Dollander Earns CSC Academic All-America Status

Dollander Earns CSC Academic All-America Status

Posted on June 10, 2023

AUSTIN, Texas – Tennessee pitcher Chase Dollander added to his impressive list of accolades on Wednesday, earning College Sports Communicators Academic All-America status for the first time in his career.

Dollander was named a third-team Academic All-American after earning CSC All-District honors in May.

To earn Academic All-America status, student-athletes had to first qualify for the all-district team by being a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) at his/her current institution. Nominated athletes must have participated in at least 50 percent of the team’s games at the position listed on the nomination form while pitchers must have at least 10.0 innings pitched.

Dollander ranks 11th nationally in strikeouts per nine innings (12.81) and fourth in the SEC with a career-high 111 total strikeouts this season, a number that also is tied for 10th in UT single-season history.

The junior right hander has played a key role in the Vols’ weekend rotation, having started every weekend this season while helping lead the program to its third straight NCAA Super Regional. Dollander ranks second on the team with six wins while posting a 4.50 ERA and a .242 opponent batting average in 78.0 innings of work.

In the classroom, Dollander boasts a 3.78 GPA while majoring in recreation and sport management. He was also named to the 2021-22 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll following the 2022 season.

The Evans, Georgia, native, is the ninth player in program history to earn Academic All-America status and just the second pitcher, joining R.A. Dickey (1996). Tennessee has now had four players garner Academic All-America honors under head coach Tony Vitello (2018-pres.).

-UT Athletics

Vols RHP Chase Dollander / Credit: UT Athletics
Tennessee Athletics Enjoys Best Academic Term Ever

Tennessee Athletics Enjoys Best Academic Term Ever

Posted on June 10, 2023

After recently earning the title of SEC All-Sports Champion for the second year in a row, the momentum on Rocky Top took another major step forward with the completion of the spring academic term, as the Vols and Lady Vols recorded the best performance in the classroom ever for a single semester in Tennessee Athletics history.
 
The Spring 2023 semester saw UT student-athletes achieve a cumulative grade-point average of 3.38—the highest ever recorded. Tennessee’s previous best—excluding terms with COVID grade-mode flexibility—came during the fall semester, when the Big Orange posted a 3.32 GPA.

For the first time ever, all 16 sports earned a team GPA of at least a 3.0. This spring also marked the 21st consecutive semester in which the Vols and Lady Vols combined to post a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Eight teams enjoyed or matched their best spring semesters ever, while five programs (football, baseball, men’s track & field, women’s swimming & diving, and volleyball) tied or bested their highest GPA in any semester.
 
“Our student-athletes strive to be the best in everything they do, and I could not be more proud of their achievement in the classroom,” Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White said. “To capture the All-SEC Sports title and then see these results academically speaks to their drive and determination to be elite.”
 
Tennessee Athletics’ Rise Glorious Strategic Plan features a directive to “honor the foundation of college sports by maximizing the educational journey of each student-athlete and creating championship-level performance expectations academically.”
 
Here’s the full academic highlights from the Spring 2023 semester:

  • 3.38 overall student-athlete GPA (highest performance for a spring semester and highest performance overall without COVID grade mode flexibility)
    • 21 consecutive semesters with an overall GPA of a 3.0 or higher
    • Record highs for combined men’s sports (3.26) and women’s sports (3.52)
  • All 16 sports earned a team GPA above a 3.0
  • 202 student-athletes were recognized on their respective Dean’s List (2nd highest ever)
  • 422 (76%) student-athletes received a 3.0 or higher semester GPA (highest ever)
  • 74 student-athletes earned a 4.00 semester GPA (highest ever)
  • 8 teams tied or bested their highest GPA for a spring term (football, men’s basketball, baseball, men’s track & field, men’s swimming & diving, women’s swimming & diving, soccer, and volleyball)
  • 5 teams tied or bested their highest GPA in any semester (football, baseball, men’s track & field, women’s swimming & diving, and volleyball)

In the most recent update of the Learfield Director’s Cup standings (April 21), Tennessee checked in at 11th nationally with 610.50 points. As the athletic year wraps up during the next few weeks, UT’s impressive competitive efforts throughout the spring will give the Big Orange a big boost in the points. Four teams (baseball, softball, men’s and women’s tennis) advanced to the Super Regionals or better in their respective NCAA Tournaments, while track & field is set to compete at outdoor NCAAs this weekend.
 
