Lee University's deep run toward the 2018 NCAA Division II women's soccer championship ended Thursday night in Pittsburgh with a 3-0 loss to top-ranked Grand Valley State in the national semifinals. The Michigan school takes a 25-0-1 record into the championship match Saturday. Lee's Lady Flames (17-7-1) had ended the undefeated status of No. 2 West Florida and No. 3 Columbus State on the way to the final four but couldn't pull off the trifecta despite eight saves Thursday by Taylor Green. Grand Valley State led 20-8 in shots and 11-4 in attempts on goal and one score each by three players.
* The Lady Flames' 2019 recruiting class includes Chattanooga Christian School all-state defender Kate Dirkse among three November signees. The others are Anderson County goalkeeper Mollie Wheeler and forward Mallory Hayden from Cape Coral, Florida. Hayden led her high school team to the state final four the past two years and has 120 goals and 90 assists in her career there, and she helped her club team win three Disney Showcase Tournament championships and represented Florida in the SRPL League. Wheeler's club team won the 2017 Disney Showcase, and for Anderson County she is the reigning district and region goalkeeper of the year. "Mollie is a great pickup for us. As a keeper she commands her box well and has a lot of presence," coach Chris Hennessey said in a Lee release. Hayden "can play in numerous positions and will provide the team with a lot of flexibility," he noted. "She is very good on the ball and has an eye for the final pass." Dirkse is a three-time state finalist and a three-time all-state selection with CCS, and she has a 4.0 GPA. "Kate is an exceptional defender who has all the attributes to be very successful during her career at Lee," Hennessey said. "She is strong, athletic, good in the air and has grit about her."
Golf
* Lee won out over NCAA Division I golf programs in recruiting Beck Burnette of Blairsville, Georgia, who was his state's junior player of the year in 2017 and excelled again this year. "This is a great day for the Lee golf program," Flames coach John Maupin said this week in announcing the signing of his "top target" for the 2019 class. "I was really considering D-I schools, but Coach Maupin and Lee University really made me feel at home as soon as I stepped on campus," the home-schooled Burnette said in the release. "I think the team chemistry here is excellent, making the program a perfect fit for me. Seeing how competitive Lee is in D-II was more important to me than playing D-I. As far as the school goes, Lee has a lot to offer spiritually and academically and will prepare me for the future."
Tennis
* Manker Patten teaching pro Wesley Cash and doubles partner Mark Vines of Naples, Florida, won 6-2, 6-1 over Peter Markes of Austin, Texas, and Tom Lucci of Cleveland, Ohio, in the semifinals Thursday of the Crabel Capital Men's 60 Masters Invitational at Mission Hills in Palm Springs, California. That guarantees Vines and Cash the year-end No. 1 national ranking for their age group, regardless of what they do in Saturday's final.
* University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women's tennis coach Chad Camper has added Grace Anne Dunavant from Hutchison School in Memphis to his two previous November signees for 2019. TennesseeRecruiting.net ranks Dunavant the No. 3 senior prospect in Tennessee and No. 81 in the Southeast, according to a UTC release Thursday, and she has won 22 USTA junior tournaments and is 91-10 in singles and 83-11 in doubles for Hutchison. "Grace Anne is a very hard worker on and off the court," Camper said in the release. "She is a student of the game, and her best tennis lies ahead of her."
Basketball
* The Lee University women's basketball team opened Gulf South Conference play with a 61-31 romp Thursday night at Auburn-Montgomery. Fifteen Lady Flames got in the game, and Haley Schubert led them with 25 minutes played, 12 points and four assists. Abby Bertram and Taylor Boggess scored 11 and 10 points for Lee (5-1), and Becca Cheeks grasped seven rebounds in 11 minutes. Lee (2-5, 1-0) also won the men's game, 74-56, as Cody Jones scored 27 points, Ryan Montgomery and Colton Blevins added 16 and 12 and Parker Suedekum had 10 assists.
* Despite 31 points and seven rebounds from Elijah Staley, Dalton State College lost its Southern States Athletic Conference opener Thursday night at Stillman, 111-99. Londell King had 26 points and 10 rebounds and two other players scored 20 and 19 points for the 7-0 Tuscaloosa team. Randy Bell and D'Anfernee Pugh scored 15 and 14 for DSC (3-4), and Kingston Frazier had 11 points with nine rebounds while Sean Cranney had 10 points and six assists.