Chattanooga Jets' Wilbanks second in 100 nationals and more regional sports news

Assorted Sports Equipment on Black
Assorted Sports Equipment on Black

The Chattanooga Jets' Kedrick Wilbanks was the 100-meter runner-up with a time of 10.62 seconds in the Emerging Elite boys' division of the New Balance National Outdoor youth track and field meet this past weekend at Greensboro, N.C. That division consists mostly of rising high school juniors and seniors. Jets teammate Kimbra Dunning had the fourth best long jump (17 feet, 2 inches) in the freshman girls' division and was 23rd in the 100 and 35th in triple jump. McKenzie Ethridge competed in the Championship Division for 2016 graduates, most of them state champions, and was 21st in the 200 and 25th in the 100. All of the divisions have very high criteria for athletes to be included.

Softball

* Former Chattanooga State and University of Tennessee at Chattanooga assistant coach Lee Dobbins has been hired as the head softball coach at MidAmerica Nazarene University in Olathe, Kan. Dobbins, who grew up in the Chattanooga area, owns and directs Dobbins Softball Consulting & Development for camps and clinics, and in recent years he has been an assistant at Emory and Buffalo with a head coaching stint at Southern in between. He previously was a head coach at Lander (2005-06) and Texas A&M International (2007-08) and headed the 2006 Athletes International College Goodwill Team in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. He also has provided training in Argentina and Spain. "We are incredibly pleased that Lee has chosen to join our Pioneer family," athletic director Kevin Steele said in an MNU release. "Lee is well-known nationally and internationally as one of the finest minds and coaches in women's softball. He is passionate about serving the Lord and doing so through his role as coach/mentor." Dobbins thanked Steele and MNU president David Spittal for "this extraordinary opportunity and the faith they have put in me to lead their softball program and student-athletes. When I was exploring a possible return to collegiate coaching it was important to me to find a match both spiritually and personally along with the dynamic of a great institution and staff. I do not believe in coincidence, but I do believe in God's plan and knew he was guiding me toward MNU and the outstanding people here."

Golf

* Justin Kim of Rome shot an even-par 70 Tuesday and maintained a two-stroke lead after two rounds of the Georgia Junior Championship golf tournament at Athens Country Club. Dalton's Carter Pendley slipped to a tie for 26th at 148 with a 77, and Jake Allstun of Cohutta is tied for 35th at 150 after a 74. Dalton's Davis Kirk and Davis Smith also made the cut for today's final round, both at 155.

* Dalton's Carson Roberts, Chatsworth's Tori Owens and Ringgold's Miranda Rich are tied for 27th at 160 after two rounds of the Georgia Girls' Championship at the Plantation course at Reynolds Lake Oconee. Roberts and Rich each shot 79 on Tuesday, while Owens had an 82. Calhoun's Kate Mashburn is at 164. Defending champion Lauren Lightfritz of Suwanee, 2016 Georgia Women's Match Play champ Louise Yu of Duluth and Lizzie Reedy of Marietta share the lead at 145 going into the final round.

Volleyball

* Dalton State volleyball coach Bruna Langner has announced the team's 2016 schedule and is "super stoked" about it, she said in a school release. One reason is the addition of William Carey and Middle Georgia State to Southern States Athletic Conference volleyball competition. Another is the anticipation of 12 home matches, beginning with SSAC foes Bethel and Martin Methodist visiting on Sept. 15 and 17. The first official matches will be at Covenant on Aug. 27, followed by Keiser's tournament Sept. 2-3 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The Roadrunners will begin SSAC play Sept. 8 at Faulkner in Montgomery, Ala., and the next day at Brenau in Gainesville, Ga. They will have four consecutive home matches from Sept. 29 to Oct. 4 and five in a row Oct. 13-23. The SSAC tournament is set for Nov. 9-12 in Montgomery.

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