Tennessee Vols men’s basketball star Grant Williams repeating an honor and UT APR scores lead our Volunteers news for Thursday, May 9, 2019.
Two awards stories, academic scoring, and previews for three different sports in postseason play are all on the plate for the Tennessee Vols today. A weekday in the middle of May can’t stop the news from coming.
Our morning update on Rocky Top leads with men’s basketball and a specific star in the sport repeating an honor. We also have academic news for all the sports, and there are more softball awards to cover.
Following that, outdoor track and field and softball both begin SEC Tournament play today, so we’ll bring you our coverage of those events. And we’ll close with a women’s golf story relative to other postseason coverage. So there’s plenty to get to, starting with the basketball award.
Grant Williams TNSHOF male athlete of year – Dan Harralson, VolsWire.com
Tennessee Vols men’s basketball junior forward Grant Williams repeated as the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame Male Amateur Athlete of the Year. He’ll be recognized at a banquet on Saturday, June 15.
"A consensus first-team All-American, Williams ranked among the nation’s most versatile and efficient players this year, averaging 18.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.1 steals per game. He also shot 57 percent from the field and an impressive 82 percent from the free-throw line."
APR scores out for UT – Patrick Brown, GoVols247
The Tennessee Vols athletic programs’ Academic Progress Rates came out Wednesday. There were 13 programs with perfect scores, and 14 of 18 teams matched or improved on their scores from last year.
"The NCAA released its annual APR report on Wednesday, and the multi-year score for Tennessee football dropped just a couple of points to 970, which puts the Vols ninth in the SEC. The four-year score for the men’s basketball jumped six points to 965, the 10th-best score in the SEC, after the Vols recorded a single-year APR of 981, the program’s highest in five years."
Chelsea Seggern named to SEC Softball Community Service team – SECSports.com
Tennessee Lady Vols junior infielder Chelsea Seggern represented Rocky Top on the 2019 SEC Softball Community Service team. Seggern is hitting .377 on the season with 4 home runs, 39 RBIs and 30 runs scored.
"Seggern serves as a mentor for the Vols HELP (healthy eating, living and playing) program at Pond Gap Elementary School while also being involved with the annual Voloween, community holiday meal and Martin Luther King Jr. Day March. Over the summer, she was part of the VOLeaders Academy Class that traveled to Ecuador. While there, Seggern co-hosted sports festivals for athletes with disabilities and helped lead sports clinics for children in an elementary school in a lower-economic community."
Volleyball announces trip to Europe – UTSports
Tennessee volleyball will be heading to Europe on an overseas trip. The school announced the trip on Wednesday. They will leave Tuesday, May 14 and return Saturday, May 25.
"This will be the first time in the program’s history it will be traveling outside of the United States as a team. The 12-day excursion will bring the Lady Vols to six historic cities in Italy and France, including multi-night stays in Milan and Paris."
Women’s golf advances to NCAA Championships – NCAA.com
The Tennessee Lady Vols golf team was one of the six schools in the Auburn Regional to advance to the NCAA Championships. They just advanced, coming in right at sixth place by shooting 12 over par and finishing three strokes ahead of the No. 7 team, the Maryland Terrapins.
"The national championships will be May 17-22 at The Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, Arkansas hosted by the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. The final three days of the championships will be televised live by the Golf Channel."
Softball begins SEC Tournament – 12thman.com
The Tennessee Lady Vols softball team will begin play as the No. 2 seed in the SEC Tournament Thursday by taking on the Auburn Tigers at 2:30 p.m. in College Station. At 39-13 overall, UT faces a No. 10 seed Auburn team that advanced by beating the Missouri Tigers on Wednesday.
Track and Field begins SEC Tournament – ArkansasRazorbacks.com
The Tennessee Vols track and field program will begin competing in the 2019 Outdoor SEC Championships in Fayetteville on Thursday. Competitions will last Thursday through Saturday.