Area sports notes: Brian Emerson follows Mick Hedgepeth as Sewanee coach

Assorted Sports Equipment on Black
Assorted Sports Equipment on Black

Mick Hedgepeth has resigned as men's basketball coach at Sewanee to return to his NCAA Division I alma mater, Belmont, and assistant coach Brian Emerson has been promoted to succeed him. Both moves were included in an announcement Tuesday by athletic director Mark Webb. Hedgepeth, who will be the director of basketball operations for new Belmont coach Casey Alexander, compiled a two-year 36-18 record at Sewanee and this past season directed the Tigers to the program's first conference tournament championship and national tourney appearance in more than two decades.

"I am truly grateful for Mick's leadership of our men's basketball program," Webb said in the release. "I certainly understand his desire to return to his alma mater, and he goes with our deepest appreciation and our very best wishes. While Brian has capably served as an assistant coach for the past two seasons, he has played much more than a supporting role. He has been instrumental in our team's recent success that led to an NCAA tournament appearance and acquired exceptional playing and coaching experiences at Williams College, MIT and Sewanee. I am highly confident that our basketball program will continue to thrive under Brian's leadership."

Hedgepeth said he has "grown so much as a coach and a person, largely due to being surrounded by so many good people. The Sewanee community is truly special," and added, "As excited as I am to be returning to my alma mater, it is very difficult to leave the outstanding young men in this program. I love these players and would not be in this position if it were not for them. I am incredibly proud of what we have been able to build and accomplish as a team. The 2018-19 season was extraordinary and has given me memories I will cherish for a lifetime."

Baseball

* Belmont senior outfielder Hunter Holland from Soddy-Daisy was selected the Ohio Valley Conference baseball player of the week for his 6-for-15 batting (.400) with 13 runs batted in and five scored in four games. All six hits were for extra bases - three home runs, a triple and two doubles - and he stole two bases. He had two homers and six RBIs in Sunday's 9-5 win over Tennessee Tech that put Belmont in a tie for first place.

* Bryan College junior right-hander Joseph Cuomo was the Appalachian Athletic Conference pitcher of the week for the second time in 2019 after allowing seven hits and one run and striking out 13 in two appearances totaling eight innings. The Lions (35-13) are seeded second in the AAC tournament in Kingsport and play Milligan (20-24) there Wednesday at 4 p.m. Top seed Tennessee Wesleyan (44-8) takes on Bluefield (23-23) at 7. TWU is in pool A, Bryan in pool B. The winners of the double-elimination pools will meet in a one-game final.

Track & Field

* Sewanee junior Ash Midyett won the men's 800-meter run at the Southern Athletic Association track and field meet for the second time in three years last weekend, this time in a personal-best 1:55.40. Also for the Tigers, Clay McKnight was second in the women's 5000 and seventh in the 1500, Kelsie Schiavone was third in the 400 after setting a program record of 58.08 in the preliminaries, Meredith Stuber was fourth in the 100 hurdles and sixth in the 200, Letherio Jones and Ford McGovern were fourth and seventh in the men's 400 and Miles Martin was seventh in both the 110 hurdles and the 400 hurdles. McGovern, Midyett, Erbie Jennings and Jones were second in the 4x400 relay.

Golf

* Former University of Tennessee at Chattanooga golfer Matthew Brock, now the head professional at Spring Creek Ranch in Collierville, is tied for 20th at 217 going into the final round of the 2019 PGA Professional Championship at Belfair in Bluffton, South Carolina. He shot a 75 Tuesday. The top 20 finishers get spots in the PGA Championship major tournament in two weeks. The co-leaders are at 208, five shots ahead of the next two.

Volleyball

* Delaney Bridges from Gordon Lee High School and DaMonique Givens from Hardin Valley in Knoxville recently signed to continue their volleyball careers at Chattanooga State. Bridges was the Georgia Region 6-A player of the year and an all-state and Best of Preps selection for a 175-kill senior season at middle blocker, and she has a 4.0 grade point average. She has played for the Anthem United club organization. Givens has played for Club Unite as well as Hardin Valley and has experience playing in nationals and winning multiple tournaments across the South, according to Chattanooga State's announcement. She has a background in art, music and drama and plans to study studio art.

Diving

* The Baylor Diving Club's Sarah Griffith was third in the 3-meter event and fourth in the 1-meter in the 11-under girls' age group at the USA Diving Junior Olympic Regional Championships this past weekend at Tallahassee, Florida. The Red Bank Elementary fourth-grader qualified for the zone meet June 14-18 at Georgia Tech.

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