Signal Mountain's Dustin Carpenter has been honored by the National Federation of State High School Associations as the 2018 Tennessee coach of the year for girls' cross country. A coach in Oregon was the NFHS national honoree. Carpenter, who also was the Times Free Press Best of Preps coach of the year, directed the Lady Eagles to their second consecutive state championship and fifth in six years, despite heavy graduation losses and having only one senior. Signal Mountain runners were second and third in the TSSAA Division I-Small meet in Nashville, and five others were 11th through 25th.
Wrestling
» Two-time Central High School state wrestling champion Johnny Bradford died last Saturday, the night before his 60th birthday, and a celebration of his life will be held this Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Brainerd Baptist BX, after visitation starting at 11 a.m. After winning his state titles in 1976 and 1977, Bradford went on to wrestle for Tennessee and placed in the Southeastern Conference and NCAA Eastern Regional tournaments. Also Saturday, a family and friends celebration of Bradford will be held at the Century Club Banquet Hall from 4:30 to 9 p.m. Flowers can be sent to 4124 Harbor Hills Road, Chattanooga, TN 37416.
» The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team will wrap up its 2018-19 home schedule Friday at 7 p.m. against The Citadel and Sunday at 2 against Southern Conference leader Campbell, both in Maclellan Gymnasium. Attendance Friday costs $1 (cash only), and Sunday is senior day with six departing Mocs to be honored. Campbell is 3-0 in SoCon duals, while UTC is 3-1 and The Citadel is 1-1.
Basketball
» The Bryan College women's basketball team moved up two places to No. 13 in the NAIA Division II poll Tuesday and won its 23rd consecutive game Wednesday, 95-63 at home against Brenau. That made the Lady Lions 24-1 overall and 22-0 in the Appalachian Athletic Conference. Shayla Ludy scored a career-high 29 points with 5-of-7 3-point shooting, and Deandra Luna and Destiny Kassner scored 14 and 10. Tristan McClellan had six assists.
» In a home AAC doubleheader against Bluefield, the Tennessee Wesleyan women won 63-60 in overtime for their eighth straight victory, but the TWU men lost for the 13th time in a row, 69-61. Hunter Simpson had 20 points and 11 rebounds and Hannah Cherry and Jacobi Lynn scored 13 and 10 points for the Lady Bulldogs (17-7, 15-7). The Bulldogs (8-16, 4-14) got 20 points and 14 rebounds from Ty Patterson, 11 points and five assists from Jalen Oliver and seven rebounds from Todd Lansden.
» The Covenant College women lost 81-77 at Maryville in a USA South battle of Lady Scots after cutting a 23-point deficit to two in the final minute. Senior Joanna Smith had 24 points and 14 rebounds for her 28th Covenant double-double, while Hannah Monday added 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting and Bekah Walter and Taylor Robinson scored 14 and 10. Kaley Hallmark had eight rebounds for Covenant (8-15, 6-9). Klaire Varney had 23 points, nine rebounds, six assists and five steals for Maryville (12-12, 10-5), and Libby Gardner scored 20 points.
» Georgia Northwestern's Bobcats avenged a 20-point Jan. 11 road loss with a 93-56 home rout of The Crown College on Tuesday, as Kannen Derryberry had 20 points and 10 rebounds, Jeremy Wilson 18 points, J.T. Langford 15 points and seven assists and Cole McKeehan 14 points. Jayce Harris had nine rebounds for GNTC (5-13).
Softball
» The Bryan softball team opened its season Wednesday with 20-0 and 1-0 losses at fifth-ranked Georgia Gwinnett, with Madison Owens pitching a three-hitter in the second defeat. Bryan had only one hit in game one but seven in the rematch, when Sydner Olander and Destiny McSwain each was 2-for-3.