Christman repeats college skeet title
Soddy-Daisy High School graduate Eli Christman is in his second year of college at Martin Methodist and already has two national collegiate skeet shooting championships — plus this year’s sporting clay title. The Team USA member successfully defended his SCTP college skeet crown last weekend in Marengo, Ohio, by hitting 199 of 200 targets. His only miss was due to an ammo malfunction. He hit 193 of 200 in the sporting clay category and was the men’s individual third high scorer in the tournament overall. In Christman’s most recent international competition, he was 15th at 116-of-125 in the World Championships in Changwon, South Korea, in September.
VOLLEYBALL
› Covenant College sophomore setter Sophie Puertas made the USA South All-West volleyball first team announced Thursday, and Lady Scots teammates Hannah Harris, Emily Moore and Alexa Spurling were All-West second-team choices. Harris is a senior, Moore a junior and Spurling a sophomore. Freshman Olivia Sanders was Covenant’s all-sportsmanship representative. Puertas totaled 689 assists and averaged 7.10 per set and was third on the team with 246 digs. She had six matches of 40 or more assists, including 50 in a 3-2 win.
›Bryan College ended its volleyball regular season Thursday night with a 3-1 Appalachian Athletic Conference home victory over Montreat, by the set scores of 25-13, 25-18, 18-25, 25-12. Anna Owens had 13 kills and Rebecca Camacho and Mariah Dunlop added 10 and nine for the Lady Lions (1119, 7-12), Camacho with three block solos and three block assists. Veronica Salas had 19 set assists, Rheagan Keen 15 digs, Macenzie Krause 11 digs and four aces and Sidney Pierce 12 assists.
›Tennessee Wesleyan is 16-20, 11-8 in the AAC, after wrapping up its regular season with a 3-2 win (25-23, 15-25, 18-25, 26-24, 16-14) Thursday at Bluefield. Sydney Ritten had 16 kills and nine digs, Avery Hilliard had 10 kills, eight block assists and a block solo and Kalyse Garrett provided 23 assists and 19 digs for TWU, while Tia Madden had 14 assists and 16 digs, Madison Weir 24 digs and Ashton Pryce 11 digs. The Lady Bulldogs will open in the AAC tournament in Kingsport next Thursday.
BASKETBALL
›The Bryan women’s basketball team is favored to win the AAC in NAIA Division II, but the Lady Lions lost 79-65 on Thursday on the court of an NAIA Division I team, Martin Methodist. The 2-0 hosts outscored Bryan (1-1) 23-10 in the fourth quarter and got 16 points from Samariah Thompson and 15 points and 12 rebounds from Bethany Lamon. Bryan’s Amber Levi led all scorers with 18 points, while Karli Combs had nine and Leann Scharberg and To’Nesha Allison grabbed 10 and eight rebounds.
SOFTBALL
› Sonoraville High School junior Payton Townsend committed this week to continue her softball career at Georgia Highlands College, after her visit to the Rome campus on Tuesday. The Townsends live in Fairmount, and first baseman Payton is beginning her third year with the ProStar Fastpitch club program. ProStar founder Steve Chattin agrees with her that “GHC is a perfect for Payton. It provides her with a level of closeness to family and friends yet challenges her academically and athletically.” He added, “She truly is a team-first type of player. Last year she really developed into a power hitter.”