The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga announced its 2017 Athletics Hall of Fame induction class Monday, as well as the special award winners for the Feb. 24 banquet at Chattanooga Golf and Country Club. The cost is $40 and seating is limited; reservations are required through 423-425-4785. The inductees are football players John Tyszkiewicz (1965-68) and Kenyon Earl (1991-94), basketball player Julie Copeland Christian (1988-91), tennis player Julie Dunn Heim (1977-80) and wrestler Chris Thornbury (1986-89). Tyszkiewicz was a 1967 Little All-American and a captain for the 1968 football team that went 9-1; Earl graduated with 42 touchdown passes and 6,400 passing yards, both UTC career bests at the time. Christian was a four-year starter and two-time All-Southern Conference selection who helped the 1988-89 team go to the women's program's first NCAA tournament and led the Mocs the next year with 19.2 points per game. Heim was on three AIAW national championship tennis teams and an All-American in 1978. Thornbury was a three-time SoCon champion (at 190 pounds and twice at heavyweight) who had 38 wins in 1988-89 and 101 as a Moc. Senior All-America running back and two-time Academic All-American Derrick Craine will receive the A.C. "Scrappy" Moore Award, while longtime supporter Bryan Patten will get the Gordon Davenport Award, former UTC football standout and longtime Episcopal minister John Bonner III the Joe Morrison Award and former chancellor Fred Obear and his wife, Ruth, the Harold Wilkes Award.
Basketball
* Erin Walsh's 22 points led the Lee University women's basketball team to a 74-56 Gulf South Conference victory Monday night at Shorter, but Shorter's men beat the Flames 79-69 despite 20 points and three steals from Rico Overall and 16 points apiece from Keevin Tyus and Jervon Johnson. Tyus added eight rebounds and Ryan Montgomery had 10 points. Phil Taylor had 26 points, five assists and three steals for the Hawks, while Damerit Brown scored 19 points and Eric Ross had 15 reb0unds with 10 points. Carrie Cheeks and Haley Cornellison scored 11 and 10 points in support of Walsh, who was 4-of-7 on 3-point shots.