Paul Babba has resigned after two years as the Bryan College women’s soccer coach to work as an NCAA Division I assistant at Elon.Paul Babba is leaving Bryan College after two successful seasons as women’s soccer head coach to be an assistant to good friend Neil Payne at Elon University in NCAA Division I. “My family and I have really enjoyed being a part of the Bryan community. Bryan is a special place that we will remember fondly,” Babba said in a release. Hired in December 2015, he took a 2016 Lady Lions team picked to finish last in the Appalachian Athletic Conference to a 10-10-2 record and a runner-up finish in the league tournament. Picked to finish fifth last fall, they won the AAC regular season and went to the NAIA national tournament. Babba was the AAC coach of the year. “Coach Babba has done an excellent job. We are thankful for his service and wish him and his family all the best,” athletic director Taylor Hasty said.
Volleyball
» After three years as a high school volleyball coach at Boyd-Buchanan, Nancy Mueller-Culver is returning to college coaching at Sewanee. The 1993 Tennessee graduate officially begins leading the Tigers on Monday. Her 23 years of experience include 15 in NCAA Division I, most recently from 2010 to 2015 as Indiana’s recruiting coordinator. She was the head coach at South Florida from 1999 to 2003, with a 79-22 record during the three middle years there, and then at Illinois-Chicago through 2008. “I am delighted that Nancy has accepted this position,” Sewanee athletic director Mark Webb said in a release. “Her passion and energy for the sport was evident during the interview process; moreover, her successful coaching and extensive recruiting experiences make her the ideal candidate to take our program to the next level.” Mueller-Culver called the Sewanee job “an amazing opportunity” and praised the groundwork laid by predecessor Shauna Laurendine. “My goal is to continue building on the strong foundation she has created and to move the program even further.”
Golf
» The NAIA’s No. 2-ranked Dalton State women’s golf team completed its fifth tournament championship of the 2017-18 school year with a 321 Tuesday for a 621 in the Phoenix Invitational hosted by Cumberland University at Old Hickory Golf Club. Ninth-ranked William Carey was second at 628. DSC’s Tia Teiniketo was all-tournament in fifth place at 154, and Katie Dalton and Hannah Gasaway also made the top 10 with Isabel Rijos 14th and Caroline Griffin 16th.