Lee University's Clair Lanter earns major NAIA award

photo Clair Lanter
Arkansas-SEMO Live Blog

Lee University soccer defender Clair Lanter from Soddy-Daisy is this year's female recipient of the A.O. Duer Award as the top all-around junior student-athlete in the NAIA. The male winner is basketball player and biology/pre-medicine major Shawn Kiezer of Dordt College in Iowa. Duer served 26 years as executive secretary of the NAIA and was an outspoken proponent of the need to promote balance between athletics and academics. Duer Award candidates must have grade point averages of at least 3.75 on a 4.0 scale along with strong credentials in their sports. Lanter, a political science major and tutor and an academic All-American, was nominated by the Southern States Athletic Conference. A three-year starter and captain for the program that has won the last four NAIA national titles, Lanter currently is on a mission trip in South Africa, working in AIDS orphanages. She helps year-round with the Austin Hatcher Foundation for pediatric cancer, and she has participated in a Model United Nations program. "She is a woman who cares about others and the world around her," Stephen M. Swindle, a Lee associate professor, said in the NAIA's release. "She sees her intellectual growth as a tool she can use to make the world a better place."

• KNOXVILLE -- Irvin Espinal scored at the 57-minute mark to give the Chattanooga Football Club a 1-0 win over the Knoxville Force on Saturday night. That made the CFC's record 1-1, avening a home loss to the Force a week earlier.

Tennis

• BOISE, Idaho -- Chattanooga's Wes Cash teamed with Mark Vines from Lynchburg, Va., to win the USTA 55-over men's doubles national indoor championship Saturday at the Boise Racquet & Swim Club. They were seeded No. 1 and beat second-seeded Kenny House of Wilmington, N.C., and Jeff Winkler of St. Petersburg, Fla., 6-4, 6-2. Cash and Vines beat Keith Belcher of Gray, Ga., and Pete Kelly of Palm Springs, Calif., 6-1, 6-0 in the round of 16 and then downed Scott Shepherd of Stevenson, Ala., and Stuart Chase of Virginia 7-6, 6-3 in their closest match. Cash and Vines won 6-4, 6-2 in their semifinal against Rob Knox of Richland, Wash., and Wayne Pickard of Portland, Ore.

General

• Covenant College was accepted for full membership in the USA South Athletic Conference this past week. The Lookout Mountain school has been competing in the Great South since making the move from the NAIA to NCAA Division III. Commissioner Rita Wiggs used the term "proudly welcome" about the Scots' move into her league with six men's and seven women's varsity sports. "They exemplify the pillars of the Division III and USA South philosophy of academic excellence, personal development and athletic competitiveness. Their strong and competitive athletic programs will provide perfect alliance with our current institutions." Said Dr. Niel Nielson, Covenant's "delighted" president: "Along with our moving toward full NCAA Division III membership, this the next step in providing a firm foundation and future for Covenant College athletics."

• The UTC Mocs Club Coaches Caravan starts Tuesday in Atlanta with a lunch at the Gordon Biersch Restaurant and continues Wednesday with a 6-8 p.m. "meet and greet" for $10 at the Bald Headed Bistro in Cleveland, Tenn., and a lunch Thursday at the Big River Grille in Nashville. The lunches cost $20. Another $10 "meet and greet" is set for 6-8 p.m. May 22 at the Dalton (Ga.) Depot, with an RSVP deadline of May 17 to MocsClub@utc.edu or 423-425-4233, and a May 23 lunch is scheduled for Calhoun's on the River in Knoxville with a May 18 deadline. Athletic director Rick Hart, football coach Russ Huesman and men's basketball coach John Shulman plan to be at all five gatherings, joined by wrestling coach Heath Eslinger for the first three and women's basketball coach Wes Moore for the last two. Volleyball coach Travis Filar will be at the Cleveland and Dalton sites.

Soccer

• KNOXVILLE -- Irvin Espinal scored at the 57-minute mark to give the Chattanooga Football Club a 1-0 win over the Knoxville Force on Saturday night. That made the CFC's record 1-1, avening a home loss to the Force a week earlier.

Running

• RALEIGH, N.C. -- Red Bank High School track coach Hugh Enicks and his assistant for sprinting, Donelle Dunning, both won age-group and overall event championships Saturday in the Southeastern Masters meet at St. Augustine College. Enicks, known for marathon success, ran the 3000-meter steeplechase for the first time since college at Indiana State and won in 12 minutes; he was in the 50-54 age group. Dunning (35-39) did the 100-meter dash in 10.56 seconds in the preliminaries and won in 11.0.

• Cullom Boyd won the Raccoon Mountain "Around the Rim" Run 10-kilometer race Saturday morning in 38 minutes, 19 seconds, and Kiersten Vradenburgh was the first female and 15th overall in 44:36. Ben Oates, Keeley Nathan and masters winner Ryan Shrum were second through fourth in 38:34, 39:01 and 39:08. Dianna Leun was the second woman and female masters winner in 45:29.Grand masters winner Sergio Bianchini was 20th overall in 46:35 at 71 years old. Troy Maddux won the 5k in 17:06, and Leslie Becht was second and the first female in 20:51.

Upcoming Events