On top of the Southern League Woman of Excellence honor announced Thursday for Morgan Billups, the Chattanooga Lookouts received Friday the Southern League Community Service Award. That makes them the SL's nominee for the national John Henry Moss CSA. Among the team's activities were the season-long Most Improved Student and RBI programs and hosting the Chattanooga Down Syndrome Society's Buddy Walk and the Tennessee Valley Heart Walk, according to the announcement release. In hosting the league's all-star festivities, the Lookouts also arranged for visiting players to visit hospitalized children. "Our Most Improved Student program is one of the neatest things we do here at the ballpark," Lookouts president and general manager Rich Mozingo said. "It gives any student in the Chattanooga area the chance to be rewarded and recognized on the field all the hard work they do in the classroom."
Running
• The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga cross country teams began their season Friday evening with their annual PowerAde Invitational meet on the Moccasin Bend course, and the UTC women went 6-1, losing 27-29 to Georgia State, while the men's team was 5-1 with an 18-39 defeat by Tennessee. Coach Bill Gautier's two sets of Mocs swept Austin Peay, Jacksonville State, Tennessee State, Alabama State and UT-Martin, and the women beat Tennessee 23-34 as Mocs All-American Teghan Henderson held off the Lady Vols' Chelsea Blaase for the two-mile victory. Henderson finished in 10 minutes, 30.08 seconds; Blaase in 10:31.35. Rebecca Greenwall, Amanda Cotter, Jessica York and Keeley Stewart had times of 11:28.20 to 11:39.22 for the female Mocs. Senior John Gilpin led the Mocs in the 5k in 15:51.40, and Trevor Janssen and freshman Austin Casassa finished in 16:00.51 and 16:11.97 with Patrick O'Brien coming home in 16:36.97. UTC will run next Saturday in Vanderbilt's Commodore Invitational.
Volleyball
• Georgia opened its invitational volleyball tournament Friday night with a 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-19) win over UTC. Kristy Wieser had 10 kills, Anne Bachmann and Lauren Greenspoon had 13 and 11 assists and Caroline Chason made 16 digs for UTC (1-4).
• The Tennessee Temple University volleyball team won its third match in a row Friday, 3-1 at Crown in Powell, Tenn. Victoria Smith had 13 kills and Naomi Posada had 10 kills and 33 digs for the Lady Crusaders (3-6), while Amy Keokaniaya had 41 digs and Sisten Lipsey and Kiara Govan had 37 and 32 assists.
• Sewanee won 3-1 over Brescia and 3-0 over LaGrange in volleyball Friday. Diamond Stewart had 11 kills in the 17-25, 25-21, 25-20, 25-16 victory for the Tigers (3-4), and 10 in the 25-20, 25-13, 25-21 follow-up, and Sara Jayne Sutton totaled 39 digs. Setters Rachel Schuman and Walter Buxton totaled 23 and 16 assists.
• Dalton State dedicated its court in Bandy Gym to Melvyn Ottinger and beat visiting Brewton-Parker 3-0 (27-25, 25-12, 25-15) in its Southern States Athletic Conference volleyball opener Friday. Michaela Askew had 23 assists and Savannah Nelson recorded 10 kills for the Roadrunners (4-1 overall), and Alyne Bianchi made 10 digs with Anna Metzler and Tori Pierce adding nine each.
Soccer
• The Lee University women's soccer team began its season Friday night in Boca Raton, Fla., by giving up two goals in the first 14 minutes, and Lynn University held on for a 2-1 victory. Sisters Kristie and Summer Schults scored at 8:11 and 13:41 for the Fighting Knights, and Lee freshman Nicole Blanchard scored at 35:04. The Lady Flames had a 7-6 edge in shots on goal.
• In a 96-span midway through the first half Friday night, Shelby Meckstroth scored her sixth goal of the season and Mary Frank added two for the Sewanee women's soccer team, and the Tigers went on to defeat Louisiana College 5-1 in Birmingham, Ala. Melissa Zankman and Natasha Saunders gave Sewanee (3-0) a 5-0 lead by the fifth minute of the second half. Meckstroth had two assists and Baker Walls had one.
• The Covenant College women's soccer team pulled out its first win in four matches this season Friday, 2-1 at Emory & Henry, but the Covenant men lost by the same score at home against Wilmington (Ohio). Anna Porch scored both goals for the Lady Scots, who had a 21-7 shots margin, and Jenna Vreeland and Jessica Rowe had assists. The Scots (1-1-1) gave up a goal 3:26 into their match, but Ian Meredith equalized from a Michael Arango pass six minutes into the second half. Alex Ruckman scored for Wilmington 10 minutes later.
Football
• Preseason All-American Justin Houston from Bradley Central got Tusculum College off to a good start in its season-opening football game Thursday night with a 65-yard touchdown return on the opening kickoff, but he didn't have to do much after that. Tusculum beat the College of Faith 71-0 and set NCAA all-division records by holding the Saints to minus-69 total yards and minus-124 rushing yards. The score was 55-0 at halftime.
• Carson-Newman's Ken Sparks already was the NCAA's active leader in football coaching victories, and the Eagles' 38-24 win Thursday night against visiting Edinboro tied him with the famed Pop Warner for sixth most all-time. In 35 years coaching at his alma mater, Sparks is 319-86-2 and four wins from tying Bear Bryant for fifth. Junior quarterback De'Andre Thomas passed for two touchdowns and ran for one, and Anthony Ball had a 69-yard scoring run. The Eagles made 13 tackles for lost yardage.