Murray, Fulk win at drag strip
Rick Murray from Cleveland won the Pro Modified class and $3,000 this past Saturday at the Brainerd Motorsports Park drag strip, and Alan Fulk of Chattanooga was the Super Pro winner with a 5.05-second run on a 5.05 dial. Scottie Walters from South Pittsburg was second to Fulk with a 4.76 run on a 4.75 dial. Murray blazed to victory with a 3.95-second burst hitting 203 mph in his 1953 Corvette coupe, and Michael Neal from Pace, Fla., was second with a 3.92 run and 194 mph in a 1967 Mustang Shelby. Eric Mann of Summerville, Ga., won the Quick 16 class with a 4.50 run; Jacob Hyder of Calhoun, Ga., was second. Josh Ayers of Ooltewah won the Foot Brake class with a 7.77 on a 7.77 dial in a 1989 Firebird, and Charles McRae of LaFayette was second with a 9.47 on a 9.44 in a 1978 Fairmont.
Malone Wilson of Buchanan, Ga., won the 18-entry Junior Dragster class with Lawson Saine of LaFayette second and 12-year-old
Chloe Wilson of Flintstone third.
VOLLEYBALL
› The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Lee University and Covenant College programs were among those earning American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Awards for 2016-17. The award requires a cumulative team grade point average of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale or 4.1 on a 5.0 scale. UTC’s Mocs had an aggregate 3.553 in the fall 2016 semester and a 3.582 this past spring. They were led by a 4.0 for freshman Mikaela Gauthreaux for the year.
BASEBALL
› Chattanooga State is one of 200 United States colleges (at all levels) and high schools earning a 2017 Team Academic Excellence Award from the American Baseball Coaches Association. The honor requires a 3.0 team GPA on a 4.0 scale. “We were one of only 10 junior colleges named nationally overall,” Chattanooga State coach Greg Dennis said in a school release. “No other (junior) college was listed from Tennessee or Georgia, and only three Southern junior colleges earned recognition overall.” Said Dr. Rebecca Ashford, the school president: “Chattanooga State is proud of the academic achievement of our student-athletes on the baseball team. Balancing academics with sports and other life responsibilities is difficult, and their academic performance is a testament to their hard work and dedication.”