Little Rock Athletics is pleased to announce a number of recent legacy gifts to the Trojan Athletic department. These generous donations, which total nearly $1 million, will greatly enhance the student-athlete experience for all 15 Trojan Athletic programs.
A large portion of these donations have come in the form of three new naming rights throughout the Jack Stephens Center. The Lot 16 entrance on the northwest corner will now be known as the Dr. Bob Young Entrance. The student-athlete entrance, located on the ground floor, is now the Mary and Rick Edwards Family Entrance.
Additionally, the Athletic Administrative offices located on the third floor will now be known as the Patricia and Mark L. Pollack Athletics Suite. The suite will lead to the newly named Victor Jacuzzi Family Office of the Director of Athletics.
“The support we continue to receive from Little Rock athletic supporters has been overwhelming,” said Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Chasse Conque. “To be able to announce and unveil these three naming opportunities at the Jack Stephens Center is an honor, and I can’t thank Dr. Young, Mary and Rick, Patti and Mark, and Vic enough for their leadership giving and continued support of our student-athletes. Private support from constituents is the lifeblood of any athletics program, and for Little Rock Athletics to sustain and build on our current success, support from the community is vital. We are fortunate to have a loyal base of generous partners to help fulfill our mission of Graduating Champions.”
In addition to the legacy gifts, an additional $70,000 has been raised through private funds to support the John F. Torbett Memorial Scoreboard at the Donaghey Aquatic Center. The project was made possible by generous contributions from the Little Rock swimming and diving alumni as well as friends and supporters in the Little Rock swimming community.
Little Rock student-athletes once again set program records this past year in the classroom, posting a department-record 3.30 cumulative grade point average in the fall 2017 semester. Trojan student-athletes have achieved a department-wide GPA of 3.0 or better for 12-straight semesters and have posted the highest Graduation Success Rate of any Division I institution across the state of Arkansas in five of the last six years, graduating 82 percent of Trojan student-athletes.
The successes in the classroom have helped led to a record-setting fall season by Trojan student-athletes. Women’s soccer, under first-year head coach Mark Foster, set a program record for wins in a season, en route to winning the Sun Belt Conference tournament and advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.
Volleyball advanced to the semifinals of the Sun Belt tournament and reached the postseason for the first time since 2014, making an appearance in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship. Successes were also had on the golf course, as men’s golf ended the fall season with a GolfStat ranking of 84, its best since the 2002-03 season.
For more information on how to leave your legacy on Little Rock Athletics, contact Tyson Baldwin, Little Rock’s Director of Athletic Development, at 501-350-4653 or twbaldwin@ualr.edu.
