PLANO, Texas - Northwestern State Bobby Barbier has been voted the CapitalOne/Southland Conference Student-Athlete of the Year for baseball. He is one of 11 student-athletes from six different universities voted to the league's 2006 all-academic team.

Regular-season champion McNeese State leads all teams with five of the 11 selections to the all-academic squad. Texas State was the only other school with multiple selections as two Bobcats are named.

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by Scott Stirling

By giving him a purple and gray helmet he hasn’t worn since 1975, president Lu Hardin symbolically handed over the reins of the athletic department to UCA alumnus John Thompson at a Wednesday morning news conference.

Thompson was introduced as UCA’s new Athletic Director at the conference in Wingo Hall. A Bear defensive back for two years and a 1978 graduate of the university, Thompson follows former AD Vance Strange who abruptly resigned last Friday.

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by Kai Caddy

The UCA Board of Trustees accepted the resignation of Athletic Director Vance Strange at its meeting on Friday.

"When I became president, we needed some serious work to bring good will to the community," president Lu Hardin said. "I believe Vance did a great job in the community and the state. I am grateful for the work he has done for the past three years."

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