All-Americans Cody Cleveland (wrestling) and Park Lockrow (tennis), golf star Emma de Groot, former NFL running back Jerry Ellison and six-time Southern Conference women's basketball coach of the year Wes Moore comprise the 2019 class of inductees for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Athletics Hall of Fame, as announced Friday.
The five will be honored officially along with four special award winners at a March 1 banquet at the Chattanooga Golf and Country Club. It is open to the public but costs $50 and requires reservations through the office of development and alumni affairs at 423-425-4785. For information, email Jayne-Holder@utc.edu.
Soccer senior Masey Fox is getting the A.C. "Scrappy" Moore Award for excellence in the three C's of classroom, competition and community; Star Holdings CEO and UC Foundation trustee Charles Cofield the Gordon Davenport Award for outstanding support of UTC athletics; veteran NFL official Lee Dyer the Joe Morrison Award for notable achievement and life experiences for a former Mocs athlete or coach; and longtime local broadcaster and UTC basketball public-address announcer Scott McMahen the Harold Wilkes Award for leadership in a staff, administrative or volunteer role with the athletic department.
Moore, whose current North Carolina State team is 19-0 and ranked eighth in the nation, is the only coach to lead three schools to NCAA tournaments in all three divisions. In his 1999-2013 time at UTC, his teams won 12 SoCon regular-season championships and nine league tournaments and went 358-113. Ellison was the Mocs' leading rusher in 1992 and 1993, had two 200-yard rushing games - including the program's second-biggest at 231 and second-longest run at 95 - set the UTC record of three kickoff returns for touchdowns and played in 76 NFL games in five seasons with Tampa Bay and New England.
Lockrow was a top tennis player from 1973 to 1976 and was a Division II All-American as a senior, and he continued to shine locally as a coach. Cleveland won 75 matches as a Moc and three SoCon individual titles and was a 2008 All-American and the 2009 SoCon wrestler of the year. DeGroot was a four-time all-conference honoree and the 2008 freshman of the year and 2011 SoCon women's golfer of the year. She won six tournaments while at UTC.
Wrestling
» UTC's Fabian Gutierrez at 125 pounds and Chris Debien at 141 were listed 23rd and 33rd in their weight classes in the initial NCAA coaches' panel wrestling rankings for the 2018-19 season, released Thursday. Gutierrez is 16-4 this season, Debien 17-10. The Mocs host Davidson at noon Sunday in Maclellan Gymnasium.
Basketball
» A 30-2 run in the first half Friday night propelled the Covenant College men's basketball team to a 72-55 home win over Brevard and an 11-0 USA South record. Will Crumly led the Scots (12-6 overall) with 19 points and 10 rebounds and senior Bailey Spragg had seven assists and surpassed 1,000 collegiate points with 12. James Mitchell also scored 12, with four 3-point baskets, and Noah Oetjen had 11 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals.
» The Chattanooga State men are 11-8 overall and 5-5 in the TCCAA after defeating Columbia State men 63-54. Columbia State is not playing a women's schedule this season.
» Cleveland State's men won 69-58 after the women lost 66-62 in TCCAA games at home against Jackson State. Charisma Barner and Britnay Gore had 12 points apiece with eight and six rebounds in defeat for the Lady Cougars (5-12, 3-6), while Michaela Bennefield had 10 points and 10 rebounds and Jordan Smith had six assists. Delaino Walker led the Cougars (8-9, 5-5) with 22 points and 10 rebounds, and Jonathon King scored 13 points and matched Demonte Person with four assists. Maurice Dickson had 12 points and three steals.
» Jarret Gill was 12-of-14 from the field, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range, in providing 30 points and 10 rebounds as the Georgia Northwestern men won 98-83 over Crowley's Ridge of Arkansas in Welch College's Flames Invitational in Gallatin. Cole McKeehan scored 16 and J.T. Langford, Jeremy Wilson and Kannen Derryberry added 14, 12 and 10 for the Bobcats (4-11). Mark Chester had nine rebounds and six assists. Tori Harvey had 26 points and 12 rebounds as the Lady Bobcats (6-10) lost 79-68 to Crowley's. Abby Dalton, Gracen Hobbs and Mia Clark scored 13, 11 and 10 points; Jerrian and Jerriale Jackson had 12 and 11 rebounds.
Soccer
» Two-time Lee University All-American Ode Fulutudilu has become the first South African woman to sign with a top-flight soccer club in Spain. She has moved to the Malaga organization after scoring 15 goals in 23 matches for Oulu Nice last season in Finland's league. Now 28, Fulutudilu helped Lee win the 2010 and 2011 NAIA national championships and was an All-American in 2011 and 2012. She was on the South Africa team in the 2014 Nations Cup in Namibia and again in a friendly last October against Chile.