Jerry Ellison of Philadelphia, Tenn., won the $3,000 top prize in the Super Pro drag races Saturday night at Brainerd Motorsports Park. He won with a 4.97-second run on a 4.96 dial in his new Race Tech dragster powered by a 640-cubic-inch big-block Chevrolet engine. Ron Lee of Ooltewah was second with a 4.96 run on a 4.92 dial in a 1927 Ford Roadster prepared by Marvin Crutcher. Also in the one-eighth-mile competition sanctioned by the Brainerd Optimist Club, Melvin Croft won the Foot Brake class with a 7.52 on a 7.51 in a 1983 Dodge Charger, and David Bigham was second with a 7.86 on a 7.90 in a 1969 Dodge Dart. The Junior Dragster class had 16 entries, and Brandon Jones of Rainsville, Ala., won with an 8.41 run on an 8.40 dial. Shelby Whittle of LaFayette and Chloe Wilson of Flintstone were second and third.
Softball
* Lee University announced Monday the addition of three softball outfielder recruits just before the 2017-18 school year begins: freshman Madison Davenport from Harrison High School in Kennesaw, Ga., and junior transfers Samantha Hill and Claudia Jones. Jones comes from the College of Central Florida, where she batted .375 with nine doubles in her sophomore season and received the school's James D. Harvey Award for athletic and academic excellence and high moral character. "I loved Coach (Emily) Russell when I met her, and the Christian atmosphere and beautiful campus were also great selling points," she said in a Lee release. Hill was a second-team all-state high school player in Missouri who hit .295 with three homers last season for Highland Community College. "On my visit I fell in love with the campus and the opportunities Lee offers," Hill said. Davenport batted .396 with two homers and 22 doubles as a Harrison senior and hit .484 with a .560 on-base percentage in summer ball. She called Lee "the full package," adding that "I will be close to home, playing softball, earning a degree and growing in my relationship with God." Russell's Lady Flames return seven starters from a team that reached the NCAA Division II South Super Regional and was No. 15 in the 2017 final rankings. "We are happy to add two more transfers and another freshman to the program," Russell said in the release. "Claudia and Madi add more depth from the left side of the plate. We've also increased our team speed with Sam and Claudia. We are strengthening our experience in the outfield with the addition of the transfers, and ... they are all excellent students."
Basketball
* Tevin Olison and Victor Curry prepared for their sophomore year as Cleveland State men's basketball players by participating in the recent Mullen Sports' Top 100 event in Wichita, Kan. It's by invitation for 100 outstanding junior college prospects for four-year schools, and according to a Cleveland State release there were 395 NCAA Division I and II coaches in attendance. The two Cougars each participated in three games in two days, and Ollison left the event with scholarship offers from Tennessee State and North Carolina A&T and interest also from Morehead State, Columbus State, Missouri State, UT-Martin and Presbyterian. He led the Cougars last season with 15.6 points a game and added 133 rebounds. Curry, who averaged 11.2 points and 9.5 rebounds, received offers from North Alabama and Chicago State and interest from TSU, Western Illinois, Portland State, New Mexico, Norfolk State, Southern Indiana and Sam Houston State. Olison's brother Jordan signed a letter of intent in early July with Martin Methodist.
Track & Field
* The Covenant College women and Sewanee women and men were honored last week by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association as NCAA Division III academic teams for 2016-17 indoor and outdoor track. The designation requires a minimum cumulative team grade point average of 3.1 on a 4.0 scale, and the Covenant Lady Scots compiled a 3.357. Sewanee had a men's GPA of 3.284 and a women's GPA of 3.267.