Champions Club hosting big local, state junior events and other sports news

Monday, July 21, 2014

Arkansas-SEMO Live Blog

• After hosting the international championship tournaments for hearing-impaired tennis players this past week, Chattanooga's Champions Club will be the scene for local and state tennis competition this week. About 50 boys and girls will be playing at the complex in the Chattanooga Junior City Closed Tournament running Monday through Wednesday, and then Champions will be the main venue for the Junior Team Tennis State Championship scheduled for Friday through next Sunday. That one will include more than 600 players and will use courts also at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, McCallie School and Girls Preparatory School.

Diving

• Three members of the Baylor Diving Club have qualified to take part in the 2014 AAU National Diving Championships this week at Georgia Tech: Natalie Smallen and Kilie Wilson in the girls' 1- and 3-meter competition and Josh Elliott in the boys' 1-meter. All three will compete Tuesday, and Smallen and Wilson will dive again Wednesday morning. Wilson finished first and Smallen was second in the 16-18 girls' Junior Olympic division of the second annual Chattanooga Diving League Championships at the Baylor School natatorium. Wilson had 186.25 points to Smallen's 167.90, and Elliott with 152.85 was second to Signal Mountain's Alex Grey's 205.45 in 16-18 boys' JO. The leaders in other divisions were Dalton's Tyler Mathis (131.10) and Stuart Heights' Hugh Steel (96.20) in 14-15 boys; Stuart Heights' Megan Burnette (135.50), Signal's Grace Hogue (103.00) and Stuart Heights' Sofia DeCredico (90.85) in 12-13 girls; Cumberland's Jackson Ricketts (111.05), Dalton's Bretlin Barnett (104.25) and Baylor's Alex Coussoule (103.45) in 12-13 boys and Baylor's Haley Rice (100.35) and Anastasia Fisher (95.20) in 10-11 girls. Eric Harrington from Cumberland won the masters 19-up division with 223.15 points, followed by Dalton's Billy Mathis with 184.55, and CYF's Sherry Harrington was the women's masters winner with 142.55. Olympic Rings winners were Baylor's Ellie Smith (10-11 girls) and Brock Smallen (8-9 boys) and Stuart Heights' Joe Warren (10-11 boys), Violet DeCredico (8-9 girls) and Alyssa Carlton (7-under).

Softball

• Recent North Jackson High School graduate Sidney Abbott signed papers Friday afternoon to continue her softball career at Cleveland State Community College. Abbott, who played mainly second base and also third and some outfield for the Lady Chiefs, expects to play second for the Lady Cougars. "I had a walk-on position at Calhoun [in Decatur, Ala.] and Motlow, but I tried out at Cleveland State in February and just felt at home there. I really liked Coach [Katie] Willingham, and I liked all the girls, too." Abbott plans to major in nursing.

Golf

• The 2014 Dan Tribble PGA Junior golf tournament runs Monday and Tuesday at Creeks Bend with 59 boys and girls in five divisions. The first participants are scheduled to tee off at 1 p.m. Monday.