Former University of Tennessee at Chattanooga softball coach Karen Weekly, who has shared head-coaching duties at Tennessee with her husband since 2002, was one of three individuals inducted Friday in Chicago into the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame. She and Ralph Weekly, who was inducted in 2011, have guided the Lady Vols to an 850-259-2 record, 10 NCAA regional championships, seven trips to the Women’s College World Series and two national runner-up finishes. Karen has 1,073 career coaching wins. “I have so much respect and admiration for the coaches in our hall of fame and the trails they blazed in fastpitch softball,” she said in a UT release. “To hear my name called to join that special group is an indescribable honor.”
Volleyball
» UTC volleyball coach Travis Filar announced this week the recent signings of outside hitters Coniah Davis from Glen Allen, Virginia, and MacKenzie Saitta from Elkhorn, Nebraska. Davis also is a right-side hitter, and she helped Glen Allen High School go 55-28 the past four seasons. She was the team MVP and an all-region first-team selection as a senior, and the Richmond Volleyball Club player is in PrepVolleyball.com’s prestigious “10-foot club” after an approach jump height of 10 feet, 6 inches. That’s the third-best in the nation’s class of 2019 recruits, according to UTC’s release. “Coniah will step foot in our gym and immediately be one of the most, if not the most, dynamic athletes in the gym,” Filar said, adding that she “is just scratching the surface on the volleyball court of how dominant she can become at the net, but I believe she will reach her full potential here at Chattanooga, as she is super coachable and has a desire to be great.” Saitta has totaled 593 kills while Elkhorn South High has gone 75-37 the last three years, with 211 kills in a 31-9 2018 season. She also played for Nebraska’s top club team, and Filar has tracked her for three years. “MacKenzie comes from one of the most volleyball-rich areas in the country,” he said, “so her experience training and competing at a high level will help her transition smoothly to the college game. She has worked tirelessly at her craft. MacKenzie is a high-flyer, plays above the net and possesses a high-energy motor.”
Running
» Former Boyd Buchanan standout Jada Hale is transferring from Austin Peay to run cross country and track for UTC. A two-time all-state cross country runner for the Lady Buccaneers, she ran track for Brainerd. She competed in three meets for Austin Peay this past season. “Jada has a lot of natural talent,” Mocs coach Andy Meyer said in a UTC release. “We recruited her out of high school, but things didn’t go our way. She has decided to return home, and we are very pleased with her decision. She fits our needs as a middle-distance runner. More importantly, she fits UTC perfectly with her grades and outstanding personality.” Hale will be eligible for the Mocs when they return to indoor track competition next month.