The winter sports season ended with a bang for college athletes from Chatham County.
Not only did the county have Alabama sophomore Jarin Stevenson as representation in the men’s Elite Eight, former Jordan-Matthews swimmer Jennah Fadely capped off her career at Kenyon College with national title victories in the 100-yard breaststroke and the 200-yard breaststroke (tied her personal-best time which is also tied for the top time in program history) at the NCAA Division III Championship meet rom March 19 to 22. Fadely now has eight NCAA titles and 24 All-America awards.
But as the successful winter season comes to a close, it’s time to put all attention on the spring athletes. Here’s an update on what some former local standouts are doing on the collegiate level across baseball, softball and lacrosse:
Baseball
Aidan Allred (Brunswick Community College, Chatham Charter)
Former Chatham Charter standout Aidan Allred played in 11 games for Brunswick Community College in his freshman year. He has not made an appearance since March 14 due to injury and is out for the season. Allred achieved a batting average of .161 with two RBIs and five runs. In the field, Allred was sharp in his opportunities, recording six put outs, nine assists and an overall fielding percentage of .938 (1.000 in conference play). His best game came in a 14-4 win over Lakeland Community College on March 11 in which he went 2-for-4 from the plate and knocked in two RBIs.
Anthony Lopossay (Cleveland Community College, Chatham Central)
Anthony Lopossay, the former Chatham Central pitcher, has appeared in five games for Cleveland Community College this spring. The freshman has pitched eight innings as of Sunday, recording three strikeouts and an ERA of 1.13.
Sam Murchison (UNC Greensboro, Jordan-Matthews)
Former Jordan-Matthews Jet Sam Murchison has made eight starts on the mound for UNCG this season as of Sunday. The senior put together some solid games, including a win over Radford on March 7 in which he struck out nine batters and gave up zero earned runs in six innings. Murchison also recorded nine strikeouts in the Spartans’ win over Creighton in his first appearance of the season on Feb. 14. Things didn’t go as well in his latest outing Friday, though, as he gave up nine runs in two innings on the way to a 17-3 loss to East Tennessee State. Murchison has a 4-3 record as of Sunday.
Softball
Logan Gunter (Furman, Jordan-Matthews)
Logan Gunter, the former Jordan-Matthews standout, made an immediate impact for Furman as a freshman. The shortstop and outfielder appeared in 14 games and made 12 starts, but after March 1, she was ruled out for the season due to a knee injury. Gunter’s best game came in an 11-3 win over SIU Edwardsville on Feb. 28. In that game, she went 2-for-2 from the plate and stole three bases. Gunter achieved seven hits, six runs and a .212 batting average so far this season. She also recorded 16 put outs, 17 assists and a fielding percentage of .917.
Jaylee Williams (App State, Chatham Central)
Former Chatham Central Bear Jaylee Williams has seen a significant increase in her role at App State during her sophomore year. The outfielder has appeared in 25 games and started in 13 as of Sunday. Williams has recorded eight hits in 39 at bats for a batting percentage of .205. She notched a career-high three hits in a loss to Winthrop on Feb. 15, and she recorded a career-high two RBIs the next day against the same opponent.
Hailie Edmondson (Wake Tech, Chatham Charter)
Hailie Edmondson, the former Chatham Charter Knight, has started eight games on the mound for Wake Tech this season. The sophomore is on track to improve on her freshman numbers, striking out 39 batters (41 last year) with an ERA of 7.00 (8.35 last season) in nine less appearances as of Sunday. In an 11-1 win over Southwest Virginia on March 15, Edmondson struck out a career-high 10 batters in four innings.
Men’s Lacrosse
Payne Swenson (Greensboro College, Seaforth)
Former Seaforth standout Payne Swenson has played in five games during his freshman year at Greensboro College. He has recorded one goal, one assist and a .750 shot on goal percentage as of Sunday. Swanson’s first career goal came in a 16-3 win over Brevard on March 15. He took a career-high three shots in that game, getting two shots on goal.
Women’s Lacrosse
Ryan Tinervin (Roanoke College, Northwood)
Former Northwood Charger Ryan Tinervin has appeared in three games during her freshman season as of Sunday. The attack has seen playing time in blowout wins, scoring two goals and getting four shots on goal in her opportunities. In a 22-0 win over Averett on March 15, Tinervin scored her first career goal while getting off a career-high three shots (two on goal).
Track and Field
Lucas Smith (UNC Wilmington, Chatham Charter)
Former Chatham Charter sprinter Lucas Smith has been running the 400m dash in his freshman outdoor track season at UNCW. At the Raleigh Relays hosted by NC State from March 27-29, Smith ran his collegiate personal-best time of 48.09 seconds (33rd-best time out of 105 runners).