Lee University’s Caleb Morgan was voted by his counterparts both the men’s and women’s coach of the year for Gulf South Conference track and field after the Flames and Lady Flames won the league meet, and Lee juniors Christian Noble and Chloe Flora were GSC track athletes of the year. Flora shared the women’s honor with Chelsea Walker of Christian Brothers. Both Lee runners were the most outstanding track and overall athletes for their genders at the GSC meet, and each has a South Region-best time this season – Noble in the men’s 3000-meter steeplechase and Flora in the women’s 5000 run. Morgan is the first GSC track coach to earn both coaching honors the same year, but this is his third time for the women’s and second for the men’s. “This wouldn’t be possible without my assistant coaches,” the sixth-year coach said in a Lee release. “They do a terrific job working with our athletes on a day-to-day basis. Our athletes here at Lee are extremely driven. I am proud of the winning culture they have created. This would not be possible without their hard work and dedication to get better each day.”
Tennis
» In addition to joining her tennis teammates for NCAA tournament competition this weekend in Atlanta, Sewanee sophomore Catherine Owen will play in the national individual championships May 24-26 at Kalamazoo, Michigan. The 2019 Southern Athletic Association player of the year has a 25-11 singles record for her two years with the Tigers. The singles draw will be announced May 23. The team final round is set for May 20-22 at Kalamazoo. Sewanee’s women (17-8) play a second-round match Saturday at 10 a.m. at Emory (8:30 if they have to go indoors) against Washington & Lee (16-7), which won the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. The other three teams at the regional site – first-round opponents North Carolina Wesleyan (15-4) and Hanover (13-4) and host Emory (17-3) – also are conference champions. The Sewanee men (21-6) are scheduled to play Friday at 2 p.m. at Emory (2:30 if indoors) against N.C. Wesleyan (21-2) from the USA South, after W&L (15-7) challenges the 17-2 hosts. The men’s third-round matchup is set for 1 p.m. Saturday.
Baseball
» Bryan College, which finished second to Tennessee Wesleyan in the Appalachian Athletic Conference baseball regular season, will join second-ranked TWU and AAC tournament runner-up Union College in NAIA national play. Bryan (36-15) was one of 13 at-large teams chosen with 32 automatic qualifiers for the nine opening-round series starting Monday across the country, the winners of which will join Lewis-Clark State in the NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho. It runs May 24-31. Wesleyan (48-8) is the top seed at Kingsport, Tennessee, and plays the winner between Madonna of Michigan and Marian of Indiana. Webber International and Campbellsville will be the other teams there. Bryan is seeded third at Miami Gardens, Florida, and opens against William Jessup from California.
» Southeast Whitfield pitcher Javier Favela recently committed to continue his baseball career next school year at Cleveland State. “We are excited about Javey joining our program,” Cougars coach Mike Policastro said in a release. “He is a good player that has a tremendous upside. We are anxious to see him progress on the mound.”
Basketball
» Cleveland State men’s basketball coach Lee Cigliano has announced another addition to his 2019-20 roster: 6-foot-8 Jimmy Brown from Washington High School in Milwaukee. “Jimmy has been a starter on three teams that have qualified for the state tournament in Wisconsin,” Cigliano said in a release. “He should be an immediate contributor for us next year.”