Spring Hill's Mackezyk to play soccer for UTC

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga soccer coach J.D. Kyzer announced Thursday that Columbia, Tenn., resident Crystal Mackezyk from Spring Hill High School had signed to join the Lady Mocs for the 2011 season. The 5-foot-9 forward-midfielder is a four-time all-region player and two-time district most valuable player who totaled 162 goals and 85 assists in her four years. She also was a cross country standout as a freshman and a sophomore and ran on a district-champion 4x800-meter track team. "Crystal is a good kid, a hard worker and a very aggressive player," Kyzer said in a UTC release. "She has a good knowledge of the game and will be able to help us right away." UTC graduates only two players from the 2010 team.

Basketball

* CENTRAL, S.C. — The nationally ranked Lee University basketball teams won both Southern States Athletic Conference games Thursday night at Southern Wesleyan, but it wasn't easy, especially for the Lee men. The Flames (18-5, 6-1), leading the SSAC East and ranked 15th in NAIA Division I, edged last-place SWU 73-72 behind 22 points from Jerel Blocker and 11 apiece from Antonio Haymon, Stephen McClellan and Johnny Godette. Larriques Cunningham contributed eight rebounds. Nikola Lambic had 18 points and seven rebounds for Southern Wesleyan (11-9, 1-6). The 11th-ranked Lady Flames (17-4, 7-1) won 66-55 with 22 points from Brooke McKinnon, 11 from Hollie German, 10 each from Angela Spann and Madison Lee and 10 rebounds from Kayla Carlisle.

* The Tennessee Temple women's basketball team made a late charge Thursday evening but fell short, 98-94, against visiting Martin Methodist, which is coached by former Temple and Bryan coach Jamy Bechler. Vee Young and Micah Anderson scored 33 and 28 points for Martin Methodist (15-7). Kanetra Gonzalez had 21 points and five assists and Jessica Salera had 20 points and seven rebounds to lead Temple (7-17), which got 16 points from Cherelle James and 13 and 12 from LaQuinta Gallishaw and Alexis McGhee.

* ATLANTA — Spelman College emphatically ended the Covenant women's basketball team's three-game winning streak with a 72-41 defeat Thursday. Tiana Welch had 16 points with four 3-pointers, seven rebounds and six assists for Spelman (4-12). Jessie Blankenship scored 16 points for Covenant (4-13).

* The Georgia Northwestern women's basketball team's scheduled game Thursday at Gadsden (Ala.) State was called off because of the winter storm threats.

Baseball

* Lee University baseball coach Mark Brew announced Thursday that the Flames' scheduled season-opening series against Virginia Intermont is being pushed back from today and Saturday to Saturday and Sunday, with the times to be announced today. And Bryan College's home game today against the University of Rio Grande has been called off, but the teams still hope to play a doubleheader Saturday. Other changes are expected in today's area college diamond schedule.

Equestrian

* The Sewanee equestrian team finished 15th out of 21 of the nation's top programs in the Tournament of Champions Winter Classic Horse Show last Saturday at Chatham, Va. Virginia Intermont won the Winter Classic and the Bristol school's 15th national riding championship. Sewanee, which leads Zone 5, Region 1, got a second-place finish from Lillibet Motion in intermediate fences, and senior captain Lindsay Maxwell was fourth in open fences and sixth in open flat. Gracie Becker was fourth in walk-trot-canter. Audrey Cooney, Holly Higgins and Sarah Horton had seventh-place finishes for the Tigers, who are scheduled to compete this Saturday and Sunday in the IHSA Hunter Seat Show in Murfreesboro.