
“NIL is integral to the success of our program and is reshaping the future of athletics at every major university nationwide,” athletic director Hunter Yurachek said in a press release. “Supporters, fans, and alumni who support Arkansas Edge are pledging to maximize opportunities for student-athletes to build their brands and engage with the community.”
Blueprint Sports, the University’s partner in this initiative, acts as a go-between to help organize and facilitate the collective.
“Our job is to come in and bring a professional solution to building out [NIL] opportunities,” said Rob Sine, the company’s CEO. “We provide the infrastructure…the contracts, the legal work, the backend operations.”
Blueprint Sports CEO Rob Sine Several well-known Razorbacks have earned six-figure sums through NIL deals in the last few years, with star quarterback KJ Jefferson using his NIL earnings to support residents in his home state of Mississippi during a water crisis. Justin Johnson, director of student-athlete and brand development, said he looks forward to creating more of these opportunities in the future.
Jefferson and Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman “Most student-athletes will not go professional in their sport, so allowing them this opportunity can impact their lives for many years to come,” Johnson said. “The NCAA and universities have made money off student-athletes NIL in the past, and I think it’s important to continue to find ways for them to be compensated.”
Add in the madness of the transfer portal, and college sports have entered an unprecedented period of independence for its athletes. Critics of NIL have questioned its impact on competition and integrity, saying it has created a sort of free agency in college sports where players are simply going to the highest bidder. Last year, Alabama coach Nick Saban accused Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher of “buying every player on their team”, which sparked a hostile response.
Others have levied Title IX-related criticisms of the gender gap in NIL earnings. Men’s basketball players at top schools earn an average of $37,000 per year, compared to just $9,000 for female players. In light of this controversy, the University of Arkansas has made efforts to prioritize its female athletes on this front.
“We have a really good number of female student-athletes that participate in NIL,” Johnson said. “At one point last year, we were in the top three across the country in female participation.”
While many acknowledge the justifications for student-athletes being paid, financial and competitive disparities as well as a lack of oversight and regulation have created confusion and a lack of transparency. Despite the uncertainties, many athletes say that these deals have helped them provide for their families and relieve financial stress during their college years. Controversies surrounding NIL policies will continue moving forward, as this new era of deals and collectives has had an unprecedented impact on the inner workings of college athletics.
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Local protestors gather for Palestine amidst Israel-Hamas War
by Michael Main
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark, Nov. 19, 2023 – Amid the ongoing war between Israel and the militant group Hamas, local activists have organized several protests to speak out on behalf of the Palestinian people.
On Oct. 7, a string of Hamas terror attacks killed an estimated 1,200 Israelis, most of whom were civilians. In response, Israel has launched a siege on the Gaza strip, including an intense bombing campaign, a ground invasion and a blockade of Gazan borders. An estimated 13,000 Palestinian civilians have been killed in the past six weeks, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Andrea Tennison, a senior at the University of Arkansas, has helped organize protests in Fayetteville to speak out against Israel’s military action in Gaza. She is a member of the activist group “NWA for Palestine”.
“I tried to start something when I came to UARK but I just didn’t have the connections for that,” Tennison said. “But once I discovered NWA for Palestine I’m like, this is finally it. My voice is so hoarse right now from all the protests I’ve been to, and I’m not stopping.”
The organization has staged protests at the Washington County Courthouse, the intersection of Joyce and College, and the Arkansas Student Union in the month of November, all with large turnouts. Demonstrators have carried signs with messages such as “Free Palestine”, “Ceasefire Now”, and “Honk for Peace”.
Others in the area are continuing to speak out for Israel, citing the safety of the Jewish people and the dangers of Hamas as a primary concern amid recent events. Yael Even, a senior at the University of Arkansas, is an Israeli dual citizen with multiple family members serving in the Israeli Defense Forces. She says that she was horrified as the terror attacks unfolded.
