Lee University's director of athletic facilities, John Bratcher, is going into the Cornerstone University Hall of Honor this year. It recognizes spiritual leadership as well as athletic success. Bratcher went from the Michigan school, formerly Grand Rapids Baptist College, to coach soccer at Lee and then Indiana Wesleyan, earning hall of fame inclusion at both. He had a 119-34-10 record as the 1980-89 men's soccer coach at Grand Rapids, where he also spent time coaching track and field and wrestling and was the athletic director from 1985 to 1989. His soccer Comets had three third-place national finishes in the National Christian College Athletic Association, and he was the Michigan NAIA soccer coach of the year in 1985 and the NCCAA national honoree in 1982 and 1985.
Basketball
» Dalton State senior forward Carnilious Simmons was chosen the Southern States Athletic Conference and NAIA Division I men's basketball player of the week after averaging 23 points, 18 rebounds and five blocked shots in two league wins for the Roadrunners. He had 25 points and 25 rebounds against Blue Mountain - the most rebounds in a game by an SSAC player in seven seasons - and is averaging 16.5 points and 12.8 rebounds for the eight games he's played. He has five double-doubles in those eight. Tuesday, Dalton State (13-4) moved up from 18th to a tie for 13th in the NAIA coaches' poll.
» The Bryan College basketball games scheduled for Tuesday at Tennessee Wesleyan were postponed because of the icy weather. The Appalachian Athletic Conference doubleheader has been reset for Feb. 5. Wesleyan's Hunter Simpson was the AAC women's player of the week for her 38 points and nine rebounds in league wins over Montreat and Point. She also had four assists against Montreat. The junior from Madisonville has 1,065 TWU career points after her 25 against 24th-ranked Point. The Bryan women are third among "others receiving votes" in the NAIA Division II Top 25.
Track & Field
» Tennessee Wesleyan senior Josh Parson from Rhea County is the AAC men's indoor track athlete of the week - for the second time in a row - after his 60-meter dash victory last weekend at the East Tennessee State invitational meet. Parson ran the 60 prelims in 6.74 seconds, a personal best, and won with a 6.76. He also had the best 200 prelims time, 21.44, but chose not to run in the 200 finals. He has the best 200 time in the NAIA this season and the second-best 60.
» Milligan senior Sarah Kate Gartman from Chattanooga is the AAC women's indoor track honoree for her 20-second triumph in the 5000-meter run at the ETSU meet and helping the Lady Buffs finish fourth in the distance medley relay. Gartman's 5000 time was 18 minutes, 22 seconds; she is fifth in the NAIA this season.
Boxing
» The Red Bank Boxing Club is hosting pre-Golden Gloves warmup bouts Saturday at the Luken Sports Facility in the complex behind Red Bank High School, beginning at 4 p.m. Ten teams from Kentucky, Alabama and Georgia as well as Tennessee are expected for a 15-bout schedule. Admission costs $7 for adults, $3 for students and nothing for ages 12-under.
Academics
» The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga had 34 athletes from its fall sports make the Fall Academic All-Southern Conference team, led by sophomore cross country runners Abby Bateman and Julia Henderson with continued 4.0 cumulative grade point averages and junior teammate Haley Morris with a 3.99. The conference honor requires a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.3 for at least three semesters and participation in at least half of a team's events. Ten UTC women's soccer players, seven volleyball players, seven women's runners, six football players and four men's runners made the list. ETSU led the league with 45 fall academic honorees, followed by Mercer with 42 and Wofford with 41.