Sewanee cross country and track and field head coach Jeff Heitzenrater is giving up those positions after two decades to work in the school's admissions office, where he spent his first seven years at the school. The change officially will go into effect July 1. "Jeff has coached and mentored countless Sewanee track and cross country athletes," athletic director Mark Webb said in a school release Tuesday. "His influence is evident when former athletes beat a path to his office when they return to Sewanee. We all remain extremely grateful for his many contributions to the department of athletics." Heitzenrater, a former Duke runner, had 134 all-conference athletes and two who qualified for the national meet in track and 41 all-conference runners and eight national qualifiers in cross country. Thirty of his Tigers won individual league titles. Twenty of his men's teams and 19 women's earned all-academic recognition from the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, and three individuals were Academic All-Americans. Webb indicated that a national search for a new coach would begin immediately.
Football
* A challenging schedule awaits first-year University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football coach Rusty Wright, according to senior Football Championship Subdivision analyst Sam Herder, who wrote that the Mocs have the second strongest schedule in the FCS this coming season. The listing is based on the number of Top 25 opponents in the HERO Sports preseason poll, Football Bowl Subdivision opponents, games against 2018 playoff teams, noncounter games and the strength of the conference schedule. The Mocs have an FBS game at Tennessee on Sept. 14 and five games against top 25-ranked FCS teams: No. 1 James Madison, No. 6 Jacksonville State, No. 8 Wofford, No. 15 Furman and No. 25 The Citadel. "This is definitely an ambitious schedule for our first year," Wright said in a UTC release. "We want to play a strong nonconference schedule every year, and we certainly have that. This also shows the strength of the Southern Conference. It is going to be an exciting season, and I hope to see our fans respond by getting out to Finley Stadium." Herder has North Dakota with the No. 1 strength of schedule based on six Top 25 foes. According to Wright, UTC's schedule is tough from the start. "Our opener against Eastern Illinois is going to be a battle," he said of the Aug. 29 home game. "They are a very tough team and we can't forget about them.
Softball
* The Tennessee-Georgia All-Star softball doubleheader featuring 2019 area high school graduates from the two states is set to start at 6 this evening at Jim Frost Stadium after being pushed back from Tuesday because of weather concerns. Rain pelted the untarped field Tuesday morning, and forecasts of potentially more rain led officials to decide on the one-day postponement. The event begins at 4 p.m. with an 8-under girls' game between the Fury 2012 and the Arsenal. The all-star rosters include players from 14 Tennessee schools and 10 Georgia programs, coached by Chattanooga Christian's Lisa Gray and Heritage's Tanner Moore. Admission costs $8 for ages 13 and older, $4 for ages 6-12 and nothing for 5-under.
Golf
* Blairsville resident Beck Burnette shot a second-round 73 and slipped to a tie for 11th at 142 Tuesday in the Georgia Junior Championship golf tournament at Augusta Country Club. He's six shots behind the three leaders going into the final round. Tucker Windham of Fort Oglethorpe carded a 70 and moved up to a share of 69th place at 150, making the cut for today. Ainsley Cowart of Winston is at 138 and leads the Georgia Girls' Championship by five strokes in Greensboro, where Chatsworth's Tori Owens is tied for 16th at 153 after a 74. Calhoun's Ella Manley is tied for 37th at 168.