PALO ALTO, Calif. -- Hixson's Sean Ryan from the Scenic City Aquatic Club finished second Saturday night in the 1500-meter freestyle final in the USA Swimming National Championships at Stanford University after also posting the second best time in Friday's preliminaries. The University of Michigan sophomore from McCallie School became the 18-under national champion in finishing second to 20-year-old University of Georgia swimmer Andrew Gemmell, who with Ryan won the gold medal in a 5-kilometer open-water team event at the recent World Championships in China. Gemmell finished in 15:01.31, Ryan in 15:01.43 -- his best time by more than three seconds. That puts him in the top 16 in the world and on the national team in the 1500 as well as the open water 10k. Evan Pinion from Knoxville was seventh Saturday night in 15:01.43.
Auto Racing
• Ray Cook from Brasstown, N.C., and Dale McDowell from Chickamauga, Ga., who used to work together as race-driving instructors at Cleveland Speedway, finished first and second Friday night in the Southern Regional Racing Series visit to Boyd's Speedway. Chattanooga's Ronnie Johnson was fourth in that Super Late Models race, and Alabama drivers Josh Putnam of Killen, William Thomas of Phenix City and Tim Busha of Boaz were third, fifth and sixth. Soddy-Daisy's Rick Hixson won the Crate Late Models race with season leader Jason Welshan of Maryville second and Mike Weeks third, and Steve Tate, Dallas Brooks and Thomas Gilbert were the victors in A-Hobby, B-Hobby and Front Runner, respectively, with Booger Brooks, Corey Sanders and Daniel Burnette the runners-up. Many of the Super Late Model drivers in Friday's race planned to be at Cleveland on Saturday night for the Southern All Stars' Budweiser Jean Johnson Memorial, paying $5,000 to the winner. Jean Johnson was the mother of Ronnie Johnson.
Golf
• Neil Spitalny, Joe Scruggs and Larry White of Chattanooga, Daniel Brown of Rossville, Randy Bowman of Summerville and Lanny Bailey and Reginald Sherrill of Dalton are among the 103 golfers playing 18 holes Monday at the Governors Towne Club in Acworth, Ga., for five spots in the 2011 USGA Senior Amateur Championship. It will be held Sept. 10-15 at Kinlock Golf Club in Manakin-Sabot, Va. Two alternates also will be determined in Monday's qualifier.