Jason Smith of 12th-ranked and 28-1 Bryan College was voted the Appalachian Athletic Conference women's basketball coach of the year, and the Lady Lions' To'Nesha Allison is the defensive player of the year. She has 36 steals and 18 blocked shots this season and averages 6.9 rebounds a game. Bryan's Karli Combs and Deandra Luna, Tennessee Wesleyan's Hunter Simpson and Reinhardt's Jada Hubbard from Heritage High School are among the All-AAC first-teamers, and the second team includes Allison and TWU's Jacobi Lynn. Bryan's Tesa Johnson and Destiny Kassner made the all-freshman team. Wesleyan's Ty Patterson is the men's freshman of the year and on the All-AAC second team, while Bryan's EJ Bush is first-team all-conference and all-defensive. The Lions' Brandon Thomas is in the all-freshman group. The Champions of Character choices include Bryan's Amber Levi and Austin Douglas and TWU's Hannah Troutt and Parker Morgan.
» Covenant College's Neal Young and Will Crumly are the coach of the year and player of the year in USA South men's basketball, and the Scots' Bailey Spragg joined Crumly on the five-man all-conference first team. Junior William Bryan represented Covenant on the all-sportsmanship team. Young is 36-18 overall and 26-8 in USAS play in two seasons at the Lookout Mountain school, and the Scots are 18-8 this year with a 16-2 league record that earned them the West Division championship - the program's second regular-season title ever and first in 55 years. They are hosting the league tournament semifinals Friday (Covenant faces Methodist at 7 p.m.) and final on Saturday. Sophomore forward Crumly is second in the USAS with 22.5 points and 8.7 rebounds a game and has a .602 shooting percentage and 10 double-doubles. Going back to last season, he has scored in double figures in 28 consecutive games. Senior point guard Spragg is averaging 14 points and a league-high seven assists a game, with 12 assists in one game.
» Georgia Northwestern pulled off its first doubleheader sweep of its last basketball season Tuesday on the last evening of the regular season. In home games at the Rossville Athletic Center, the Lady Bobcats (9-12) defeated Dalton State's club team 52-41 and the Bobcats (6-17) avenged a 112-89 road loss on Jan. 31 with an 81-71 victory over the Hiwassee junior varsity. Abby Dalton scored 16 points and Gracen Hobbs and Mia Clark added 12 and 10 for the GNTC women, Hobbs with four 3-point baskets, and Tori Harvey contributed 12 rebounds and five assists. Ashlyn Clements scored 12 points for Dalton State. For the GNTC men, Cole McKeehan hit six 3s for 18 points, and Jeremy Wilson, Jayce Harris and Mark Chester scored 15, 13 and 12. Kannen Derryberry and Harris grabbed 16 and 10 rebounds, and J.T. Langford added seven plus six assists. Hiwassee's Jay Strayhorn had 19 points.
Softball
» The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga softball program has canceled this weekend's Frost Classic at Warner Park because of the rainy weather. The tournament will not be rescheduled, but UTC has replaced it with a three-game series Sunday and Monday against Eastern Kentucky. A Sunday doubleheader at Frost Stadium is set to begin at 1:30 p.m.; Monday's game will start at noon.
Tennis
» Lee University junior Antonio Pons was selected the Gulf South Conference men's tennis player of the week, and the Lady Flames' Micaela Belen Maiz repeated as women's freshman of the week. Pons went 3-0 in both singles and doubles (with Daniel Prata), and that included the Division II Flames' only wins against Division I member UTC. Belen Maiz won 6-3, 6-2 and 6-1, 6-3 in singles and also was 2-0 at No. 1 doubles with Asia Grzegrzolka.
Boxing
» The Red Bank Boxing Club is hosting another warm-up tournament this Saturday at the Luken Sports Facility, beginning at 4 p.m. As of Wednesday evening, there were 23 bouts scheduled with fighters from Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina. Admission costs $7 for adults, $3 for students and nothing for ages 12 and younger. For more information call Skipper Fairbanks at 877-4113.