Golfers stand out for grades
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s Lake Johnson and Lee University’s Matt Johnson and Corey Sheppard are Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-America Scholars, the Golf Coaches Association of America announced this week. Johnson, a Chattanooga Christian School graduate who is entering his senior season with the Mocs, was one of 265 Division I honorees who made the cut by being at least a junior athletically, maintaining a 3.2 or better GPA, participating in at least 50 percent of team events, averaging lower than 76 strokes per round and being of “high moral character” and in good standing at his school. Also, UTC’s men’s golfers were one of four Southern Conference teams — East Tennessee State, Furman and UNC Greensboro were the others — honored on the 18Birdies Team Academic Award list by having a combined GPA of at least 3.00. In Division II, Lee’s Johnson and Sheppard were among 126 golfers honored. Their requirements were the same as Division I save the stroke average, which for Division II was required to be lower than 78. Sheppard, who graduated with honors in May, received the honor for the second straight year. Johnson is entering his senior year and, like Sheppard, made the Gulf South Conference Honor Roll this past season. Johnson also was named to the AllGSC first team and All-GSC tournament team this past spring.
› The United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association announced its AllAcademic Teams on Thursday, with the honor requiring a combined GPA of at least 3.00, and Sewanee had one of 106 men’s teams and one of 185 women’s teams on the list for 2018. Sewanee’s women had a GPA of 3.38; the men’s GPA was 3.21.
BASEBALL/SOFTBALL
› The Chattanooga RBI program will have teams in each of the three divisions at the RBI Southeast Regional tournament that starts today in the Atlanta area. Chattanooga has a team in the softball division, as well as both divisions for baseball — junior (15 and under) and senior. Sunday’s championship games will be held at Kennesaw State University. Nineteen teams total will compete for berths to the RBI World Series in Minneapolis in August. RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) is a youth initiative of Major League Baseball.