When University of Tennessee at Chattanooga cross country and track coach Bill Gautier says he has just signed the "best Canadian runner we've ever recruited" in Kennedy Thompson, Mocs fans and Southern Conference opponents have to pay attention. After all, current senior Teghan Henderson from Ontario was a 2013 cross country All-American and has been a SoCon runner of the year, and Canadian marathon record-holder Lanni Marchant also was a league runner of the year and the overall SoCon female athlete of the year while at UTC. There have been some very good UTC men's runners from north of the border as well. "At this time of her career, her times are faster than Emily (Drouin, a sophomore from Ontario) and Teghan," Gautier said in Monday's announcement of five new Mocs runners. Two other girls, Hannah Caldwell and Julia Henderson, and Nathan Watson are coming from Nashville-area high schools, and Brianna Nelson is transferring from Wisconsin-Eau Claire; she's a 2014 high school graduate. Thompson won the Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association junior girls' title as a sophomore and the senior title this year. Caldwell is a two-time cross country all-stater from Brentwood High and was the Midstate track runner of the year in 2013. She holds her school's record for the 5,000-meter run at 18:13. Henderson has an 18:51 5k and was part of Ravenwood's 2012 cross country state champions and three school-record relay teams. Watson is coming from Station Camp High to join his brother, Drake, in the UTC men's cross country program. Nathan finished 11th in the 2015 Class AAA state meet and made the All-Midstate first team. Nelson was her high school's female athlete of the year as a senior and holds its 800-meter record and also helped set the 4x800 relay record.
Basketball
* The Lee University women's basketball team rolled to its sixth victory in a row with a 79-42 Gulf South Conference romp Monday night at West Alabama, but the Lee men fell 80-63 to the Tigers. Freshman point guard Haris Price made 11 of 12 shots from the field in scoring 22 points with five assists for the Lady Flames (10-3, 7-1), and Erin Walsh scored 19 points with three 3-point baskets while Anna Woodford and Carrie Cheeks combined for 21 points. Chase Cullen had 15 points, four steals and four assists for the Flames (4-9, 2-6), while C.J. Reese and Keevin Tyus scored 14 and 11 points. Simeon Dennis scored 16 for West Alabama (8-6, 4-4), which got 14 points and 14 rebounds from Dakari Mayo and 10 assists from Acie Vance.
* Brandon Barnes scored 25 points as the Mobile Rams ended Dalton State's 11-game winning streak with a 68-60 Southern States home victory Tuesday. Marcel Hawkins had 21 points for DSC (11-3, 3-1).
* After Point University edged the second-place Bryan College women's basketball team in a mild Appalachian Athletic Conference upset Monday night at West Point, Ga., 80-71, the Bryan men (9-6, 4-2) won 88-79 behind 30 points and 12 rebounds from Brandon Cole, 16 points from Oteriah Lee and 14 plus nine rebounds from Brice Cusick. Dereese Owens scored 19 points and Vanessa Calhoun had 17 plus 11 rebounds for the Point women (12-3, 5-2), while Kaylee Smith had 21 points and seven rebounds and Keila Formont had 11 assists for Bryan (14-2, 6-1).
* Jorden Williams from McCallie School scored 15 points and Cody Jones and Keshonn Carter added 10 apiece as the Sewanee men's basketball team beat Boyce 65-50 in a nonconference game Monday in Louisville, Ky. The Tigers (8-4) took a 46-20 lead into halftime.
* Tennessee Wesleyan had both AAC basketball players of the week announced Monday: Leland Robinson for the second time this season and Jara Gasper. Robinson averaged 29 points and 11.5 rebounds in two wins for the Bulldogs, with 37 and 14 against Webber International, and Gasper averaged 18.5 points and 5.5 rebounds and totaled seven assists as the Lady Bulldogs went 1-1. She scored 26 points with six 3s in the loss.