Derrel MartinLee University has hired Derrel Martin away from Tennessee Wesleyan University to be the women's lacrosse coach at the NCAA Division II school in Cleveland. Martin's Lady Bulldogs went 11-5 and were ranked No. 9 in the NAIA this past spring, when his roster included only six returners and 15 freshmen. Lee made great strides in the second year of its program's existence, going 9-9, and school officials are convinced Martin will continue that progress. "I am excited about the future of Lee lacrosse with Coach Martin at the helm," athletic director Larry Carpenter said in a school release. "He brings a wealth of experience and stability to a young program, and I can see it growing and becoming competitive at the national level in the near future." Said Dr. Paul Conn, Lee's president: "We are very pleased to welcome Derrel to our lineup of superb head coaches. We are committed to giving him and the young women on our lacrosse team the resources they need to have a terrific college experience and an outstanding team." A 1986 graduate of Middle Tennessee State University, Martin worked in law enforcement for 31 years but also coached lacrosse at Cookeville High School from 2007 to 2014. "There is such an energy and passion on this campus and around the lacrosse program in particular," he said of his new job. "It's an exciting time for the sport in general in this area of the country, and I'm looking forward to getting to know our players and building this program."
Golf
* Sewanee's Tommy Oliver received honorable mention as a Division III PING All-American, with those honorees announced Wednesday by the Golf Coaches Association of America. A semifinalist for the Division III Jack Nicklaus Award, Oliver had a 73.25 stroke average for the 2017-18 season and three top-10 tournament finishes with the Tigers.
* Davis Smith of Dalton finished tied for 31st Wednesday with a 54-hole score of 15-over-par 228 in the Georgia Junior Championship, and Blairsville's Beck Burnette shared 54th at 233 in a field that started with more than 170 golfers. Smith, 16, closed with a 6-over 77 and Burnette finished with an 84 at Rivermont Golf Club in Johns Creek. Macon's Luke Dasher won with a 211, capturing the title by a stroke over Suwanee's Brandon Cho after Dasher shot a 69 and Cho a 70 in the final round. Cho won the tournament in 2017. Two golfers from the northwestern corner of the state finished in the top 20, with Lindsey Cordell closing with a 78 to tie for 12th at 221 and Hogan Ingram closing with a 76 to tie for 17th at 223. Both are from Rome. In the Georgia Girls' Championship at Country Club of Roswell, Chatsworth's Tori Owens closed with a 10-over 82 to finish tied for 22nd at 244 and Dalton's Destiny Hill closed with an 81 to share 38th at 250. Jenny Bae of Lawrenceville ran away with the title, closing with a 69 to finish with a tournament-record 207 - 10 strokes ahead of runner-up Kate Owens of Suwanee, who was nine shots ahead of Duluth's Sara Im.
Bowling
* Chattanooga's Knights of Columbus Family Bowling League benefits the city's Maclellan Shelter for Families, and it held its first league tournament recently at Spare Time Hixson without using any money for trophies or other prizes. Local dining establishments donated gift cards totaling more than $140 for the participants, however, and center manager Blake Curtis provided banners for the tournament at no charge, said league coordinator John Sopko. The tournament included the top two teams from each of the two divisions of the league, and Bob Quick's tourney-high game of 253 led the Quick Fletcher team to victory with an 831. The champions also included Cathy Quick and Jay and Teressa Fletcher. The Spare Parts group of Ben Smith, David Smith, David Ireland and Michael Hunter were second at 807, and Pin Knockers were third, with Splitz & Giggles fourth. Splitz's Korey Chittwood rolled a 252. The league's 10-week fall season begins Sept. 9, and anyone interested in joining can email Sopko at angeloakspalace@gmail.com.