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NCAA cancels events, including rowing championships in Oak Ridge

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The 2016 SIRA Championship Regatta is pictured above in Oak Ridge on Sunday, April 17, 2016. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The 2020 NCAA Women’s Rowing Championships, which were scheduled to be held in Oak Ridge in May, have been canceled because of COVID-19, and other collegiate regattas have been canceled as well.

Oak Ridge officials and others have been looking forward to the NCAA Women’s Rowing Championships since it was announced three years ago. The Oak Ridge rowing venue is considered one of the best in the country.

In a March 12 notice, the NCAA said all remaining winter and spring NCAA championships were being canceled due to COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus. Also canceled were the Division I men’s and women’s 2020 basketball tournaments, which includes March Madness.

The cancellations affecting Oak Ridge include the NCAA division I, II, and III Women’s Rowing Championships, Big 10 Invitational Regatta, Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association (SIRA) Championship, as well as other regattas slated to be held in conjunction with the Oak Ridge Rowing Association.

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Soccer: Oak Ridge girls win district championship

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The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats soccer team won the District 3-AAA soccer tournament championship with a 1-0 win over Powell at Oak Ridge High School on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Oak Ridge won the District 3-AAA girls soccer championship with a 1-0 victory over Powell at Oak Ridge High School on Thursday.

It was the first time the Lady Wildcats have won the district championship since 2016. The Lady Panthers won the title in 2015—the first-ever district title for the Powell girls—and again in 2017 and 2018.

Seniors on this year’s Oak Ridge team were freshmen the last time the Lady Wildcats won the district title. Oak Ridge and Powell have played for the district championship five years in a row.

On Thursday, Oak Ridge senior Katie O’Brien scored the winning goal on a breakaway after a pass from junior Katelyn Mattus in the center of the field in the 53rd minute. O’Brien, who has committed to play soccer at Maryville College, got behind the Powell defense, came into the center, and shot the ball into the left side of the net, Oak Ridge Coach Tom Gorman said.

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Volleyball: Lady Wildcats win fourth straight district championship

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The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats volleyball team won its fourth consecutive District 4-AAA tournament championship at Bearden High School on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019. (Photo submitted by Buzz Patrick)

The Oak Ridge volleyball team won its fourth consecutive District 4-AAA tournament championship on Thursday.

The Lady Wildcats were undefeated in the district during the regular season, and as a result, they did not have to play in the first round of the district tournament, which was at Bearden High School.

Here is information about the tournament provided by Buzz Patrick:

Oak Ridge faced the number five seed, Karns, in the semifinal match on Thursday, and the Lady Wildcats swept the Lady Beavers in three sets (25-12, 25-15, 25-16) behind the stellar serving of junior Paige Halcrow, who notched seven aces against the Lady Beavers to help the ‘Cats counteract some of their own passing errors.

After a short break, the Lady Wildcats faced the number two seed, West, in the finals. Oak Ridge defeated West for the third time this year (25-22, 25-12, 25-12) to earn the 2019 District 4-AAA tournament championship to accompany their regular season championship.

[Read more…]
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Soccer: Secret City Tournament in Oak Ridge this weekend

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Soccer Club of Oak Ridge Secret City Tournament
The Soccer Club of Oak Ridge (SCOR) will host the 8th Annual Secret City Tournament this weekend, Sept. 21-22, 2019. The tournament brings in players from across the Southeast to compete in a highly competitive weekend of soccer. (Submitted photo)

The Soccer Club of Oak Ridge (SCOR) will host the 8th Annual Secret City Tournament this weekend, September 21-22. The tournament brings in players from across the Southeast to compete in a highly competitive weekend of soccer, a press release said.

The Secret City Tournament will host 63 teams from Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky, and Virginia. Games will be played on seven fields around town, including Jefferson Middle School, Oak Ridge High School, and the five fields managed by the City of Oak Ridge.

More than 1,075 players and their families will be in town during the weekend tournament, playing more than 100 games around the city, the press release said. Players ranging in ages from 8 to 19 will compete in multiple high-energy games that will feature 11 championships by the end of weekend play, the press release said.

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Renovated Blankenship Field open for public use

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The renovated Blankenship Field—the city’s football field—and its walking track are now open for public use. The main change is that the grass field has been replaced with synthetic turf, but there are other changes as well. The field is pictured above in August 2019. (Photo by James Mitchell via City of Oak Ridge)

The renovated Blankenship Field—the city’s football field—and its walking track are now open for public use.

