Lee University cross country and track coach Caleb Morgan has announced 10 signees for the 2015-16 seasons, the most in program history. Among them are Addie Strode from nearby Cleveland High School, who has personal records of 89 feet for the discus and 29 for the shot put. "Addie was a late addition to our roster," Morgan said in Monday's release. "She has a lot of strength and will contribute at the conference level in a number of throwing events." Other Tennesseans in the bunch are all-state cross country runner Lacey Duvall from Brentwood High, who was on a 4x800-meter relay state champion and has run a 5:18 mile and a 2:22 800, two-time all-region cross country and 3200 runner Logan Hernandez of Macon County High and versatile Syvone Anderson from Maryville High, a two-time triple-jump all-stater who was second in the state in Class AAA in that event. She also shines in the long jump, 200 dash and 100 hurdles. "Syvone is a fantastic triple jumper. She can do any event. We are excited to see what her potential is in the heptathlon," Morgan said. "Lacey is a great all-around runner. She comes from a great high school program and understands what it takes to compete at a high level. Logan has a lot of potential. She is a hard worker and consistently dropped time each year of high school." The other Lady Flames recruits are Kiley Brock, who was second in the 100 and third in the 200 in the state in her Florida classification; all-region miler and cross country runner Mackenzie Mayer from Tampa; all-region sprinter Amanda Hegarty from Pennsylvania; sprinter and hurdler Brooke Preston from Ohio; three-time cross country state qualifier Savannah Ratliff from Cumming, Ga.; and Indiana Wesleyan transfer Hannah Williams, already a three-time NCCAA All-American who finished fourth in the 300 hurdles at the NCCAA nationals. "Recruiting is the cornerstone to developing and sustaining a successful program," Morgan said in the release. "We have brought in a number of distance runners who we believe will make us a contender for this year's GSC championship. We have picked up a number of athletes who will compete in track and field events we haven't had athletes in before."
Football
* Carson-Newman University was predicted to finish second in football coaches' voting announced Monday by the South Atlantic Conference, and Tennessee rival Tusculum was picked for fifth. Favorite Lenoir-Rhyne will be trying for its fifth consecutive SAC title after going 11-1 with a 7-0 record in the NCAA Division II league last year. Carson-Newman finished second at 5-2 (7-3 overall) in Ken Sparks' 35th year as head coach. His Eagles received two first-place votes and 51 points in the 2015 preseason poll, compared to the Bears' six and 55. Newberry (39) and Catawba (37) also were picked ahead of Frankie DeBusk's Tusculum Pioneers (30), who were third in 2014 at 4-3 (6-5) with Justin Houston from Bradley Central High School leading the SAC with six pass receptions per game and two touchdown kickoff returns. Mars Hill and Wingate tied for sixth in the preseason voting, and Brevard was eighth.
Soccer
* Dalton State soccer coach Kerem Daser has a familiar assistant as the Roadrunners get ready to begin their first season. Rene Enang, who has played in the National Premier Soccer League for the Chattanooga Football Club and the Georgia Revolution, played for Daser at Georgia Military, a junior college in Milledgeville, and was all-conference both years and then returned to help Daser there after his junior and senior seasons at Georgia Gwinnett. Enang was Gwinnett's first soccer All-American. "I interviewed some great candidates for the Dalton State assistant position, but I felt like Rene was the perfect fit for us. He will one day be a top NAIA coach." The first-run Roadrunners have scrimmages scheduled for Aug. 15 at 7 p.m. and Aug. 19 at 4 p.m. at Lakeshore Park