The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats are 9-1 overall this volleyball season, and they are 4-0 in district games.
The team will play again after the Labor Day weekend, traveling to Knoxville Catholic on Tuesday and to play district opponent Powell on Thursday.
Here are summaries of games this season submitted by Buzz Patrick, with some light editing.
[Read more…]The Oak Ridge Wildcats have started the 2019 football season with two losses.
The first was a 13-6 loss to Hardin Valley at home on Friday, August 23, and the second was a 41-6 loss at Dobyns-Bennett in Kingsport on Friday, August 30.
The Wildcats will play their first Region 3-5A game at Campbell County (2-0) on Friday.
Oak Ridge scored their one touchdown in the season-opening game against Hardin Valley (1-1) with a 21-yard pass from junior quarterback Mitchell Gibbons to senior running back Tyrell Romano with 8:26 left in the third quarter.
[Read more…]The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats started the regular soccer season with a 2-1 win at Knoxville Catholic on Tuesday.
The game was tied 1-1 at the half, with the Oak Ridge goal scored by junior Taylor Del Toro.
The Lady Wildcats scored again in the second half on a pass from senior Katie O’Brien to senior Maddie Peters, who scored the goal, giving Oak Ridge a 2-1 lead, according to Oak Ridge Lady Soccercats.
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The Oak Ridge Wildcats will start the regular football season at home on Blankenship Field on Friday, August 23.
The Wildcats will open the season in a game against Hardin Valley. The game starts at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
It will be the first time the Wildcats have played a regular-season game on the new synthetic turf on Blankenship Field.
[Read more…]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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David Harnish
David Harnish, Roane State’s new head women’s basketball coach, will hit the hardwood running as he assumes his new duties.
But for this Colorado native, it’s a return to what he loves doing and does so well. Harnish, 60, was the coach of the Western Nebraska Community College’s women’s team for 29 years and built a remarkable career record of 764 wins and 155 losses.
In 2003, his team played in the national championship title game before coming up short and finishing second in the nation. He has coached 14 All-Americans and more than 40 All-Region student athletes.
“We are extremely fortunate to have a coach coming in who has taken his former school to the NJCAA Division I tournament and has enjoyed such great, long-term success,” Roane State Athletic Director Randy Nesbit said. [Read more…]
The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department is extending open hours at the outdoor pool into the month of August. The new schedule will begin on Thursday, August 1, as follows:
Wendy Davis, who has been a head coach at the University of Minnesota, has been named head coach of the Atomic Rowing program in Oak Ridge.
The appointment was announced by the Oak Ridge Rowing Association on Monday. It follows a nationwide search, a press release said.
Davis was head coach of the Women’s Division 1 Rowing program at the University of Minnesota since 2000, the press release said. While head coach, Davis helped the Golden Gophers rowing team become one of the nation’s leading collegiate organizations, and she was consistently recognized by her peers, twice receiving Big Ten Coach of the Year honors, the press release said. The 2019 Golden Gophers had a mid-year national ranking of 15th, the release said.
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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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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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The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department will have its second annual Water Safety Day on Saturday, June 22, at the Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool on Providence Road. The event will be held from 12 p.m. until 2 p.m. Saturday.
Water Safety Day is a partnership between the Recreation and Parks Department, Oak Ridge Fire Department, and Oak Ridge Police Department, as well as the Anderson County Volunteer Rescue Squad and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, a press release said. Demonstrations will include boating and lifejacket safety, open water rescues, lifeguard skills, and more.
“Please note that the pool’s open swim schedule has been adjusted due to the event and will begin immediately following Water Safety Day activities,” the press release said. Those who participate in the event will be eligible to stay for open swim at no cost.
[Read more…]The USA Cycling National Pro Road, Crit, Time Trial, and Para-Cycling Championships will be held in Knoxville and Oak Ridge next week, from June 27-30.
In partnership with Visit Knoxville, the City of Oak Ridge will host the ITT National Championships for the second year in a row, a press release said.
“Watching the national championship events last summer during USA Cycling’s first visit to Oak Ridge was an incredible experience,” Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch said. “Obviously our community made an impact because these top-notch cycling teams are returning to our beautiful waterfront venue. We thank our residents and visitors for their patience with the traffic impacts and hope that everyone is able to come out and enjoy the time trials.”
Here is information about traffic impacts:
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