The main change is that the grass field has been replaced with synthetic turf, but there are other changes as well, including to scoreboards and end zone areas.

The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department and Oak Ridge Schools announced the opening of the renovated field on Tuesday.

The field and track are accessible through a gate adjacent to the lower concession stand, a press release said. Like other public park facilities, public use is permitted from sunup to sundown, except when the field is reserved for special events, the press release said.

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Photos: USA Cycling championships in Oak Ridge

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The USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships opened Thursday, June 27, 2019, on Melton Lake Drive with the Individual Time Trial events. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

The USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships opened Thursday with the Individual Time Trial events on Melton Lake Drive in Oak Ridge.

The championship racing events continued Friday through Sunday in Knoxville.

Here are photos from Thursday’s races by Julio Culiat.

In the races in Oak Ridge on Thursday, Amber Neben, 44, of Lake Forest, California (Cogeas – Mettler Pro Cycling Team), successfully defended her title in the elite women category, according to USA Cycling. She was in a field of 23 women, and she secured her third consecutive gold medal in the individual time trials with a time of 30 minutes and 19 seconds.

The time trial course was 7.12 miles (11.5 kilometers). Women completed two laps, and men raced for three.

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Reminder: Roads closed for national championship cycling event

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The USA Cycling Para-cycling and Professional Road National Championship Time Trials are being held in Oak Ridge on Thursday, June 27, 2019. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

A reminder: The City of Oak Ridge and the Oak Ridge Police Department have issued a notice for drivers regarding the planned closure of a large portion of Melton Lake Drive on Thursday, June 27. The road closure is necessary to provide a safe, closed-loop course for athletes, volunteers, and spectators at the USA Cycling Para-cycling and Professional Road National Championship Time Trials being held in Oak Ridge, a press release said.

Beginning at 6 a.m. Thursday, Emory Valley Road was closed from the Artesia Drive intersection to Melton Lake Drive. There will be no access onto Melton Lake Drive from Emory Valley Road. Residents who live off of Amanda Drive or Emory Valley Road will need to take Antioch Drive, Baylor Drive, or Baltimore Drive to exit the neighborhood, the press release said.

Melton Lake Drive will also be closed from Palisades Parkway to Edgemoor Road for course set-up. At this time, drivers will be able to turn left from Palisades Pkwy onto Melton Lake Drive. The Rivers Run Boulevard entrance to Melton Lake Drive will be closed, the press release said. Residents entering and exiting the Rivers Run, Royal Troon, or Rockbridge neighborhoods were allowed to use the Rolling Links Boulevard entrance to turn right onto Melton Lake Drive until 10 a.m. Thursday.

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Oak Ridge soccer season ends at Farragut

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Oak Ridge lost 3-0 at Farragut in a Region 2-AAA semifinal soccer game on Tuesday, May 14, 2019. Pictured above making a save is Oak Ridge goalkeeper Bryson Brown (1). Also pictured is Demarcus Wright (12) of Oak Ridge and Zach Lowe (6) of Farragut. (Photo credit: Carlos Reveiz/crfoto.com)

FARRAGUT—Farragut senior Wes Jeter scored a hat trick—three goals—as the Admirals eliminated Oak Ridge from the soccer playoffs in a 3-0 regional semifinal shutout on Tuesday.

It was the second year in a row that the Wildcats’ season ended in a Region 2-AAA semifinal loss at Farragut, although last year’s score was closer, 3-2.

Jeter scored his first goal in the first half on Tuesday. He scored his next two goals about three minutes apart halfway through the second half. Jeter scored the second goal as he curled into the middle of the field from the left side and drilled a line drive shot past diving Oak Ridge goalkeeper Bryson Brown. Farragut scored its last goal after passing the ball from left to right near the net and then back out front to Jeter, a senior forward, who kicked in another low shot.

The Admirals have been described as a senior-laden team, while the Wildcats have had a lot of young players this year. Four to five freshman started most of the year, with some sophomores sprinkled in.

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Soccer: Wildcats finish second in district, play in region semifinal today

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Oak Ridge played Karns in the District 3-AAA boys soccer championship at Karns on Thursday, May 9, 2019. Pictured above at center is Oak Ridge’s Nathan Kidder (9). (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Note: This story was last updated at 4:10 p.m.

