Former East Hamilton standout Emma Lenoir of Christian Brothers University was the Gulf South Conference volleyball freshman of the year, as announced Monday, and her team will be hosting fifth-seeded Lee University tonight at 8 EST in Memphis in the league tournament. Lee's injured star hitter, Sylvia Sartori, was a first-team All-GSC selection along with Shorter middle blocker Tiffani Estep from Central High, and sophomore libero MaKayla Beebe is a second-team pick from Lee's Lady Flames (15-14, 10-10). They managed to get the No. 5 seed even without Sartori down the stretch. She had 305 kills, 3.43 per set, before her knee injury that required surgery. Estep was in on a team-high 106 blocks with a .321 hitting percentage and 253 kills as one of two first-teamers for No. 2 seed Shorter. Lenoir, who was the GSC freshman of the week six times, leads CBU with 3.44 kills per set and is third on the team with 2.15 digs per set.
Auto Racing
* Jason Young of Englewood, Tenn., pulled out a win by inches in the 7.0 class final Saturday night at the Brainerd Optimist Drag Strip. On a night in which all six classes had one-light pro starts, Young had a 7.00-second run in a 1990 Mustang that barely edged Ringgold's Mike Falteson's 7.01 in a showroom stock 1965 Mustang 2+2. Chris Young of Sweetwater won the 6.0 class with a 6.02-second burst in a 1977 Vega with Wes Moore of Georgetown second in a 1966 Nova. Michael Newcome in a 1990 Mustang was first with Jim Brackett second in a 1967 Camaro in the Outlaw class, and Henry Bluford of Lenoir City was first with Danny Davis of Decatur second in the Limited class. Corey Cosey of Calhoun, Ga., won in Easy Street in a 1988 Mustang, with Matt Myers second, and Joe Lineberry of Powder Springs, Ga., was first in Bang Street in a 1993 Mustang with Josh Hines of Trion second in a 1988 Mustang. Racing will continue on Saturdays at the strip as weather permits.
Basketball
* Snead State ended the Chattanooga State men's basketball team's perfect season start Monday with an 87-84 victory led by Quan Cothran's 23 points. Darrell Foster led three other double-figure scorers for the visiting Parsons with 16 points, while Orlando Moore scored 24 and Maleek Taylor added for the Tigers (5-1). Da'V Moore had 13 rebounds in defeat. The Chattanooga State women beat Snead and are 2-2 for the season.
* Dalton State edged Life University 91-89 in overtime in NAIA men's basketball Monday night in Marietta, Ga. Mon'Darius Black had 19 points and five steals and Cody Simmons had 17 points and nine rebounds for the winning Roadrunners, who got 14 points from Reed Dungan, 13 points and 12 rebounds from Sayvon Wilson and eight rebounds from J'Quayveon Williams.
Golf
* Two-time Florida top-10 finisher Brooke Benedetto has signed to continue her golf career at Lee University. Benedetto is a senior at Archibishop McCarthy High School in Davie, Fla., which won the FHSAA state team championships the last two years. Benedetto's final-round 71 paced Archbishop McCarthy's come-from-behind victory in the 2016 tournament, and she also has been a medalist in AJGA tournament qualifying twice. "We are thrilled to have Brooke joining our program," Lee coach John Maupin said in a school release. "She has an excellent tournament resume, and we knew during her visit that she would be a great fit for Lee University. Brooke is a college-ready player. She comes from a great high school program and has played a major role in her team winning the last two Florida state championships. Brooke is used to competing against high-level players and winning championships." Benedetto said she also was considering Division I programs Florida International, Florida Atlantic and Georgia State. "What stood out most about Lee was the coaching staff and the campus," she said, adding praise for biochemistry professor Dr. De La Luz.