HR1048 • 2026

TO RECOGNIZE THE ARKANSAS TECH UNIVERSITY GOLDEN SUNS CROSS COUNTRY TEAM FOR WINNING THE GREAT AMERICAN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP.

Education

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor: Duffield
Last action: 2026-04-23
Official status: House -- READ AND ADOPTED.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official text confirms the team consists of women's cross country athletes, so specifying 'women' in the summary and title is supported.

Resolution to Honor Arkansas Tech University's Women's Cross Country Team

This resolution officially recognizes the Arkansas Tech University women's cross country team for winning their conference championship.

What This Bill Does

Recognizes the Golden Suns women's cross country team for winning the Great American Conference Championship on October 25, 2025.
Notes that all five scoring runners finished in the top twenty-five places at the event.
Lists the names of the student-athletes who were members of the championship team.
Identifies specific players who earned All-Conference honors or academic awards for high grades and credit hours.
Names Head Coach Gabe Sams as the recipient of a copy of this resolution after it is adopted.

Who It Names or Affects

The Arkansas Tech University Golden Suns women's cross country team members
Head Cross Country and Track and Field Coach Gabe Sams
Assistant coaches Jackson Schwartz and Mike Waller

Terms To Know

Great American Conference Championship: The competition where the Arkansas Tech University team won first place among twelve teams.
Scoring runners: Team members whose finishing positions count toward the total score for their school in a race.
Elite Scholar-Athlete: An award given to team members who have a 4.0 grade point average and at least seventy college credit hours.

Limits and Unknowns

This resolution does not provide any money or funding for the university or the athletic department.
The text only recognizes past events that happened in October 2025; it does not change rules for future seasons.
The document is a House Resolution, which means it expresses support but does not create new laws.

Bill History

No action history is stored for this bill yet.

Official Summary Text

TO RECOGNIZE THE ARKANSAS TECH UNIVERSITY GOLDEN SUNS CROSS COUNTRY TEAM FOR WINNING THE GREAT AMERICAN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

*ZRC212* 04/23/2026 12:20:21 PM ZRC212
State of Arkansas 1
95th General Assembly 2
Fiscal Session, 2026 HR 1048 3
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By: Representatives Duffield, R. Scott Richardson, Eaton, Pilkington, J. Mayberry 5
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HOUSE RESOLUTION 8
TO RECOGNIZE THE ARKANSAS TECH UNIVERSITY GOLDEN SUNS 9
CROSS COUNTRY TEAM FOR WINNING THE GREAT AMERICAN 10
CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP. 11
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Subtitle 14
TO RECOGNIZE THE ARKANSAS TECH 15
UNIVERSITY GOLDEN SUNS CROSS COUNTRY 16
TEAM FOR WINNING THE GREAT AMERICAN 17
CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP. 18
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WHEREAS, the Arkansas Tech University Golden Suns women's cross country 20
team made history with their win at the Great American Conference 21
Championship in Monticello, Arkansas, on October 25, 2025; and 22
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WHEREAS, the Golden Suns placed first among the twelve-team field, and 24
had all five (5) of their scoring runners place in the top twenty-five (25) 25
places; and 26
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WHEREAS, this was the first conference championship for the Golden 28
Suns, who over the previous five (5) years at the Great American Conference 29
Championship had finished no lower than third place and had been runner-up 30
for the previous four (4) years; and 31
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WHEREAS, the Golden Suns team members are Ellie Akins, Libby Booth, 33
Emily Caldwell, Rachel Caldwell, Peyton Carson, Mackenzie Epperson, Aidan 34
Fisher, Sophia Goerlich, Amaya Grant, Alyson Greathouse, Audrey Hill, Kate 35
Holbrook, Miley Holt, Regan Jones, Addison Leffke, Julia Minton, Passion 36
HR1048

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Perez, Annsley Rawlins, Avery Stanley, Kate Weber, and Carole Werner; and 1
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WHEREAS, Golden Suns team members Audrey Hill, Amaya Grant, Avery 3
Stanley, Peyton Carson, and Libby Booth each finished in the top twenty-five 4
(25) places; and 5
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WHEREAS, Golden Suns team members Audrey Hill, Amaya Grant, and Avery 7
Stanley earned First Team All-Great American Conference honors by finishing 8
in the top ten (10) places; and 9
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WHEREAS, Golden Suns team member Peyton Carson earned Second Team All-11
Great American Conference honors; and 12
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WHEREAS, Golden Suns team members Mackenzie Epperson and Alyson 14
Greathouse were named Great American Conference Elite Scholar-Athletes due to 15
having four-point-zero (4.0) grade point averages and at least seventy (70) 16
hours of college credit; and 17
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WHEREAS, Golden Suns team members Ellie Akins, Rachel Caldwell, Peyton 19
Carson, Aidan Fisher, Annsley Rawlins, and Avery Stanley earned Great 20
American Conference Academic Honor Roll Recognition; and 21
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WHEREAS, the Golden Suns were led by Head Cross Country and Track and 23
Field Coach Gabe Sams, Assistant Cross Country and Track and Field Coach 24
Jackson Schwartz, and Volunteer Assistant Coach for Strength and Conditioning 25
Mike Waller; and 26
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WHEREAS, Golden Suns Head Coach Gabe Sams was named the Great American 28
Conference Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year, 29
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NOW THEREFORE, 31
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL 32
ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 33
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THAT the House of Representatives recognize the Arkansas Tech 35
University Golden Suns women's cross country team for their victory at the 36
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Great American Conference Championship. 1
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT upon adoption, an appropriate copy of this 3
resolution be presented to Head Coach Gabe Sams by the Chief Clerk of the 4
House of Representatives. 5
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