KARNS—Oak Ridge and Karns met for the second year in a row in the District 3-AAA championship, and the Beavers won for the second year in a row.

Last year is the first time that anyone can remember Karns winning the district soccer championship. That game was played at Oak Ridge, and Karns won 3-2.

This year’s game was played at Karns on Thursday, and the Beavers shut out Oak Ridge 3-0.

Senior striker Edson Castro, who scored the game-winner for Karns last year, scored the first two goals for the Beavers on Thursday. Castro, the leading scorer for Karns, also assisted in the third and final goal.

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Basketball photos: Oak Ridge in state quarterfinal game

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Senior Jada Guinn (24) has broken basketball records at Oak Ridge, including most points scored in a game and most points scored in a season. Guinn, a Miss Basketball finalist who has signed to play at Tennessee Tech, is pictured above shooting the basketball during a 65-49 win over Science Hill in a Class AAA girls basketball tournament quarterfinal game in Murphy Center at Middle Tennessee State University in Mufreesboro on Thursday, March 7, 2019. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

Senior Jada Guinn (24) has broken basketball records at Oak Ridge, including most points scored in a game and most points scored in a season. Guinn, a Miss Basketball finalist who has signed to play at Tennessee Tech, is pictured above shooting the basketball during a 65-49 win over Science Hill in a Class AAA girls basketball tournament quarterfinal game in Murphy Center at Middle Tennessee State University in Mufreesboro on Thursday, March 7, 2019. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

 

The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats defeated Science Hill 65-49 in a quarterfinal game of the Class AAA girls basketball tournament in Murfreesboro on Thursday. Here are photos by Luther Simmons.

(Note: The girls’ season ended with a 56-50 loss to Bradley Central during a semifinal game on Friday.) [Read more…]

Lady Wildcats advance to state basketball semifinal with win over Science Hill

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The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats made it to the state basketball tournament for the third time in four years by beating Dobyns-Bennett 59-42 in a Class AAA sectional game at Wildcat Arena on Saturday, March 2, 2019. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats made it to the state basketball tournament for the third time in four years by beating Dobyns-Bennett 59-42 in a Class AAA sectional game at Wildcat Arena on Saturday, March 2, 2019. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 3:25 p.m.

Oak Ridge advanced to a state semifinal game on Friday with a 65-49 win over Science Hill in the Class AAA girls basketball tournament in Murfreesboro on Thursday.

The Lady Wildcats trailed in the first quarter by five points, but they went on an 11-0 run to take the lead by the end of that quarter.

The game remained relatively close until Oak Ridge went on a 14-4 run starting at about 3:30 in the third quarter and continuing through the first few minutes of the fourth quarter. The Lady Wildcats then widened their lead in the final six minutes.

The Lady Wildcats (34-2) will play Bradley Central (32-3) in a Class AAA girls semifinal game in Murphy Center at Middle Tennessee State University at 2:45 p.m. (3:45 p.m. Eastern) on Friday.

Bradley Central advanced by defeating Lebanon 34-26 in another quarterfinal game on Thursday. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge wins Region 2 championship with Guinn’s three-pointer at buzzer

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The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats won the Region 2-AAA championship with a 53-50 win over Maryville at Wildcat Arena on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019, with a three-point shot at the buzzer by senior Jada Guinn. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats won the Region 2-AAA championship with a 53-50 win over Maryville at Wildcat Arena on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019, after a three-point shot at the buzzer by senior Jada Guinn. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 6:30 a.m. Feb. 28.

The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats won the Region 2-AAA championship with a 53-50 win over Maryville on Wednesday after a three-point shot at the buzzer by senior Jada Guinn.

Guinn, a Miss Basketball finalist who has signed to play at Tennessee Tech, scored a game-high 21 points. She also had at least 10 rebounds.

Guinn, who was named most valuable player of the regional tournament, made two three-point shots in the final 33.9 seconds. The first one was from near the top of the key. She hit the last one-dribble shot from beyond the three-point line near the right sideline after an inbounds pass near half court following a timeout with 1.5 seconds remaining.

Jubilant fans erupted onto the floor of Wildcat Arena, cheering and jumping for joy after the dramatic finish.

Oak Ridge (32-2) will host Dobyns-Bennett (28-7), the Region 1 runner-up, at 7 p.m. Saturday at Wildcat Arena in a Class AAA sectional. The winner of that game will advance to the state tournament in Murfreesboro in March. [Read more…]

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