BOWL ELIGIBLE

We’re bowl eligible for the first time since 2019 and excited to learn our bowl-game destination and opponent, which we expect to be announced Sunday afternoon!  Wherever we land, it’s great to see our football program back in the postseason and look forward to enjoying this experience with our outstanding fan base. We’re proud of the progress we saw on the field this year and what these players and coaches have accomplished, including finishing tied for second in the Sun Belt’s West Division after being picked sixth in the league’s preseason poll.

We will be using all our available communication channels to share with you important bowl-game details, including ticket information, as soon as our destination is announced.  We want to thank all our A-State fans for the support you’ve provided our football team this year.  If you are able to travel to our bowl game, we encourage you to purchase tickets through our box office in order to directly support Arkansas State Athletics and guarantee yourself a seat next to other Red Wolves fans.

FOOTBALL ALL-CONFERENCE

Congratulations to true-freshman quarterback Jaylen Raynor on being named the Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year and to our nine All-Conference student-athletes, including First-Team members Jacob Bayer (OL) and William Przystup (P), Second-Team pick Makilan Thomas (OL), Third-Team choices Thurman Geathers (DE) and Ja’Quez Cross (RS) and Honorable-Mention selections Jalen Cunningham (OL), Courtney Jackson (WR), Samy Johnson (CB) and Charles Willekes (LB). 

SCARLET SOCIETY

We were excited to announce last week the launch of our Scarlet Society, a new major-gifts program for the Red Wolves Foundation.  This important initiative will serve as a key component to our larger revenue-generation plans moving forward.  We’re confident it will provide financial resources necessary to compete for championships and deliver a positive impact on our student-athletes, sports programs, facilities and overall Athletics Department.

We’re grateful to our donors for the generosity and support they’ve already and continue to provide to help give our student-athletes a first-class experience.  The Scarlet Society gives us a new avenue to also expand our donor base, so our staff was very deliberate as we were putting together the different aspects of this program.

You can learn more about the Scarlet Society by visiting AStateRedWolves.com/Scarlet Society.  Additional information may also be obtained by contacting Assistant Athletics Director for Development and Major Gifts Logan Kidd at 870-972-3873 or rkidd@astate.edu.

NATIONAL INVITATIONAL VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

Our volleyball team made its first postseason appearance since 2018, wrapping up the season yesterday in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC).  Our matchup at Wichita State marked our sixth all-time appearance in the NIVC, and we finished the season with a 16-15 overall record for a seven-game improvement in the win column over last year.

CROSS COUNTRY NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS

Sun Belt Freshman of the Year and all-conference selection Rahel Broemmel concluded her dynamic debut cross country season on Nov. 18 at the NCAA Championships.  She automatically qualified as an individual for the Championships after posting a top-five finish at the NCAA South Central Regional Championships.  It was the highest regional finish by one of our women’s runners in program history.

MEN'S BASKETBALL FACES LITTLE ROCK TONIGHT AT JACK STEPHENS CENTER

Although our men’s basketball team returns to the road for its next two games, we remain in-state tonight for a 6:30 p.m. outing against former Sun Belt Conference member Little Rock.  We hope to have a great turnout at the Jack Stephens Center from our fans in Little Rock and those who are able to make the trip down from Jonesboro.  We also play at No. 20 Alabama on Monday, Dec. 4, before returning home for a double-header with our women’s team on Dec. 9.

SBC PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Congratulations to junior guard Freddy Hicks, who was named the Sun Belt Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week on Nov. 21.  He averaged 17.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists in our contests against Alcorn State and Iowa, eclipsing the 1,000-point mark for his career with a 21-point output against the Hawkeyes.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TO FACE KANSAS CITY AHEAD OF FIVE-GAME HOME STAND

Our women’s basketball team wrapped up a four-game home stand this past Tuesday with an 85-65 victory over UAPB.  Our Red Wolves return to action tomorrow with a 2:00 p.m. game at Kansas City, but then returns to Jonesboro for five consecutive outings at First National Bank Arena.  We’ll begin the five-game home stretch Dec. 9 with a noon contest against Louisiana Tech.

INDOOR TRACK SEASON BEGINS THIS WEEKEND

Our indoor track and field season gets underway this weekend at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener in Boston, where we’ll have six student-athletes competing in long-distance events.  We have nine meets scheduled ahead of the Sun Belt Conference Championships, which both our men’s and women’s teams have won the last four consecutive years.

CSC ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT

Six members of our women’s soccer team have been awarded College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors.  Repping the Red Wolves on this year’s list were Phoebe Harpole, Olivia Luther, Emma Riales, McKenzie Robinson, Darby Stotts and Aliyah Williamson.  The Academic All-District Women’s Soccer Team recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom.  Congrats to this group on this well-deserved recognition!

PRIDE OF THE PACK SERVICE AWARD

New this year, our monthly Pride of the Pack Service Award recognizes staff members, who by their actions, words and deeds help to make the Arkansas State University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics an exceptional place to work.  This month’s Pride of the Pack Service Award winner is Blake Jackson. Blake does an outstanding job as our Director of Operations for football.  As you can imagine, he has a very demanding position with a lot of moving parts and people to deal with (including many calls and texts from the AD).  Whether it is team travel, meals or practice scheduling, Blake has to make sure everything runs smoothly and all of the appropriate people are communicated with.  He puts in a lot of work and long hours to make sure Arkansas State Football operates at a high level, which is why he more than deserves the Pride of the Pack recognition this month.

CAMPUS SPOTLIGHT

The A-State Alumni Association and Red Wolves Foundation invite all alumni and friends to a pre-game party before our men’s basketball game in Little Rock tonight.  The event will take place at Fassler Hall (311 E Capitol Ave.) from 4:30-6:30 p.m., and we hope to see you there.  You can RSVP by clicking HERE.

You’re also invited to join the A-State Alumni Association 5:00-7:00 p.m. at the ASU System Office in Little Rock on Saturday, Dec. 2, for Howlidays on the Rooftop.  Enjoy refreshments and the holiday lighting ceremony for the Arkansas State Capitol at this family-friendly event.  More information, including a registration form, can be found HERE.

GET YOUR WOLVES UP!

This week’s #WolvesUp photo features A-State making a surprise admission box delivery yesterday at Valley View High School.  The Blazers have the highest percentage of admitted students of any school in NEA for fall of 2024.

Remember to use the hashtag #WolvesUp in your social posts and tweet your photos to me @JeffPurinton if you have any pictures with your Wolves Up! or promoting A-State.  We will select photos to feature in each edition of State of the Pack.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

View the list of scheduled events, broadcast information, start time and stat links on our composite calendar.  (Note:  All times are listed in Central Time.)  Access live stats from your desktop or mobile device by visiting AStateStats.com.