Friday, January 1, 1904
Although he lost in the round of 32 in the British Amateur golf tournament at Royal Troon in Scotland, Thursday still was a good day for Stephan Jaeger of Baylor School and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. The UTC All-American was named to the 2012 All-Nicklaus team by the Golf Coaches of America. It includes 24 men's players from all levels of collegiate golf. The All-Nicklaus team was created in 2008. Jaeger lost 4 and 3 to Ireland's Rory McNamara in the morning round Thursday. Three other UTC players were in tournaments elsewhere, and junior Davis Bunn from Knoxville was in a four-way tie for the lead at 69 as the Greystone Invitational got under way in Birmingham, Ala. Freshman Kory Webb from Knoxville shot 79. Another new Moc, Michael Monroe from Franklin, is tied for seventh at 215 after his third-round 73 in the 95th Western Amateur at the Country Club of Florida.
• Texan Brandon Babineaux, a consistent top performer in deaf golfing events, won the Southeastern Deaf Golfer's Association tournament at Bear Trace at Harrison Bay by 28 strokes with his 68 Thursday and 54-hole total of 204. Michael Finneran won the Senior Flight by 10 shots with his 242, and David Bailey was a one-shot Super Senior winner with a 262.
• Lonnie White of Cleveland has been hired to coach the newly created Tennessee Temple University cross country program. He officially starts on July 1. White, who also will assist with Temple's new track and field teams, worked with the sprinters in Lee University's track debut this past school year, and he also has helped with the Ocoee Middle teams and Cleveland's AAU track club while working the past 10 years at Life Bridges in Cleveland. He is scheduled to finish his college degree this fall through Bryan's Aspire program. White, who turns 35 next month, was a standout running back and linebacker on Cleveland's 1995 state championship football team, and he ran the hurdles and relay events for the track Blue Raiders. He played football at Trinity Valley Community College in Texas and Bethel College in McKenzie, Tenn. "I am excited to take this opportunity to be a head coach, and the Chattanooga area has a lot of untapped talent," White said. "I'll be changing my focus from sprints to middle distances, but I welcome that challenge." He said his focus this year would be on recruiting and training more than on entering meets. "He's another quality person we're bringing in here," said Kenrick Liburd, who headed Temple's search committee. "He's worked with successful people in track and field, and he understands the recruiting process and understands training athletes, and he has a lot of energy and is zealous about starting a program. We also like that he's local and knows this area."
• Grace Academy all-state player Corey Nelson already had been reported as a Lee University men's basketball recruit, and his recent official signing wraps up one of coach Tommy Brown's most impressive groups of incoming high schoolers. Brown earlier signed Ooltewah all-stater Jervon Johnson, Cleveland High's Jarod Rhodes, Bradley Central's Darien Johnson, 6-foot-10 Livingston Academy post Logan Ramsey and talented Kymon Woods from Gainesville, Ga. Nelson averaged 22 points, eight rebounds, three blocks and three steals a game and totaled 60 dunks as a Grace senior. "He is a real athletic player and had some serious looks from [NCAA] D-I programs," Brown said. "Talent-wise the sky is the limit for him." Grace coach Jon Mattheiss praised Nelson's versatility and suggested only that he "improve his intensity level and play with a little more [consistent] passion" in adjusting to the college game.
• An Alabama state champion signed Thursday to help the Tennessee Temple University women's basketball program. Jasmine Moore, a 5-foot-10 forward who had 12 points and seven rebounds in the Class 2A state-final victory, also considered Covenant and Judson colleges but said she "fell in love" with Temple in her first visit to the campus. "Being from a small school, I like that it's not big, and it's quiet and peaceful but close to downtown Chattanooga." She made the all-county (Jackson) and All-Sand Mountain teams. Temple coach Kenrick Liburd watched her in the area final against North Sand Mountain and "liked her toughness and the fact that she has a great nose for the ball. She's a fantastic rebounder -- she gravitates to the weak side and boxes out on every possession -- and the ball ends up in her hands at both ends of the floor," he added. "She can defend big yet play the perimeter, I believe; she shoots the ball well from the midrange area."
• The Sewanee women's team was 18th in the final 2012 Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings for NCAA Division III, released Thursday, and the Tigers' Jenny Liles was ranked 28th in singles and 23rd with Chattanoogan Bronte Goodhue in doubles. Liles, Goodhue, Meredith Lawrence and Sewanee men's player Rand Jackson made the ITA All-Academic team for grade point averages of at least 3.5.