Wednesday,
May 13, 1998
Men win region title, women place 4th
• Clackamas
captures the
men's
Southern
Region title
after
unexpected
athletes step
up when
needed.
Clackamas
runners
Robin
Peters
[left] and
Jaye
Wilder
battle in
the men's
100m
dash.
JOHN THORBURN
Sports Editor
.• Championships:
Clackamas Head Coach Jack Kegg
predicted the men's team to capture this
year's Southern Region title.
He was right.
How they won the championship,
however, is a different story.
Heading into the final few events jn
this past weekend's Southern Region
Championships, Clackamas held a slim
lead over Mt. Hood in the point stand
ings.
In the men's 4x 100 relay, Clackamas
was leading the pack but faltered on
an exchange and dropped the baton —
disqualifying the favored Cougars from
the race.
Clackamas captures men's title
• Next up:
NWAACC Championships,
5/20-21, Spokane, Wash.
"When we dropped that baton," said
Kegg, "it really put us in a bind. We
had some events coming up that weren't
our strongest.
"What happened though was pretty
awesome. Some of our athletes weren't
expected to place higher than fourth in
those last events but they pushed them
selves and finished in second and third.
See Track, page 8
JOHN THORBURN / Clackamas Print
Cougar
¿¿Sidelines
Mt. Hood ends Clackamas run
JOHN THORBURN
Sports Editor
Volleyball Camp
It's official.
There will be a new champion in soft-
ball this year.
The three-time defending Northwest
Athletic Association of Community Col
leges' [NWAACC] champion Cougars
failed to make the championship tourna
ment for the first time since 1987 after los-
ing to cross-town rival Mt. Hood 7-1 in a
loser-out-winner-to-
NWAAACC's play
off game on Sunday. • Playoffs:
Clackamas [23-
14] headed into the Clackamas 13
Piper Volleyball Camps will be
held this year in five locations.
Vancouver, Bend, Oregon City, Sa
lem and Aloha will be the sites for
the nationally known camp.
Clackamas will host the camp in
Oregon City, Aug. 3-5.
For more information, call Irma
Penwell at (503) 697-7430.
Racquetball
The Racquetball Club is spon
soring a Racquetball Exchange.
Any person from any college
is invited for friendly competi
tion, including singles and
doubles for all levels of racquet
ball skill.
The players compete at the
East Side Athletic Club in
Milwaukie Friday, May 15 from
7 p.m.-lO p.m.
Contact Kathie Woods at ext.
2418 for more information.
game on an emo
JOHN THORBURN / Clackamas Print
Clackamas will miss the NWAACC tournament for the first time since 1987 after
the Cougars' 7-1 loss to Mt. Hood in playoff action on Sunday.
Good guys didn't win this time
t wasn't supposed to be this way.
I
Things were supposed to be different.
For Clackamas Head Coach Denise
Nasuta, that sentiment hurts.
Nasuta assumed the head coaching respon
sibilities for Paul Fiskum this season as
Fiskum was on.a one-year sabbatical.
Nasuta assisted Fiskum —who has won
seven northwest titles in the
More Volleyball
The volleyball team is sponsoring
the 4th annual Jump Set Summer
Classic.
The grass, doubles tournament will
be held on two days.
On Saturday, May 30, men's and
women's competition will take place.
On Sunday, May 31, reverse co
ed competition will be played.
Cost is $30 per team. All proceeds
benefit the volleyball program.
For more information, call Assis
tant Volleyball Coach Jake Harwood
at ext. 2418.
Wednesday, May 13, 1998
7
tional high—surging
late in the season with Mt. Hood 7
Clackamas 1
eight straight wins.
On a rain-filled day
in north Portland, the Saints and Cougars
were locked in a 0-0 tie through the first
three innings before Mt: Hood jumped on
Clackamas pitcher Megan Smythe [7-6,
FCA Game Night
Clackamas students and their
friends are invited to Arrowhead Ath
letic Club for the Fellowship of Chris
tian Athletes [FCA] Game Night.
The cost is $2 per person for the
evening event on May 16.
Basketball, volleyball, swimming,
racquetbali, pool, wallyball, board
games, fellowship and food will take
place from 8 p.m. to midnight.
Centralia
John
Thorbum
Sports Editor
past ten years— for the
past three years before
heading the team this
spring.
In her season as head
coach, she compiled a 23-
14 record.
In Fiskum's first season
as head coach, he finished
with an 18-19 mark.
A former Clackamas
player, Nasuta did things
right —turning a talented roster of 11 fresh
men and 4 sophomores into a group of play
ers that learned to work as a team.
No other college netted as strong a recruit
ing class as Clackamas did in the offseason.
Guiding 15 standout players is not an easy
job.
"I'll tell you the same thing that I told Denise
Nasuta," said Athletic Director Jim Jackson.
"When Paul Fiskum was here, he had Paul
Fiskum and Denise Nasuta. Denise took on a
totally different role this year and she had to
do Paul's job as well as trying to do what she
did as an assistant.
"A combination of Paul Fiskum and Denise
Nasuta is a tough team to beat.
"That doesn't mean her assistants are not
good coaches, they are excellent coaches.
What Denise brings to the field though,
complements Paul's knowledge.
"She did an excellent job this season. If I had
to make the decision to replace Paul again, I'd
make the same choice a hundred times."
Nasuta will assume her role as assistant
coach next season when Fiskum returns to the
field as head coach.
Despite her team's failure to make this year's
championship tournament, Nasuta conducted
herself as a true champion.
2.25 ERA] for five runs on three hits.
Clackamas answered with one run in the
fifth on a hit by Marissa Smith [.406] that
scored Billie Williams [.478],
The Cougars weren't able to muster an
other run.
"Their number two pitcher was throw
ing against us," said Clackamas Head
Coach Denise Nasuta. "She just pitched a
heck of a game for them. She pretty much
shut us down."
Nasuta replaced Smythe with Cortney
DuPree in the third but neither of the two
pitchers were at top form.
DuPree[6-3,1.8 ERA] allowed two runs
on one hit and four walks.
With players and coaches slipping along
the rain-soaked field, sophomore pitcher
Kelley Comstock [10-5,1.42 ERA] entered
in the fifth to try and suffocate the Saints'
offense.
After five innings were played, the um
pires called the game on bad weather and
the Cougars' season was over.
"It's a pretty lousy way to end the sea
son," said Nasuta. "There isn't much clo
sure.
'Tve tried to contact the NWAACC com
missioner about trying to schedule those
final two innings but she told the Mt Hood
coach that the game was official because
See Softball, page 8