Rhea County High School and University of Tennessee at Chattanooga graduate Brainard Cooper II is taking a new position within the University of South Carolina athletic department working with insurance after 35 years as an athletic trainer at the school, and The State in Columbia published a story Friday by Greg Hadley featuring Cooper’s many years of service to the baseball and men’s soccer programs. The namesake grandson of a former Chattanooga News-Free Press editor and son of a local sailing legend is associate athletic trainer for the Gamecocks, and The State’s story includes high praise in tweets or statements from baseball coach Mark Kingston, athletic director and former baseball coach Roy Tanner and soccer coach Mark Bernson. Tanner called him “an icon in the world of sports medicine,” Bernson said that “every player or coach who has been in our program knows how much Brainard cares about them and their health,” and Kingston lauded Cooper’s “passion and unwavering concern for the best interests of our baseball players” and his help in “so many great moments in our history.” Cooper, who joined the Gamecocks after serving as a UTC trainer in the Joe Morrison football era, has two baseball national championship rings from his time in Columbia.
Soccer
* The UTC women’s soccer team beat host Troy on Sunday afternoon in Alabama, bouncing back from Friday’s blowout loss at South Alabama with its third 3-0 win of the season to improve to 3-1. Chloe Arnold struck first for the Mocs, getting her fifth goal of the season when she tapped in after a mishandled save on a shot by Catherine Meyer in the seventh minute. Masey Fox converted on Hollie Massey’s corner kick in the 45th minute, and Lauren Dluzewski finished the scoring in the 59th minute. Ashton Shields made two saves to earn the shutout in goal. UTC and Troy each took seven shots, but the Mocs had a 4-2 advantage on goal. Troy took eight corner kicks to four for the Mocs.
* Dalton State’s women opened their season Sunday with a 1-0 home win over Columbia (South Carolina) College at Lakeshore Park. Junior midfielder Andrea Lopez scored in the 22nd minute, with the former Southeast Whitfield High School player converting on an assist by junior wing Jackie Tapia, a Dalton High School alum. The Roadrunners outshot their visitors 6-5 overall – though the Koalas held a 4-3 advantage on goal – and took four corner kicks to Columbia’s two in a physical match that had 37 fouls called, with each team receiving one red card and a total of three yellow cards issued. Sydnee Newton made four saves to earn the shutout in goal.
Volleyball
* The first-year Chattanooga State volleyball team is 0-4 after its inaugural weekend in the Snead State Opener at Boaz, Alabama, having lost 3-0 to Gadsden State and to Snead and 3-1 to Bevill State in Saturday’s three matches. The set scores against Bevill were 23-25, 26-24, 28-26 and 25-19, and Sidney Killingsworth had 14 kills while Emily Redden and Dakota Rawiszer contributed 20 and 13 assists, Josie Jordan 14 digs and Kayla Wimpee seven kills for the Lady Tigers. Sakari Pack and Cayla Jacob each totaled five blocks. Redden had 10 assists against both Gadsden and Snead, and Killingsworth had seven kills and Wimpee had five blocks against Gadsden. Chattanooga State’s historic first home match is Tuesday at 6 p.m. against Hiwassee.