Dalton High School on Tuesday announced that Brad Beck is returning to its girls' basketball program as head coach. He succeeds Jim Case, who resigned in mid-March. Beck, who is the boys' golf head coach and a teacher for exceptional student services at the school, was a girls' basketball assistant in the 2014 and 2015 seasons, according to a Dalton Public Schools release. He is a former relief pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. "Brad has been a professional athlete and knows what it takes to get players ready to compete at a high level," Dalton High athletic director Jeff McKinney said in the release. "He also is very focused on player development and is looking forward to working with the city rec department and Dalton Middle School to help encourage young athletes and grow a stellar basketball program for our school." Principal Steve Bartoo said, "We are very excited to have Brad leading our girls program. He is very enthusiastic and excited to get to work and build a winning program at Dalton High."
Track & Field
» Lee University's Emily Buwalda, Audrey Smith, Justin Brooks and Josiah Brooks were selected Tuesday to participate in a total of six events in the 2018 NAIA outdoor track and field meet May 24-26 in Charlotte, N.C. Buwalda was picked for the women's 800-meter run with a time that has her as the No. 10 seed, and Smith is set for the 3000 steeplechase with the 14th best time and the 5000 with the 21st best. Justin Brooks has the fifth best time for the men's 400 dash and the seventh best in the 200, and his twin has the ninth best 200 time and also will compete in the triple jump as the 14th seed. The Flames' 4x400 men's relay team was ranked 15th and missed the nationals by one spot.
Lacrosse
» Tennessee Wesleyan junior attacker Roderick Williams was included among the 2018 NAIA second-team All-Americans announced Tuesday for men's lacrosse. He led the 7-8 Bulldogs with 45 goals and 31 assists and scored multiple goals in all but two games this season. He led the Appalachian Athletic Conference in points per game and assists per game. He also collected 40 ground balls.
Baseball
» Tennessee Wesleyan dropped to 1-1 and Bryan College rose to 1-1 in their NAIA baseball national opening round series Tuesday. In the Kingsport (Tenn.) Bracket, 19th-ranked and second-seeded Wesleyan lost 5-2 to the No. 1 seed, fourth-ranked Southeastern, and plays Clarke at 11 a.m. today for another shot at the 53-7 Florida team. The Bulldogs (38-20) got both of their runs on Braden Mosley's fourth-inning home run, after Southeastern went up 4-0 with three runs in the top of the inning. Dan Valerio, who went 3-for-5 and scored two runs, doubled and scored on an error before Keiner Comenarez clubbed a two-run homer off Daniel Tolano. Mosley and Aloysius Cruz each was 2-for-4 for TWU, and Tolano gave up seven hits and three earned runs in his 6 2/3 innings. In the Williamsburg (Ky.) Bracket, where unranked Northwestern Ohio is 2-0, No. 9 Bryan (41-16) stayed alive with an 11-8 defeat of No. 11 Cumberlands as Trevor Behrent was 2-for-3 with three RBIs and Tyler Scott and David Scoggins each was 2-for-4, with two RBIs and one. Catcher Cody Young was 2-for-3 with two walks, and his courtesy runner, Prentice Young, scored twice.
Golf
» Cleveland State has announced another recruit for its men's golf team besides Hixson's Jared Thomas, whose signing with the community college previously was reported by the Times Free Press. Joining him with the Cougars is Colby Cagle from Greenback High School, who won his district championship and played in the state tournament last fall. "I love the small-college atmosphere and I love the fact that my family can come watch me play. Plus the coaching staff here is phenomenal," Cagle said in a Cleveland State release.