Tennessee
Special Olympics Tennessee unites athletes at annual Summer Games
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Special Olympics Tennessee hosted its highly anticipated annual Summer Games on Saturday, drawing participants from across the Volunteer State to compete in a display of athleticism and camaraderie.
Among the hundreds of athletes showcasing their talent and determination at Lipscomb University was Kevin Evans. Evans is an experienced athlete who loves the games.
“We love it. We’ve been doing it for many, many years, and we love having memories for ourselves,” Evans said.
Evans was representing Metro Parks, along with Kevin Donelson, Kenneth Carpenter, and Joshua Putman. They all played on the same volleyball team.
For Donelson, the bond between the athletes goes beyond sports. “These are my brothers in Christ. I help them; they help me,” Donelson said.
Memphis native Daphne Rankin, cousin of Kevin Donelson, expressed her admiration for the camaraderie exhibited by the athletes.
“I love how they support one another,” Rankin said. She attended to support her cousin in the powerlifting competition.
This year’s Summer Games saw a remarkable turnout, with over 800 athletes and Unified Partners from various corners of the state participating in the competition.
“It’s great to see them come out and see old faces, new faces, friends, and be able to come together as a powerlifting family,” Powerlifting coach Nina Weston said.
One athlete-turned-volunteer, Jordan Casey, considered returning to the event as a blessing.
“When you can get your mindset to something, especially if it’s something you want to accomplish, you can do that,” Casey said.
Casey has competed before, this year he transitioned to a volunteer role. He encouraged ongoing support for athletes and cherished the chance to participate alongside loved ones.
Adding to the excitement of the event, the opening ceremony on Friday they welcomed Tennessee Titans Head Coach Mike Vrabel as a special guest, inspiring athletes with a speech.
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Tennessee
Titans OT Projected for All-Rookie Team
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The Tennessee Titans have revamped their offense for the upcoming season, and part of their upgrades have come in the form of some new players, some new to the team and others who have yet to play in the NFL.
One of those players is first-round rookie offensive tackle JC Latham, who the Titans took with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
NFL.com draft analyst Chad Reuter listed his picks for the 2024 All-Rookie Team and tabbed Latham as the player at the tackle spot.
“Latham is another rookie tackle lining up at a new spot in the pros, moving to the left side with the Titans after stoutly holding down the right side at Alabama,” Reuter writes. “At 6-foot-6, 342 pounds, Latham will be a sturdy wall in pass protection for second-year quarterback Will Levis thanks to his wide base and 35 1/8-inch arms. Latham will also move defenders to create running lanes for new feature back Tony Pollard and backups Tyjae Spears and Hassan Haskins.”
Latham joined quarterback and No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams (Chicago Bears), running backs Trey Benson (Arizona Cardinals) and Ray Davis (Buffalo Bills), wide receivers Marvin Harrison Jr. (Arizona Cardinals) and Xavier Worthy (Kansas City Chiefs), tight end Brock Bowers (Las Vegas Raiders), offensive linemen Joe Alt (Los Angeles Chargers), Jackson Powers-Johnson (Las Vegas Raiders), Tanor Bartolini (Indianapolis Colts) and Graham Barton (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) on the list.
Latham was a right tackle at Alabama, but the Titans have plans for him to move to the left side to protect quarterback Will Levis’ blindside. He will have to adjust to the NFL level, but with offensive line coach Bill Callahan helping guide that transition, Latham is in extremely good and experienced hands.
Latham has been a coach in the NFL since the 1990’s and he was recently with the Cleveland Browns, who had one of the best units in the league last season. Now, Latham helps as an anchor for the Titans in the trenches as they look to improve from having one of the worst offensive lines in the league a year ago.
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Tennessee
Tennessee Lands Two Players in MLB Mock Drat
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The Tennessee Volunteers’ baseball program has landed two players in the latest 2024 MLB mock draft.
The Tennessee Volunteers took home the 2024 national championship after a historic season and the celebrations don’t look like they will be slowing down any time soon. The 2024 MLB draft is just a little over two weeks out from kicking off and the Volunteers have a couple of candidates that could go in the first round.
MLB.com released their latest version of a first-round 2024 MLB mock draft and two Volunteers were included on the list. Christian Moore was pinned as the 12th overall selection to the Boston Red Sox and Billy Amick 33rd overall to the Minnesota Twins in the supplemental first-round selections. Here is what the outlet wrote about Moore:
“Barring a surprise fall — perhaps Griffin or Rainer? — the Red Sox figure to dip into the second tier of college bats that begins with Tibbs and Moore, though Yesavage is also enticing. This is the ceiling for other members of that group, including Florida State third baseman Cam Smith, Wake Forest third baseman/outfielder Seaver King, Oklahoma State outfielder Carson Benge, Louisiana State third baseman Tommy White, North Carolina outfielder Vance Honeycutt and Kentucky outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt.”
Moore was one of the best players in Omaha this year. In the first game against Florida State, he became just the second player in college World Series history to hit for the cycle. He was a crucial piece to Tennessee’s national championship-winning team. Over his three years at Tennessee, Moore finished with a .338 batting average, 61 home runs, 160 RBI and 162 starts, which is ironically the same number of games in a full MLB regular season.
Since the college football season came to an end, it has been an eventful offseason for Tennessee athletics. The men’s basketball team made a deep run in the March Madness tournament, the baseball program won its first-ever national title, Dalton Knecht was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the NBA draft and now it looks like the Volunteers will add to that list when the MLB draft rolls around.
The MLB draft will start on July 14th and will run until July 16th. The draft will last 20 total rounds which will allow plenty of other opportunities for more Volunteers to be selected into the major league. The Volunteers have a history of success when it comes to the professional baseball league and it doesn’t look like the 2024 MLB draft will be any different than the previous years.
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