University of Tennessee at Chattanooga senior Steven Fox was named Wednesday the Southern Conference men's golfer of the week and is playing today at the Golf Club of Georgia in Atlanta against reigning British Amateur champion Alan Dunbar in the Georgia Cup, an 18-hole charity event. Fox won the 2012 U.S. Amateur. Their match starts at 1:05 p.m. The SoCon honor was for Fox's runner-up 208 for 54 holes in a tournament hosted Monday and Tuesday by Ole Miss.
Basketball
• Tami Smialek has resigned as Covenant College women's basketball coach to work for the Ridge Haven Conference and Retreat Center in Brevard, N.C., school vice president Brad Voyles announced Wednesday. Smialek is a former Covenant star player who had three stints totaling 20 years as Lady Scots coach, winding up with a 292-320 record after a 13-11 season this past year. She took them to their first NAIA Division II national tournament in 1997. Working 29 years for the school in a variety of teaching, coaching and administrative roles, she recently ended four years as athletic director, covering the school's transition from the NAIA to NCAA Division III. New AD Kyle Taylor said she had done "a fantastic job" in that regard. "Tami poured her heart and soul into the work before her and demonstrated time and again her love for and dedication to Covenant College," Voyles said in a school release.
Baseball
• Tennessee Wesleyan's Corey Rhoney was the Appalachian Athletic Conference baseball pitcher of the week and Bryan's Tyler Latham was the player of the week for games of March 25-30. Rhoney's four-hit shutout against ranked Cumberland earned him an AAC honor for the third time this season; he is 5-0 with a 3.14 earned run average and leads the league with 8.51 strikeouts per nine innings. Latham went into Wednesday's doubleheader against Oakwood with the AAC's top batting average of .422, along with five homers, 15 doubles and 34 RBIs. He hit .429 with a walk-off grand slam and another RBI for the Lions last week. They beat Oakwood 21-0 and 19-0 in two five-inning games as Tyler Lantham had a home run and six RBIs in the first game, while Tyler Carol was 3-for-3 with three RBIs and four runs scored. In the second game, Hunter Tipton went 3-for-4 with four RBIs, and Grant Zawadzki and Gatlin Curlee each knocked in three runs. John Cain and Brannon Shortt picked up the pitching victories for Bryan. Defending NAIA champion Wesleyan, ranked 10th this week, split a double header Wednesday at Georgetown (Ky.)losing 5-4 in the first game and winning the second game 3-2.
• The Tennessee Temple baseball team split on Wednesday at Virginia Intermont, losing 14-4 and winning 1-0. Dylan Massengill pitched all eight innings in the second game. He gave up six hits, walked two, struck out five and picked the potential tying runner off first base to end the game. Temple (15-12) had scored in the top of the eighth on a single by Sean Leitstein, who was 2-for-3. Caden Shadrick had singled and advanced to third on an errant pickoff throw. Brandon Blome was 2-for-3 with an RBI in the Crusaders' loss.
Softball
• The Lee University softball team, ranked fourth in the NAIA, beat Coastal Georgia 5-1 and 11-3 in Southern States games Wednesday in Cleveland. Charlie Wooden homered, doubled and had four RBIs in the second game for Lee (28-5, 13-2 SSAC) after hitting a double and single and scoring twice in the opener. Laurel Allen and Amanda Lynn each had five hits on the day for the Lady Flames. Dominique Hannah had a 4-for-4 effort in the nightcap with a double and two RBIs. Ana Coscorrosa had two singles and drove in a run in the first game. Caroline MacAusland earned the first pitching victory, allowing five hits and one walk while striking out five. Katie Deems was the winning pitcher in the second game, pitching five innings and giving up eight hits and one earned run.
• Former GPS standout Tory Lewis went 2-for-2 with a walk and a run scored in fifth-ranked Tennessee's 19-1 softball win over Tennessee State on Tuesday, and another ex-Bruiser, Whitney Hammond, replaced her in center field and also scored a run.
Football
• Former football players (1989-2012) from Soddy-Daisy and Red Bank high schools will play a full-contact alumni game Saturday at 7 p.m. at Red Bank. Tickets cost $10 with ages 6-under free. Half of the pre-sale proceeds plus concessions will go to benefit the schools. Call Shannon at 595-2588 for tickets.