Tennessee Wesleyan senior post player Zamarius McClendon was the most valuable player of the Appalachian Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament for his performance in the Bulldogs' championship run last week at Kingsport, Tenn., and that led to him being the AAC player of the week, the Tennessee Sports Writers Association state honoree and on Tuesday the NAIA Division II national player of the week. McClendon averaged 22.7 points, 9.7 rebounds and three steals and shot 56.8 percent from the field in the three tournament wins. He had 30 and 24 points and 12 and 11 rebounds in the first two games. He's averaged 14.9 points and 8.2 rebounds for the season.
• The Southern Conference announced Tuesday that University of Tennessee at Chattanooga center Ashlen Dewart was its women's basketball player of the week. The junior had 24 points and nine rebounds against Davidson on Monday, helping UTC clinch the SoCon regular-season championship with a 68-59 win. She had 12 points and nine rebounds against Western Carolina last Saturday. It's the second honor of the season for Dewart, who was the player of the week three times during her two seasons at Appalachian State.
• The Lee University basketball teams both are East No. 1 seeds for the Southern States Athletic Conference tournament and will play Thursday morning in Montgomery, Ala., against winners of play-in games today. The Lady Flames, 27-2 and ranked seventh in NAIA Division I, play at 10 a.m. EST against Mobile or Southern Wesleyan; the second-ranked Flames (28-2) follow at 11:45 against Loyola (La.) or Coastal Georgia.
Baseball/Softball
• The same day Covenant College freshman third baseman Perry Rigby was named the National Christian College Athletic Association Division I baseball player of the week for his 3-for-5, four-RBI showing in two games against Milligan, went 4-for-4 with three doubles and four RBIs Tuesday in a 10-4 home win over Sewanee. Also for the Scots (7-1), Will Cleland was 2-for-2 with two runs, David Lockwood also scored twice and had a sacrifice fly and Scott Gillespie was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run. Jack Rogers was 2-for-5 with two RBIs and Jack Whaley and Blake Williams also had two hits each for Sewanee (4-2). Winning pitcher Alhanon Miller allowed four hits and one earned run in his six innings.
• The Lee University baseball games at Milligan and Cleveland State's game at Gordon State that were scheduled for Tuesday were backed up until today because of rain, and Lee's and Tennessee Temple's softball trips to Georgia Gwinnett and Emmanuel were called off. Lee's Lady Flames host Tennessee Wesleyan in a doubleheader starting at 2 p.m. today. Chattanooga State's softball games Tuesday at Cleveland State were rained out, but the same teams' doubleheader today is still on for 4 p.m.
• Mark Harris pitched a perfect four innings in the first game and Alex Ridge and Tyler McClure combined on a five-inning perfect game in the rematch as the Chattanooga State baseball team beat the Tennessee Wesleyan junior varsity 9-0 and 10-0 Monday. First-game relievers Tyler Troutt and Carson Bryant also pitched well in giving up three hits between them for the Tigers (9-4). Casey Mannion homered, doubled twice and drove in five runs in the doubleheader, and Jordy McDonald and Aaron Wright also had good batting days. The Tigers are visiting the Covenant JV team today in a switch of locations.
Swimming and Diving
• Rhodes College freshman Mary Portera from Signal Mountain and Girls Preparatory School officially has been honored as the women's diver of the year in the Southern Athletic Association as a result of her high-point finish in the recent SAA conference meet. Rhodes senior Susanna Kirby from Baylor and Birminghan-Southern freshman Wil Cushman from Dalton High School joined Portera on the All-SAA swimming and diving first team, and Sewanee had nine first-teamers to lead all league teams. Making the first team required a first-place finish in the league meet, and the Tigers doing so were seniors Haley Shepherd, Sara Neil and Phillip Link, juniors Astrid Escobar and Alex Linton, sophomore Brian Glatt and freshmen Erin Neil, Evan Escobar and Jackson Cromer. Sewanee sophomore Grace Cobbs and freshmen Ed Dennis and Alex McEntire and Berry sophomore Adam Jarrell from Tullahoma made the All-SAA second team for runner-up meet finishes, and Sewanee senior Lizzie Black and freshmen Carolyn Rice and Will Ralston earned honorable mention for placing third.
Soccer
• The Express Regional Soccer Association 94 boys' team based in Rossville won the under-19 gold bracket at the recent Weston Cup & Showcase tournament in Miami. Playing all Florida teams, the Express 94 tied FC United Black 0-0 and then won 2-1 over the Plantation Eagles and 1-0 over a Homestead team. In the championship match the Express got past the Miami Strike Force with a 5-3 edge in penalty kicks. Coached by Krissi Whitaker, the champions include Hunter Cruse, David Franco, Leudy Franco, Victor Garcia, Hunter Gregory, Isael Gutierrez, Jorge Hurtado, Abel Mendiola, Robbie Moody, Diego Nunez, Javier Rodriguez, Collin Sweatman, Oliver Thomsen, Bryan Villa, Miguel Villa and Tad Whitaker.
• Tullahoma High School's Chris Reynolds was one of two signees recently announced by Cumberland University men's soccer coach Jeff Loucks. Tullahoma went 9-2-5 and reached the Region 4-AAA semifinals last year. The other signee is from Liverpool, England.
Lacrosse
• Sarah Mastey scored six goals and fellow GPS alumna Audrey Powers also scored as Centre College won 17-14 in women's lacrosse Sunday at Ohio Wesleyan. Mastey scored twice in the 13-4 season-opening loss Saturday at Wittenberg.
Fishing
• Lynn Spears of Athens, Tenn., finished third in the co-angler category in the Walmart Bass Fishing League Music City Division tournament last Saturday on Lake Guntersville. Spears caught a five-fish limit totaling 20 pounds, 1 ounce -- 7 pounds less than the winner but 7-7 more than the fourth-place co-angler. Bryan Gregory of Fort Payne, Ala., was 17th among the boaters with 17-9. Donald Dills of Mineral Bluff, Ga., was the 11th-place co-angler in the BFL Bulldog Division tournament on Lake Lanier.