The standings will be updated next week on June 13 before being finalized following the baseball’s College World Series.

-UT Athletics

University of Tennessee / Credit: UT Athletics
Stats/Story: Lady Vols season ends in national semifinal after 5-1 loss to FSU in WCWS

Stats/Story: Lady Vols season ends in national semifinal after 5-1 loss to FSU in WCWS

Posted on June 10, 2023

Box Score

OKLAHOMA CITY – An historic season for the Lady Vols came to an end Monday night in the Women’s College World Series as they fell to No. 3 seed Florida State, 5-1, in the national semifinals at OGE Energy Field.
 
Tennessee finished the season 51-10 – breaking the 50-win mark for the first time since 2013. The Lady Vols season included winning the SEC regular season and tournament titles in the same year for the first time in program history.

UT reached the national semifinals for the first time since 2013. The trip to the WCWS was its first since 2015 and its eighth in program history.
 
Senior Payton Gottshall got the start for Tennessee in the circle, tossing 3.1 innings and allowing two runs on five hits. She was relieved by freshman Karlyn Pickens who went two innings with two strikeouts. She surrendered one run on one hit.
 
Graduate Ashley Rogers tossed 1.2 innings in the contest, fanning one batter. She allowed two runs on two hits. Gottshall came back in to finish the contest, throwing the final inning. She suffered the loss and finished the season 16-2.
 
Florida State (58-9) gave the ball to Mack Leonard who threw two innings, allowing one run on one. Makenna Reid cone on in relief for two innings and recorded two strikeouts, two walks and allowed just one hit. Reid picked up the win and is 13-0 on the year.
 
Kathryn Sandercock tossed the final three innings, giving up just one hit and notching four strikeouts. She earned the save – her 10th in 2023.
 
Zaida Puni opened the scoring Monday night, knocking an opposite field home run in the bottom of the first. The homer was her first in the WCWS and sixth during the NCAA Tournament.
 
Florida State answered with a pair of solo shots in the second and third. Michaela Edenfield tied the game with a home run to left in the second inning, while Bethaney Keen hit a homer to right – putting FSU in the lead in the third.
 
The Seminoles added to their lead with a run in the fifth as Jahni Kerr singled home Autumn Belviy – increasing the FSU lead to 3-1.
 
In the sixth, Florida State’s Hallie Wacaser hit a two-run home run to extend the FSU out to 5-1.

-UT Athletics

Lady Vols in OKC / Credit: UT Athletics
Heupel, Two VFLs On 2024 College Football Hall of Fame Ballot

Heupel, Two VFLs On 2024 College Football Hall of Fame Ballot

Posted on June 10, 2023

IRVING, Texas – Former Oklahoma national champion quarterback and Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel as well as VFL greats Willie Gault and Larry Seivers appear on the 2024 College Football Hall of Fame ballot, the National Football Foundation (NFF) announced on Monday.  

Heupel, who guided the Vols to an 11-2 record and an Orange Bowl victory in 2022, is on the ballot for a fourth straight year. A 2000 consensus first-team All-American, he led the Sooners to the 2000 national championship with a win in the Orange Bowl. In two seasons, Heupel rewrote the Oklahoma record books and was the 2000 Heisman Trophy runner-up before going onto a successful coaching career.

A 1982 first-team All-American, Gault led Tennessee to three bowl berths and set six conference punt and kickoff return records. He tied the NCAA record for most kickoff return touchdowns in a single season with three in 1980. He totaled 82 catches for 1,482 yards and 10 receiving touchdowns during his career. Gault averaged an incredible 16.4 yards each time he touched the football.

Seivers was a two-time consensus first-team All-American in 1975 and 1976. In 1975, he became the first Vol to eclipse 800 receiving yards in a single season. He was also a two-time first-team All-SEC selection. In 1976, Seivers caught 51 passes for 737 yards, averaging 14.5 yards per catch. He left Tennessee with more catches than anyone (117) and most receiving yards gained (1,924).  

