Interim commissioner Jay Gardiner has been hired as the full-time commissioner of the new Southern Athletic Association for NCAA Division III schools including Sewanee. He will be leaving his position as Oglethorpe University's athletic director at the end of this academic year. The new league, comprised of seven current Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference members plus Berry College and football-only additions Chicago and Washington (St. Louis), begins active competition in the 2012-13 school year. Oglethorpe president Lawrence M. Schall, convener of the Council of SAA Presidents, said Gardiner's "extensive background working in college athletics at all levels of the NCAA made him a natural choice. While I regret losing Jay as Oglethorpe's athletic director, I know from personal experience that he will provide the leadership we need for our new conference." Gardiner previously served as an athletic director at Division II Bellarmine and Division III St. Mary's in Maryland, where he coached men's basketball and women's tennis, and he spent nine years as an associate AD in NCAA Division I at Tulane and Miami (Ohio) before coming to Oglethorpe as AD in 2004. He is a 1979 graduate of McDaniel College and earned a master's degree from Bowie State in 1988.
Basketball
* BECKLEY, W.Va. -- The Lee University men's basketball team made a difficult trip pay off Tuesday night with an 89-82 at Mountain State, ranked 11th in NAIA Division I. Duran Blue and Ryan Westbrooks scored 18 and 15 points off the bench and starters Alex Wells and Tyrone Caldwell had 17 and 15 for the Flames (7-3), who outscored their hosts 52-37 with 64.5-percent shooting in the second half. Blue was 4-of-6 on 3-pointers and Wells and Caldwell each made three.
* CLEVELAND, Tenn. -- The Lee women's basketball team began the 2012 portion of its schedule with a 67-37 thumping of visiting Trevecca Nazarene on Tuesday. Angela Spann had 13 points and four steals and Madison Lee and Hollie German scored 11 and 10 points for the Lady Flames (12-1). Anna Mitchell had 19 points and eight rebounds but nine turnovers for Trevecca (4-8).
* DAYTON, Tenn. -- The Bryan College women's basketball team took first-place Montreat to the wire in an Appalachian Athletic Conference doubleheader Tuesday, but the 13th-ranked team in NAIA Division II won 75-72 before the Montreat men won 69-66. Morgan Burnette scored 24 points on 10-of-14 shooting and added 11 rebounds for Bryan's Lady Lions (10-4, 1-2), and Sara Barnett and Sarah Newton added 15 and 11 points, Newton with seven rebounds. Ashley Chavira had 18 points and seven rebounds for the Lady Cavaliers (10-2, 3-0). Mykiea Russell added 15 points, including two free throws with nine seconds left for the final margin. Labris Adams' 3-pointer with 1:22 left was the last score in the men's game, when Dustin Harris had 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Cavaliers (5-7, 1-1) and Lavonte Henderson and Tim Fortenberry scored 17 and 15 points for Bryan. Fortenberry was 5-of-9 on 3-point shots. Dion Fair had 11 points and five steals for the Lions (5-11, 0-2).
* ATHENS, Tenn. -- Tennessee Wesleyan clubbed AAC newcomer Point (formerly Atlanta Christian) in a basketball doubleheader Tuesday, 70-37 in the women's game and 97-66 in the men's. Heather Gibson led 13 scorers with nine points for the TWC women (8-5, 2-1), and Desmond Crisp and Quincy Scates were 11-of-14 and 10-of-14 from the field in scoring 23 and 22 for the Bulldogs (9-7, 3-0), who got seven assists and four steals from E'Jay Ward.