Local golfer Gibby Gilbert III made sure of his full exemption for 2019 on the PGA Tour Champions circuit by winning the tour's qualifying tournament Friday with a 70-foot birdie putt on the final hole at TPC Tampa Bay in Lutz, Florida. According to a GolfDigest.com story, Gilbert began the final round tied for 14th but shot a 6-under-par 65 for a 72-hole 280 and a one-shot victory. He had five birdies on the back nine. The top five get full exemptions for the next season on the 50-and-older tour, and Gilbert, 53, had finished seventh, sixth and seventh in the qualifying events the past three years. His father won six tournaments on the senior tour after three victories on the regular PGA Tour.
Tennis
* Chattanooga's Wesley Cash and doubles partner Mark Vines of Naples, Florida, added to their big collection of national-level age-group championships with a 6-4, 1-6 (10-6) win Saturday over Bruce Nichols of Phoenix and Ross Persons of Houston in the Crabel Capital Men's 60 Masters Invitational at Mission Hills final in Palm Springs, California. Cash and Vines had beat Nichols and Persons 7-6, 6-1 in round-robin play.
Running
* Christian Noble was 18th out of 261 runners as the Lee University men finished 23rd among 34 teams in the NCAA Division II cross country meet Saturday in Pittsburgh, and the Lady Flames were 29th out of 34. Grand Valley State of Michigan won both races. Noble's time in the 10-kilometer race was 32 minutes, 54.6 seconds. Lee's Amy Carpenter was 67th in the 6k.
* Even with its top distance runners in Pittsburgh for the cross country nationals, Lee had an impressive showing at the BSC Indoor Icebreaker track and field meet Friday in Birmingham, Alabama. The Brooks brothers combined for five national provisional times or distances - three by Josiah, who set Lee records in the 60- and 200-meter dashes (6.76 and 21.42) and won the 200 and triple jump (15.19 meters). Justin Brooks was second to his twin in the 200 and won the 400 in 47.63, and Gari Garmendia set a Flames standard with his fifth-place 14.46-meter shot put. The Lady Flames' Hannah Buttolph was fourth in the women's high jump.
Basketball
* Lee's scheduled Gulf South Conference basketball games Saturday at Shorter were postponed.
* Will Crumly had 22 points and eight rebounds, and Bailey Spragg contributed 17 points, seven assists and five steals as Covenant beat Huntingdon 84-78 in USA South play. Mitchell Hollis and Gage Henry added 15 and 11 points for the Scots (3-3, 3-0). Huntingdon (6-1, 2-0) won the women's game 75-58, but Joanna Smith scored a game-high 24 points for Covenant (1-5, 0-2), and Kaley Hallmark had seven steals with 10 points.
* Sewanee's teams lost at Centre in Southern Athletic Association openers Saturday, 53-49 in the women's game and 80-71 in overtime in the men's, ending the 7-1 Tigers' program-best season start. Luke Smith scored 27 points with five 3s in defeat, and Matt Lee had 11 points and eight rebounds. Centre's men are 6-0. Ellie Treanton scored 15 points and Sue Kim and Lakeisha Phillips added 11 and 10 for the Sewanee women (5-5).
* Bryan College won its Appalachian Athletic Conference games at Columbia International, 89-59 for the Lady Lions and 81-71 for the Lions (6-5, 4-3), who got 18 and 14 points and seven rebounds apiece from E.J. Bush and Brandon Thomas, 16 points and four steals from Isaiah McClain and 15 points from Justin Warner. Amber Levi and Karli Combs scored 17 and 15 points with five 3s each for the Lady Lions (8-1, 7-0), and Deandra Luna had 10 assists and seven rebounds.
* Tennessee Wesleyan University split its AAC home doubleheader against St. Andrews, losing 72-65 in the women's game but winning 79-62 in the men's. Q.D. Cox was 5-of-7 on 3s in leading the Bulldogs (6-3, 2-2) with 15 points, while Ty Patterson had 14 points and seven rebounds, Parker Morgan 13 points, Jalen Oliver 10 points and Djimon Wilson seven assists with nine points. The women were tied at the end of each quarter except the fourth. TWU (4-4, 2-4) got 16 points from Hannah Cherry and 14 plus nine rebounds, four steals and four assists from Hunter Simpson.
* Cleveland State's men won 75-53 Friday at Jackson State for their first TCCAA win. John King scored 23 points and Delaine Walker had 18 for the Cougars (3-6, 1-2).
* Georgia Northwestern Technical College's Bobcats surged from an 11-point deficit and edged Southern States Community College of Ohio 68-64 behind 19 points and seven rebounds from Jeremy Wilson and 14 points from Jayce Harris. J.T. Langford had 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists for GNTC (2-3).