Area sports notes: David Cunningham wins nine wheelchair medals, five gold

Assorted Sports Equipment on Black
Assorted Sports Equipment on Black

David Cunningham of Wildwood, Georgia, tripled his haul of medals from last year's National Veterans Wheelchair Games with nine - five golds, three silvers and a bronze - in the 2018 competition this past week in Orlando, Florida. He had two golds, a silver and a fourth place in the H4 paraplegic category in the 2017 Games in Cincinnati. The U.S. Army veteran, who was hurt in a hang gliding accident six years ago, won the 100-, 200-, 400- and 800-meter races and the 800-meter biathlon in Orlando and was second in rowing, air pistol and air rifle. He was third in archery.

Swimming

* Friday in the USA Swimming Southern Zone Age Group Championships at Midland, Texas, Grayson Payne from McCallie/GPS Aquatics won the 15-18 girls' 100-meter backstroke in 1:04.16, and she and teammate Jilli Cantrell were part of a 200 medley relay victory for Southeastern Swimming. Also Friday, McCallie/GPS's Sam Powe and Ellie Taliaferro finished second in the 13-14 100 backstrokes and helped in runner-up 200 medley relays. Teammates Ethan Bevill and Max Ransom were in a second-place relay in the boys' 15-18 age group.

* Ellie Waldrep of the Baylor Swim Club won the girls' 100-meter backstroke in 1:03.15 Saturday in the USA Swimming Futures Championships in Cary, North Carolina, where teammate Cecilia Porter was fifth in the 200 backstroke and Addison Smith was seventh in the girls' 400 freestyle. Smith, who had two firsts and a second the previous two days, was third in Saturday's 200 butterfly preliminaries, but finals results were not available. The Baylor club is sixth out of 51 girls' teams with one more day to go.

Golf

* Jeff Greeson and Sport Allmond shot 66s Saturday to take a one-shot lead in the two-day Brainerd Invitational golf tournament, and Johnny Pierce matched that for a three-shot lead over Mitch Hufstetler and Scott Patton in the senior flight. The regular division is a battle with Mike Askew and Trent Mansfield tied for third at 67 and Chris Hall, Richard Keene and Matt Hadden at 68. Three others shot 69s, and five had 70s.

Fishing

* Grundy County's Grant Dees and Ben Freeman finished sixth Saturday in the Bassmaster high school national tournament out of Paris Landing State Park on Kentucky Lake. They began the day ninth out of the 12 finalists and added 10 pounds, 5 ounces for a three-day total of 35-7. Grayson Morris and Tucker Smith from Briarwood Christian School in Alabama won by more than 9 pounds with 50-2, capped by 18-9 on Saturday. Second-day leaders Spencer Childers and Owen Moss from Pickens High in Georgia finished fifth at 36-8.

Soccer

* The Sewanee men's soccer team begins its season with games in Virginia on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1, at Eastern Mennonite and Bridgewater, but the Sewanee women open at home those same two days against Meredith and Huntingdon, starting at 4:30 and 5:30 p.m. EDT. The men's home opener is Sept. 4 at 8 p.m. EDT against Covenant, and a game against Huntingdon a week later at the same time ends their home schedule for September. Coach Tony Pacella's Tigers begin Southern Athletic Association play at Berry on Sept. 21. Their later home matches are Oct. 2 against Mississippi University for Women, Oct. 12 against Birmingham-Southern, Oct. 14 against Millsaps, Oct. 16 against Piedmont and Oct. 20 against Centre. Except for not playing Piedmont, Patrick Johnston's Sewanee women have the same October schedule as the men, after hosting Thomas More on Sept. 15, Lynchburg on Sept. 16 and Wesleyan (Georgia) on Sept. 26. They play at Covenant on Sept. 12 and at Berry on Sept. 21.

General

* The Chattanooga Quarterback Club has decided to meet only once a month instead of weekly during the 2018-19 school year, beginning Sept. 10 with University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football coach Tom Arth as the guest speaker. The gatherings still will be luncheon meetings on Mondays at noon in the Stadium Club at Finley Stadium, but only the second Monday of each month. Dates after the first one are Oct. 8, Nov. 12, Dec. 10, Jan. 14, Feb. 11, March 11, April 8 and May 13. In the hope of increasing attendance, club officials polled the members about their ideas for frequency of the meetings, preferred days of the week and whether to keep them at lunchtime or move them to evenings. Stadium staff and UTC administrators were consulted as well, according to a recent announcement from president Marshall Harvey. Annual membership costs $35, and checks plus name, address, phone numbers and email address may be mailed to Chattanooga Quarterback Club, P.O. Box 4224, Chattanooga, TN 37405.

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