Dalton State College golfer Sport Allmond from Heritage High School has been selected as this year's male A.O. Duer Scholarship Award winner for the Southern States Athletic Conference, in tribute to his athletic success, academic achievement (minimum grade point average of 3.75 on a 4.0 scale), citizenship and character. Winners must be at least juniors academically. The overall NAIA male and female recipients will be announced in September. Allmond has a 3.76 GPA and was an all-conference and SSAC all-tournament player this past season. "Sport has been an incredibly successful golfer during his time at Dalton State College. In addition to their success on the course, the golf team has always been firmly dedicated to service in the local community," faculty athletics representative Kimberly Hays said in a DSC release. "He also continually shows high academic achievement in a rigorous Management Information Systems program." Said coach Ben Rickett: "Sport has always worked extremely hard at everything that he has done, but that doesn't guarantee being successful. This showed his character at the end of his sophomore year where he didn't make the team for the national championship and the first thing that he asked was could he come along and support the team."
» Qualifying began Wednesday for the 2019 Tennessee Match Play golf tournament at Oak Ridge Country Club, and Nolan Ray of Brentwood led by one with an 8-under-par 64. Former Baylor School standout Chase Roswall from Bristol tied for fourth place at 66, Tullahoma's Jack Uselton tied for sixth at 67 and Athens' Tanner Harris shared ninth at 68. Defending champion Oliver Simonsen from Ooltewah and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga tied for 21st at 70, and UTC teammate Alex Cobb of Brentwood shot 75. Chattanooga's Hayden Hunneke and Ringgold's Ben Rebne were in a group tied for 32nd at 71, and Sewanee's Tommy Oliver was among those tied for 40th at even-par 72. The low 16 after today's stroke-play round will advance to match play Friday.
Tennis
» In the Chattanooga City Championship tennis tournament at Manker Patten, Lucas Plesky is the No. 1 seed for the men's open singles division that begins at 4:30 p.m. Friday. Turner Voges, Ned Caswell and Francisco Gallardo are the Nos. 2, 3 and 4 seeds in the 16-man bracket.