“It was heartbreaking…the tragedy of it all and the damage…my heart was really heavy,” Even said. “The rise in antisemitism and terrorist attacks just prove how much we need the state of Israel, because we are not safe elsewhere.”
In the wake of recent conflict, Jews around the world have faced violent backlash. According to the Anti-Defamation League, there has been a 400% increase in antisemitic incidents worldwide since Oct. 7.
“I want people to know that our war is not against Palestinians…they have just as much of a right to live in Israel as we do, but our war is against Hamas,” Even said. “Everyone’s protesting for a ceasefire, which I can understand. But the problem is that Hamas will only regain their strength and attack us again.”
Tennison, who is of Jewish descent, said this issue has divided her family. She said that the cause has nothing to do with antisemitism and is only focused on the liberation of the Palestinian people.
“It’s just crazy how the media is portraying it…it’s not about antisemitism,” Tennison said. “I’ve been outcast by seven family members as a result of my activism on this issue.”
Protests over the conflict have become a free speech issue on many college campuses across the country. At Harvard University, members of pro-Palestine student groups have been doxxed and threatened. Additionally, the American Civil Liberties Union is suing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for suppressing the free speech of pro-Palestine student organizations at the University of Florida.
In May, the Arkansas Supreme Court upheld Act 710, a bill that prevents the state and its affiliates (including the University of Arkansas) from engaging in business with anyone currently or formerly involved in the “Boycott, Divest, and Sanction” movement against Israel.
The war will continue to be a divisive issue around the world as Israel’s siege of the Gaza Strip continues. The United Nations passed a resolution calling for a ceasefire in the conflict, but Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has resisted these calls as the IDF advances through Gaza.
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Razorback Soccer clinches fourth SEC title in five years on Senior Night
by Michael Main
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark, Nov. 2, 2023 – Last Thursday, Arkansas’ soccer team clinched an outright SEC regular season title with a 1-0 win over Mississippi State on Senior Night. It was star senior midfielder Bea Franklin’s 86th minute header that sealed the victory against the Bulldogs.
A group of seniors have been the stars of the show for the Razorbacks this season. Franklin, the SEC Midfielder of the Year, leads the team in goal contributions with 8 goals and 9 assists. Morgan White has tallied 8 goals and 4 assists, and Ava Tankersley was named SEC forward of the year with 7 goals and 2 assists. Anna Podojil, the program’s all-time top goal scorer, added 11 goal contributions to her legendary career tally this season. A full list of statistics is available on the team’s website.
“They help us win every day by who they are as people,” Hale said. “There’s some pretty superhuman people that are doing an unbelievable job helping this program grow.”
After the match, the team celebrated with the trophy on the field and held a ceremony to honor the seniors. Each senior was individually recognized, presented with a bouquet of flowers, and applauded by their teammates and the crowd.
The Hogs have taken pride in defending their home turf this season, boasting a perfect home record of 9-0-0. Fans have shown out in numbers to support the team, with four of the program’s 10 biggest crowds of all time coming from this season. This fan support made senior night an emotional moment for the team, as the seniors took to Razorback Field for the final time.
“Our fans are the best,” head coach Colby Hale said. “They’re loud, they’re big, they impact the game. We play with a lot of emotion…and when we have our fans are there it just amps that up…our team smells blood and they go after it.”
The Razorbacks end the season with a 13-3-2 record (8-1-1 in conference play) ranked 10th in the nation. It is Arkansas’ fourth SEC championship in the last five seasons after winning three straight titles from 2019-2021. The team has finished each of the last four seasons ranked in the top 12 nationally, and has a chance to do it again this year.
After reaching the quarterfinals in the NCAA Tournament each of the last two years, Arkansas will look to build on its regular season success with another deep postseason run at the national level.
“We’re not going to operate out of fear,” Hale said. “That’s who we are…we’re just going to do it, and we’re going for it.”
After earning a No. 2 seed on Selection Sunday, the Razorbacks will face Grambling State on Friday in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Kickoff will be at 6:30 pm at Razorback Field.
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