Wesley Strader from Spring City moved up to seventh place and Jacob Wheeler of Harrison rose to 10th Friday in the Bassmaster Elite Series tournament on the upper Mississippi River near La Crosse, Wisconsin. Strader's 10-bass limit for two days totaled 30 pounds, 15 ounces, while Wheeler was at 30-9 - four ounces more than first-day leader Chad Pipkens of Lansing, Michigan. Aaron Martens of Leeds, Alabama, took the lead at 34-3, with Randall Tharp of Port St. Joe, Florida, at 34-2 on the rain-swollen river that is expected to be at flood stage by the final round Sunday. John Murray of Spring City climbed 13 spots to 34th at 28-7.
Soccer
* The Chattanooga Football Club men's soccer team will host the Georgia Revolution tonight at 7:30 at Finley Stadium, and general-admission tickets cost $10. Gates open to season-pass holders at 6 and to everyone else at 6:30, and all seating is first-come, first-served. Chattanooga FC leads its eight-team National Premier Soccer League Southeast Conference with 18 points on five wins, three ties and only one loss, while the Revolution are tied for sixth with 12 points on three wins, three ties and four losses. The undefeated CFC women visit the Memphis Lobos for a 5 p.m. EDT match Sunday; Memphis is the only conference opponent with a chance to catch CFC in the standings.
Golf
* Middle Tennessee State University fifth-year senior golfer Jenna Burris from Manchester, Tennessee, and St. Andrew's-Sewanee School was awarded this week one of the 14 $4,000 Jim Casteneda Postgraduate Scholarships from Conference USA. She graduated as a business adminstration major with a 3.79 GPA and will begin work on a master's degree in management while finishing her collegiate golf career. She is in the top five in program history in career stroke average (75.32) and rounds of par or better (23). "I am beyond grateful and humbled to receive this award from Conference USA," Burris said in an MTSU website post. " The countless support that MTSU has given me over the last four years not only athletically but academically as well has been more than I could have ever asked for or expected. 'Excited' is the word I will use but is an understatement for how I feel about starting my graduate program this summer while still getting a chance to play this final year of eligibility on the golf team."
* Recent East Tennessee State graduate Cayman Ratliff and his cousin Brandon Worley from Kingsport will face brothers Mitch and Chip Thomas from Knoxville for the 2018 Tennessee Four-Ball championship this morning at Toqua Golf Club in Loudon. Ratliff and Worley won 3 and 2 in the quarterfinals against the 2017 champions, former Baylor School standout Chase Roswall and his Tennessee Volunteers teammate, Spencer Cross. The Thomases won 3 and 1 in the quarters against two fellow Farragut High School alumni, Chip's MTSU teammate Tyler Johnson and Lee University's Brian Clark. Mitch Thomas is a former Tennessee Tech player, and he and his brother rallied for a 2-and-1 semifinal victory over two other ex-Golden Eagles, Lee Maxwell and Wes Korth.
Volleyball
* Former Bryan College men's volleyball co-captain Nate Shadoan has been named assistant coach for the Bryan women's team. A 2018 graduate of the Dayton school, he was a student assistant for the Lady Lions last fall "and was a tremendous help," according to head coach Jessica Day. "He's already invested a lot into the program and is very passionate about the success for the team both on and off the court," she added in a school release. Shadoan, who plans to pursue a master's degree in sports management at Bryan, said he was "very excited" and "thankful" for the chance to stay involved in volleyball at his alma mater. As a Lions player he worked at various times as a right-side defensive specialist, a setter, an outside/opposite hitter and a middle blocker.