The trio make up a ballot consisting of 78 players from the FBS level. The announcement of the 2024 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be made in early 2024 with specific details to be announced in the future.

The 2024 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be officially inducted during the 66th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 10, 2024, and permanently immortalized at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.

Tennessee’s proud College Football Hall of Fame tradition includes 26 inductees—22 players and four coaches—which leads the SEC. Eric Berry will be inducted as part of the 2023 class at the 65th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 5. 

-UT Athletics

CFB Hall of Fame / Credit: UT Athletics
Stats/Story: Lady Vols Punch Ticket to National Semifinals with 3-1 Win Over Oklahoma State

Stats/Story: Lady Vols Punch Ticket to National Semifinals with 3-1 Win Over Oklahoma State

Posted on June 9, 2023

Box Score

OKLAHOMA CITY – The fourth-ranked Lady Vols punched their ticket to the national semifinals Sunday night, defeating sixth-seeded Oklahoma State 3-1 at OGE Energy Field.
 
Tennessee (51-9) advances to the semifinals at the Women’s College World Series for the first time since 2013. It will face No. 3 seed Florida State with a trip to the WCWS Championship Series on the line. UT will need to win twice against the Seminoles to move on.

Tennessee starting pitcher Ashley Rogers tossed her 13th complete game of the year in the victory, fanning four batters on the night. The righty held the Cowgirls to just one run on four hits and allowed just a pair of free passes.
 
Rogers picked up her second win at the Women’s College World Series and her 20th this season. It is the third time the Athens, Tennessee, native has won 20 or more games in a season.
 
Oklahoma State (47-16) gave the ball to Kelly Maxwell who went 2.1 innings against UT. She surrendered two runs on three hits, walking two and striking out three. Lexi Kilfoyl tossed 3.2 innings out of the bullpen, giving up one run – unearned – with a trio of walks and two strikeouts.
 
Zaida Puni put the Lady Vols on the board in the third with an RBI double to right that scored senior Kiki Milloy from second. Rylie West notched her fourth RBI in the WCWS and added a second run for UT as she singled home pinch runner Brylee Mesusan.
 
Oklahoma State threatened to score in the fourth as Micaela Wark knocked a two-out single to bring Tallen Edwards to the plate. Edwards powered a double to right and as Wark raced around for home, right fielder Katie Taylor rifled a perfect relay throw to second baseman Destiny Rodriguez.
 
Rodriguez then fired to catcher Giulia Koutsoyanopulos who caught the ball and laid a perfect tag on Wark to keep OSU off the scoreboard.
 
In the fifth, Puni reached on an error by the second baseman and came around to score on a throwing error by the Cowgirl’s catcher.
 
With two away in the sixth, Morgyn Wynne ended the shutout as she pulled a solo home run over the left field wall. Rogers responded by striking out the next batter to get out of the frame.
 
The graduate pitcher ended the contest with a ground out, fly out and finally a strikeout to send the Lady Vols into the national semifinals.
 
UP NEXT
Tennessee plays Florida State on Monday night beginning at 7 p.m. ET. The game will air nationally on ESPN. A UT win would force a second game, which would begin approximately 35 minutes following the conclusion of game one.

-UT Athletics

Lady Vols RHP Ashley Rogers / Credit: UT Athletics
BCSO Searching for Man Who Cut Off Ankle Monitor

BCSO Searching for Man Who Cut Off Ankle Monitor

Posted on June 9, 2023
Courtesy BCSO

Deputies with the Blount County Sheriff’s Office are searching for a man who cut off his ankle monitor Friday, June 9.

BCSO says 49-year-old Robert Wayne Jennings was on probation for multiple felony burglaries and thefts. He left his home on Grey Ridge Road in Maryville after cutting off his monitor.

Anyone with information on where Jennings might be is urged to contact the non-emergency number for the sheriff’s office at 865-273-5200.

UPDATE: Five Points Shooting Victim Identified; Police Looking for Car

UPDATE: Five Points Shooting Victim Identified; Police Looking for Car

Posted on June 9, 2023

UPDATE: Knoxville Police Department Officials have identified the victim of a deadly shooting Wednesday near the Five Points neighborhood.

