LOCAL

Jeff Jacoby to be honored posthumously by Tennessee hall

Phil Kaplan
USA TODAY NETWORK – Tennessee

Jeff Jacoby, who died in December after a more than two-year valiant battle with pancreatic cancer, will be honored posthumously by the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame as a Champion Within recipient.

Game On Against Cancer's first-ever All Star Award in 2015 was presented to WNML radio host Jeff Jacoby by Thompson Cancer Survival Center Development Director Gina Williams (left) and Games & Things owners Lisa and Scott Mellon.

Jacoby, a familiar voice in Knoxville radio for four decades, will receive the Courage Award.

The luncheon takes place June 3 at the Omni Nashville Hotel.

The event celebrates "the success of outstanding individuals who display great character and embody the belief that champions are made from a passion they have deep inside of them - a desire, a dream and commitment."

Also honored with be former Tennessee Titans player Tim Shaw (Character Award), Millington football legend Mario Reed (Perserverance Award), Tennessee SC 16 champion soccer team (Championship Award), King University women’s wrestling team (Champions as Pioneers) and Special Olympic champion Matthew Drumright (Heart of a Champion).

LMU men earn No. 2 seed

Lincoln Memorial University will be the No. 2 seed in the Southeast Regional of the NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament.

The No. 9 ranked Railsplitters (26-5) will face Pfeiffer (26-4) on Saturday at the Levine Center in Charlotte. Game time is 2:30 p.m. Pfeiffer shared the Conference Carolinas regular-season title with Limestone and lost to King in the conference tournament semifinals.

The last time the two teams met was Jan. 27, 1992, a 69-66 LMU win in Harrogate.

Top-seeded Queens (28-3), which upset LMU in the South Atlantic Conference tournament title game, will face eighth-seeded Wingate (20-10). Fourth-seeded Columbus State (20-9) plays fifth-seeded Augusta (23-7), and No. 3 seed UNC Pembroke (24-7) will play sixth-seeded Limestone (26-5) in the quarterfinal games.

The region winner advances to the Elite Eight in Sioux Falls, S.D.

LMU women earn NCAA berth

LMU received an at-large berth and will play in the NCAA Division II women's basketball tournament for the second time. The last time the Railsplitters made the tournament was the 2002-03 season.

LMU (26-4) is seeded third and will face sixth-seeded Clayton State (24-6) on Friday in Columbus, Ga. The Lakers finished second in the Peach Belt Conference's West Division and lost to Lander in the conference tournament quarterfinals.

Other teams in the regional are host and top-seeded Columbus State (28-4), Anderson (21-7), Limestone (27-4), Lander (24-7), King (25-6) and Wingate (25-5).

In other news:

  • LMU junior midfielder Adam Golia was named SAC player of the week in men's lacrosse. Golia, who leads the SAC in goals and ranks second in points, combined for 10 goals and two assists in two victories.
  • LMU sophomore David Segarra was named SAC player of the week in men's tennis. Segarra won the deciding No. 5 singles Mtch against Tusculum  7-6 (11-13), 6-2, 6-3 to improve to 8-0 overall and 3-0 in the conference.
  • Tusculum College freshman Quinn McKitrick was named SAC defensive player of the week in men’s lacrosse. McKitrick caused five turnovers in a 12-11 overtime victory against Brevard last Saturday.
  • Maryville College third baseman Morgan Brewer was named USA South rookie of the week in softball. In four wins, The Alcoa High School graduate hit .818 (9-for-11) with a 1.636 slugging percentage.