Georgia Northwestern Technical College is moving its sports affiliation from the National Junior College Athletic Association to the United States Collegiate Athletic Association. The multicampus two-year school now will be part of an organization largely of four-year schools. The small-college-oriented USCAA has 87 members in 27 states. The Bobcats and Lady Bobcats were Division III members of the NJCAA and will be Division II in men's and women's basketball in the USCAA. GNTC also will be in the USCAA in volleyball and men's golf and will continue to sponsor competitive cheerleading as a nonsanctioned sport. "There were a lot of factors that went into this, and we researched it for over a year," athletic director and basketball coach David Stephenson said in a Monday release. "First was our budget, and we've always tried to get the best bang for our buck. Comparing the two (associations), we feel we will get more value for our money by going with the USCAA. A lot of schools we are already playing are also USCAA members, so it was just kind of a natural flow. Plus, the USCAA's philoslphy fits our philosophy better." Another consideration, Stephenson noted, was that some GNTC athletes can choose to play a third year while nearing graduation.
Softball
- The Ringgold-based Rock Fitness men's slowpitch softball team edged Chattanooga's Athletic Shop 19-18 in the winners-bracket final and 20-18 in the championship game of the Dade County Classic this past weekend in Trenton, Ga. The Athletic Shop team is 34-15 in tournaments this season, and six of the losses are to Rock Fitness - all by five runs or less. Rock Fitness pitcher Stacy Powell and slugger Rodney Waters, who had a walk-off home run to beat Athletic Shop in the 19-18 game, both play for the highly successful Lighthouse Lookouts/Athletic Shop men's 50-over tournament team. For Athletic Shop in the Dade tournament, Ryan Wood batted .850 with 10 homers in five games, Garrett Reagan and Tim Prarie each hit .778 with six and four homers and Kris Durham and Zach Sutherland batted .706 and .667 with three homers each. They edged Jeff Gordon Bonding 17-16 in the losers-bracket final.