Officers responded to the 2400 block of Center Avenue just after 7:30 to find 25-year-old Emory Johnson, who had been shot at least one time.

Officials say life saving measures were attempted, but Johnson was pronounced dead at the scene.

The investigation remains ongoing with police now seeking information on a blue 2005 Dodge Avenger that may have been abandoned or sold in the Knox County area.

Courtesy of KPD

Anyone with information is being asked to contact East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers 1-800-222-TIPS or online at the organization’s website.

ORIGINAL STORY: Knoxville Police are investigating a fatal shooting in the Five Points area.

Officers responding to the 2400 block of Center Avenue and found a man suffering from a gunshot wound and
attempted life-saving measures but the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

If you have any information, you are asked to contact East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers.

The 2016 Wildfires Memorial and Tribute Plaza Opens in Sevier County

The 2016 Wildfires Memorial and Tribute Plaza Opens in Sevier County

Posted on June 9, 2023

The City of Gatlinburg and Sevier County dedicates a memorial to honor those who lost their lives in the deadly wildfires in Gatlinburg in 2016.

The 2016 Wildfires Memorial and Tribute Plaza dedicated today (Friday) at 2 p.m. at Mynatt Park in Gatlinburg.

Gatlinburg officials say that there will be limited public parking at Mynatt Park but the city will provide a shuttle to Mynatt Park via the Gatlinburg Trolleys at the Gatlinburg Fire Department Station No. 2 which is located on Reagan Drive before and after the event, starting at 1:15 p.m. Be sure to visit the memorial whenever you can.

The memorial involves two separate plazas on either side of LeConte Creek. One will serve as a memorial for those who died in the fires and the other will serve as a tribute to the law enforcement agencies that aided Gatlinburg and Sevier County in response and recovery efforts.

Alcoa Man is Charged Following ATF Investigation he Sold More than 100 Guns Illegally

Alcoa Man is Charged Following ATF Investigation he Sold More than 100 Guns Illegally

Posted on June 9, 2023

A warrant is filed against an Alcoa man after an investigation from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives found that he had illegally sold more than 100 guns.

ATF says Richard Marsh has been selling guns as an unlicensed seller and selling illegal weapons like machine guns for almost two years going back to August of 2021.

An undercover ATF Agent bought more than 100 guns from Marsh, 20 at a time during the investigation.

Marsh is charged with dealing/manufacturing firearms with a federal firearms license, possession of a machine gun, possession of an unregistered NFA firearm and transferring a firearm in violation of the NFA.

The investigation was sparked by a tip from Harvey’s Pistol and Pawn, a dealer in Knoxville, that said Marsh had bought multiple guns from the store. Following the tip, ATF investigators traced the guns that Marsh had purchased, finding that some of them were connected to crimes as early as 39 days after Marsh had bought them.

ATF investigators also found a post on Facebook from Marsh, the documents said, listing several gun boxes and titled “New Empty Container $15.” Investigators said they messaged Marsh and organized a sale, and an undercover agent met with Marsh behind a gas station (at Marsh’s request, who did not want people to see the sale), before speaking with Marsh at his home, still posing as a possible buyer.

Over the course of several months, the undercover ATF agent organized more sales with Marsh and other agents spoke with another man who had previously been arrested during an ATF investigation, Desmon Moore.

Moore told investigators, according to the court documents, that he had bought more than 100 guns from Marsh, 20 at a time.

“Moore further advised that MARSH ran the firearm sales like a business and was ‘all about making his money,’” the documents said.

Authorities are Asking for Help to Find a Man Who Has Not Been Seen Since Being Released from the Hospital in April

Authorities are Asking for Help to Find a Man Who Has Not Been Seen Since Being Released from the Hospital in April

Posted on June 9, 2023

Authorities are asking for your help to find a missing Lenoir City man who hasn’t been seen since being discharged from the Fort Loudon Medical Center in April following an accident.

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System says 37-year-old Ryan McLerran was involved in a car crash on I-40 and was taken to the medical center and treated for his injuries and released the next day.

McLerran is 5′11, 205 lbs. with green eyes and short brown hair.

Anyone with information on where he might be was urged to contact investigator Jason Smith at the Lenoir City police Department at 865-985-2005.

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