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Thursday, October 29, 2026Oct 29

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Area sports notes: UTC’s Niklas Gerdes is SoCon tennis player of the week

Assorted Sports Equipment on Black
Assorted Sports Equipment on Black Assorted Sports Equipment on Black

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga senior Niklas Gerdes was picked as the first Southern Conference men’s tennis player of the week in 2020. He began the spring-semester season this past weekend with 3-0 records in both singles and doubles, including a 6-0, 6-4 victory at No. 1 singles in the Mocs’ opening 6-1 loss at Alabama.

Basketball

* For the fourth time this season, Lee’s Beyuan Hendricks from Baylor School has been honored as the Gulf South Conference men’s basketball freshman of the week. Last week he totaled 26 points in two games for the Flames, who are tied for first place in the GSC. He scored 19 in a 86-84 loss at West Alabama.

* Dalton State senior guard Randy Bell was selected as the Southern States Athletic Conference men’s basketball player of the week. As the Roadrunners, ranked sixth in NAIA Division I, won road games over two ranked conference foes, Bell averaged 27 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals. Bell shot 67% from the field and 78% on 3-point shots.

* Morehead junior Jazzmyn Elston from Rossville and Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School was tabbed Tuesday as the Ohio Valley Conference women’s newcomer of the week. The transfer from State Fair College in Missouri, where she averaged 15.9 points a game as a sophomore, scored 12 and 18 points off the bench against Tennessee State and Belmont and totaled seven rebounds in the two games.