Dayton's Morgan 3rd in FLW event

Friday, January 1, 1904

Andy Morgan from Dayton, Tenn., wound up third and earned $30,000 in the Walmart FLW Tour bass tournament this past weekend on Lewis Smith Lake in Alabama. Morgan moved up from 19th after two days to seventh Saturday and ended with a four-day total of 50 pounds, 8 ounces. Brent Ehrler of Redlands, Calif. won with 60-9 and received $125,000, and Jacob Powroznik of Prince Ga., Va., got $35,000 for his 53-5. Michael Neal of Dayton and Wesley Strader of Spring City finished 24th and 50th with their 22-3 and 19-9 totals for two days on the lake. Richard Peek of Centre, Ala., was 17th among the co-anglers with 16-12.

Golf

• The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's golf team is seventh after the first round of Auburn's Tiger Invitational tournament at the Grand National Golf Club at Opelika, Ala. The Mocs shot 298, two shots behind sixth-place Memphis and eight behind leader East Carolina in the 15-team event. Rain pushed the second round to today with the third round. UTC's Chris Robb is tied for sixth individually at 72, and Benny Weilguni shares 13th at 73 with Davis Bunn at 76 and Steven Fox at 77.

• The Lee University men's golf team is in sixth place after Monday's two rounds in the Sand Shark Classic hosted by USC-Beaufort at Bluffton, S.C. The host Sand Sharks shot 588 (297-291), while Lee shot 608 (309-299). The Flames' Hunter Vest is tied for eighth individually at 149 after a second-round 72, and teammates Matt Emery, Peyton Sliger and Taylor Davis are at 152, 154 and 155.

Auto Racing

• Reigning Southern All-Stars champion Randy Weaver of Crossville won the season-opening Shamrock race for Super Late Model cars Saturday night at Cleveland Speedway. Mike Marlar of Winfield, Tenn., was second, and Billy Ogle Jr. of Knoxville, Dale McDowell of Chickamauga, David Payne of Murphy, N.C., and Ray Cook of Brasstown, N.C., completed the top six. McDowell led the first 14 laps, Ogle led laps 15-28 and Weaver led from there.

• Chattanooga auto mechanic and 25-year strip veteran Melvin Croft won the Foot Brake class as the Brainerd Optimist Drag Strip opened 2013 competition Saturday, and Michael Garner was second with Bradley Smith third and Charles McRae fourth. Devin Holloway won the Super Pro top prize in a 1963 Chevy II with Chuck Oren second in a '68 Corvette; Lance Ritter and Roger Wigley were third and fourth. Allen Holt was first and Cameron Cooley second in the motorcycle class, and Mila Walters was the Junior Dragster winner with Brady Kittle second. The strip plans a $5,000 4:70 Heads-up race for this Saturday.

Basketball

• Tennessee Temple University is the seventh seed and plays defending champion Cedarville in the final game of the opening day of the National Christian College Athletic Association Division I men's basketball tournament at Winona Lake, Ind. Temple's Crusaders, 22-11 with 13 wins in a row, are scheduled to play at 9:15 p.m. Wednesday.

• In addition to previously announced player of the year Nick Ross of Chattanooga State, the All-TCCAA men's basketball first team included Ralph Eason and Travis Jones from Cleveland Stae and Perrin Buford, Sean Gardner, Chris Hawkins and D.J. Jones from region champion Motlow. Cleveland State's Trey Suttles and Motlow's JC Bonny made the second team, and Motlow's Jerry Nichols was coach of the year. The women's first team included Khamiyah Crawford and Sierra Sales of Chattanooga State, and teammate Stevonna Scott made the second team along with Cleveland State's Robyn Anthony and Chelsea Jones.

Soccer

• Abby Horton of state runner-up GPS has committed to play soccer at local NCAA Division III power Covenant College, and her Bruisers teammates and others joined her Monday morning to celebrate. "It is pretty much a dream for me to go there," Horton said, "to continue my spiritual growth and be involved with a wonderful team and coaches." She described the Lady Scots who play for Mark Duble and longtime assistant Gene Ezell as "really close-knit" and "encouraging." GPS coach Leland Strang said Horton would fit right in. "They're lucky to have her -- as a person and a player," Strang said. "She played central defender for us this year and was a captain of our team, and she's just a great leader. She's very coachable and very selfless, a true team player. And she has a good aerial game. She's strong in the air."

Softball

• Jessica Gooden, whose father grew up in Chattanooga and whose grandfather and other relatives still live in the area, is a freshman starting at second base on the Ohio Wesleyan softball team that began its season with two victories Monday in Fort Myers, Fla. She was 1-for-2 and scored a run in the Battling Bishops' 8-3 defeat of Rockford.