While many of the rest of us were keeping to air-conditioned spaces, more than 800 athletes age 50 to 80-plus were braving the heat and humidity over the past week to compete in the Senior Softball-USA Eastern National Championships at the Walnut Creek Softball Complex in Raleigh.

Fifty-six teams of 15 players each from east of the Mississippi River competed in 15 divisions and earned the opportunity to compete in the Oct. 15-24 World Championships in Phoenix, said Senior Softball CEO Terry Hennessy of Sacramento, Calif., who was in Raleigh helping conduct the event.

North Carolina was represented by two of the nine women's teams and 11 of the 47 men's teams in age groups ranging from Women's 40 to Men's 80. The Carolina Cardinals of Apex won the Men's 70 Silver title in a showdown of N.C. teams, defeating the Burlington 70s 20-11, and the Carolina Cobras of Chapel Hill finished second in the Men's 55 AAA Division, losing 21-8 to Eagle Tile of Stevensville, Md., in the event's final game Sunday evening. Code Electric of Wake Forest finished fourth in the Men's 60 AAA.

Two golfers from Cary won their first Carolinas Golf Association championships on Thursday, taking the overall titles at the sixth Dogwood State Junior Championship.

Will Thomas of Cary defeated Andrew Decker of Greenville on the first playoff hole for the boys title, and Sarah Bae took a three-stroke victory for the girls title at Jack Nicklaus-designed The Club at 12 Oaks in Holly Springs.

The Triangle Volleyball Club has received confirmation from Guinness World Records that the club officially holds the Guinness World Record for the “most consecutive volleyball passes.”

The record of 110 passes was set Feb. 5 at the Raleigh Convention Center in conjunction with the Feb. 6-7 Mid-Atlantic Power League tournament hosted the TVC.

Led by record-setting individual and relay performances from Triangle swimmers, North Carolina Swimming finished third at the Southern Zone All-Star Meet held July 27-Aug. 1 in Atlanta.

Tyler Silver, 12, of the Marlins of Raleigh swam to two individual meet and state records - one that stood for 20 years - and was on two relay teams that set meet records, and Christian Lam of the YMCA of the Triangle Area set one individual state record and was on the winning relays with Silver.

Michael Hocker of Chapel Hill won the 16-and-Under Boys Division at the AAU National Golf Championship for Juniors held Monday through Wednesday at the Ballantyne Resort in Charlotte.

North Carolina golfers made a strong showing in a field that included golfers from throughout the eastern United States. Among them, Thomas Bonney of Pleasant Garden took overall boys honors in winning the Boys 18-and-Under Division, Sarah Almond of Albemarle ran away with the 18-and-Under Girls Division for the girls championship.

Taelor Rubin of Raleigh led from start to finish in winning the 44th Twin States Junior Girls Golf Championship on Wednesday at The Windermere Club in Blythewood, S.C.

Rubin, 17, shot a final-round 73 to finish with a 1-under-par 143 and a three-stroke victory over Collins Bradshaw of Columbia, S.C.

The heat did not deter a field of more than 200 runners and walkers who turned out Saturday for the inaugural Run for the Heart 5K in Morrisville.

Veteran Triangle road racer Erik Olson, 32, of Durham covered the certified 5K course in 18 minutes flat, organizer Jim Young of Young & Associate timing company reported. Brian Smith, 27, of Carrboro, who set the pace for most of the race, followed in 18:04.

Janice Martin, 39, of Cary won the women's competition and finished eighth overall in 20:20. Cathy Gugerli, 39, of Cary was second in 22:26.

Serious or silly, outstanding action awaits softball fans in Raleigh this weekend.

Some of the Southeast’s best girls fastpitch players will compete Thursday through Sunday in the ASA Southern Nationals 18-and-under tournament at the Walnut Creek Softball Complex at 1201 Sunnybrook Road.

Warm up for the tournament with some fun by watching The King and His Court. The four-man exhibition team will entertain with stunt pitches, athletic talent and comedic routines at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Walnut Creek.

Eric Bae of Cary had to play extra holes, but that didn't stop him from winning his first Carolinas Golf Association title.

Bae defeated Raleigh's Harrison Rhoades on the third playoff hole to win the N.C. Junior Boys 13-and-Under Championship at the Asheboro Municipal Golf Course in Asheboro on Tuesday. (Complete results are below.)

Durham's Rob Stover has qualified for the inaugural N.C. Amateur Match Play Championship to be played Aug. 4-8 at the Country Club of Salisbury.

In sectional qualifying conducted Wednesday by the Carolinas Golf Association, Stover shot a 3-over-par 74 at Pine Island Country Club in Charlotte to share 18th place.

Thirty-nine golfers made the cut, which fell at 5-over 76. (Complete results are below.)