John Gilpin and Jessica York led one-two finishes for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in the 1500-meter runs Saturday at the Catamount Classic track and field meet hosted by Western Carolina. Gilpin’s personal-best 4:00.51 edged teammate Austin Casassa with Paul Stuart fifth, and UTC’s Emily Drouin was second to York with Keeley Stewart eighth. The Mocs’ Maddison Melchionna and Amanda Cotter were second and third in the 800. Winthrop freshman Preston Elwell from Signal Mountain won the men’s javelin event Friday with a heave of 186 feet, 7 inches.
Softball
* After outscoring its TCCAA opponents 144-8 in 12 games the last three weeks, the fourth-ranked Chattanooga State softball team found the going tougher Saturday against a Walters State team receiving votes in the NJCAA Division I poll. Chattanooga State won 4-0 as Sharlene Godoy pitched a three-hitter with nine strikeouts and then lost 2-1 despite a four-hitter by Hanna Manley. The Lady Tigers (33-9, 20-2) got only two hits in game two. One of those was by Dana Horgan, who was 2-for-2 with two RBIs in the opener, which included a Sydney Sloan home run.
* LSU defeated Tennessee 7-4 Saturday evening in a Southeastern Conference softball matchup of NCAA Division I’s No. 1 and No. 11 teams. Batting first and second for host Tennessee (29-11, 7-7), Tory Lewis from GPS was 1-for-2 with two RBIs and Shaliyah Geathers from East Hamilton was 2-for-4.
* Lee University beat ninth-ranked North Alabama 8-6 but then lost 8-0 in their Gulf South softball doubleheader Saturday at Florence, Ala. NiaRaye Ceasar hit two home runs and Kaylie Drew also homered, each batting in three runs, in the win for Lee (27-14, 15-10), when Lexie Dean and Dominique Hannah matched them with two hits and scored two runs and one with an RBI apiece. Holley Gray was 2-for-2 in game two, when Hillary Carpenter of UNA (31-7, 16-6) allowed only three hits.