Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (May 10, 2000)
______ li WedNEsdAy, M ay 10, 2000 TI h E ClAckAMAS P rìnt Softball squad takes one' ■ nil from LCC Lernen: Next goal is to qualify for Olympic Trials Continued from page 1 coach," noted Kegg. "I haven't been able to find another one like him. He's going to be a tough act to follow." "I didn't really put up huge marks like a lot of the kids out of Texas and California," said Lemen. "So, I was kind of head ing nowhere fast. 1 was recruited for football and volleyball but what colleges do is offer more money than they actually have. When it came time to sign, there was no money available so there was really nowhere to go." That was when Jackson High Head Coach Eric Hrushka, a former coach and athlete at Clackamas, introduced Lemen to Kegg. The rest, as they say, is history. Months before his first season as a Cougar in 1997, Lemen broke a vertebrate in his back after crashing hard to the worn pads during an indoor pole vaulting practice in Randall Gymnasium. "It was kind of hectic for a while," said Lemen. "I didn't real ize it was as serious as-it was. I thought it was just a minor in jury. Then when 1 found out that | 1 had actually broken a verte brate, I thought I was done." Lemen wasn't done by any means. Later that spring, he won the NWAACC title in the pole vault as well as the decathlon. In his second year at Clacka mas, he redshirted after having surgery done to repair scar tis sue from the ankle he broke in high school. "I ended up taking last season off because of that surgery," added Lemen. "ft wound up be- . ing'a good choice for me because it opened up a lot more opportu nities for me to develop and get better with another year of train ing. ft opened up a lot of scholar ship offers." Coach Kegg feels that the only thing that will stop Lemen is an other injury. "[If you ask me] what are his limits?" said Kegg. "I haven't seen any yet. I don't think that David Lemen has any limits." Winning his third title and sec ond decathlon has opened count less doors for the future. Lemen not only toppled Pappas' national junior college record and O'Brien's NWAACC Championship. Tim Bright, a three-time Olym pian in the 60s, was the Southern Region record holder. Lemen now holds that record as well. As for scholarships, he has al ready signed his letter-of-intent to compete for the University of Georgia next year. "[Georgia] has offered me an 80% scholarship," noted Lemen. "After they see that I've broken those records, I'm hoping that they'll bump that up to a full scholarship so I don't have to work this summer to pay for school." Breaking records, receiving scholarships and national recog nition, Lemen has not strayed from his humble demeanor. "If it wasn't for the other ath letes and coaches on the team," said Lemen, "I wouldn't have been able to reach these goals. If it weren't for people around me pushing me, doing the hard work outs with me, making me become that much better, I wouldn't have had as much success. Everyone who has been a part, ever since high school, my parents, people at the church, has been a big part of what has gone on as far as my success. Without any of them, I don't think it would have all been possible." In the Olympics, the gold med alist in the decathlon is said to be the greatest athlete in the world. Keeping with that thinking, Lemen could be considered to be the greatest junior college ath lete in history. "I've heard people call me that," said Lemen. "Forme, it's kind of like a stepping stone. It's one rung on the ladder. For me, the ultimate goal since 1 started doing the decathlon was to be the first decathlete to score over 9000 points. The world record is around 8900. To be the first person to set 9000 and to do that in Athens, Greece in four years, where the original Olympics took place, would be the ultimate goal and the ultimate closure to the greatest track career imagin able." Lemen doesn't have any plans to rest in the near future. Competing against relatively weak competition at the NWAACC Championships, he plans to attend a meet in the early summer against sopie of the top college athletes to try and qualify for the Olympic Tri als. Scoring 7532 against a weak crowd, Lemen hopes to score 7700-7800 points when pushed by competitors. "We're going to try and find a meet where there's more competi tion to where I can score 7700, possibly 7800," added Lemen. "If 1 can do that, I'll be right up there in the top ten to go to Trials. If 1 make the Trials, 1'11 go compete with the mindset of watching the top athletes in the nation compete and see how they strategize and what they do during the competition that will make them peak and perform to the best of their ability. I'd be there right next to Pappas, O'Brien—all those boys." Vanessa Applegate, one of the smallest players on the team, is weilding a big bat with a .362 average and .466 slugging percentage. JOHN THORBURN / Clackamas Print nings before faltering in the extra bat, Rowley took off for home. Velke picked up the ball and fired frame. Editor-in-Chief it home. At the start of the game, Clacka Rowley and LCC's catcher col The Clackamas softball team has mas had a scare as a Red Devil bat lided and the game was over. earned itself a two-week break be ter unleashed a shot that hit The Red Devil dropped the ball Warthen on the inside of her left fore traveling to Spokane to com pete in this year’s conference cham knee. The veteran right-hander allowing Rowley to score the win ning run. crumpled to the dirt in pain. pionship tournament. "It was a huge collision," added “As soon as we saw it happen,” It did so winning five of six games, Fiskum. "I'm glad that it wasn't a play noted Fiskum, “we thought she was including a win over top-ranked done for the day. We started having that was left up to the umpire to call. Lower Columbia, last week. She dropped the ball, we won the Last Tuesday, the Cougars swept Borde warm up but Mel walked [the pain] off. ft was game." Grays Harbor at The end of the game marked the a bad bruise but home in 6-2 and 8- she toughed it end of the Cougars' home schedule. 0 victories. "It's a pretty nice way to close out out and pitched In the first game, It's a pretty nice a career playing at Clackamas," an incredible Sophomore way to close a noted Fiskum, refering to Rowley's game.” Melanie Warthen In the second scramble to home. picked up her 16lh career playing at On Saturday, Clackamas drove game, Borde win of the season, took the reins as three hours to Des Moines, Wash, tying her for the Paul Fiskum the converted to take on Highline. lead in career wins Head Coach The Thunderbirds, who knocked pitcher, who was at Clackamas with recruited as an Clackamas out of last year's 33. outfielder, NWAACC tournament, were al Sophomore Jes pitched her ready out of playoff contention. sica Farnsworth, "Any time you have to play a team squad to a 5-4 victory. who jumped into the team lead in With the score tied 4-4 heading that doesn't have anything to lose," hitting last week, laid down two said Fiskum, "it's always going to into the bottom of the seventh in bunts that led to two hits in a 2-for- ning, Jessica Rowley stepped to the be a battle." 4 performance. She is hitting .386 on In thefirstgame,Warthen brokethe plate. She led off the inning with a the season. In the second game, Melissa shot back at Velke that the defense career win record with her 34th victory as a Cougar and 17th this spring as Borde pitched a three-hitter and Julia had no chance to rebound from and she paced her squad to a 5-3 win. Rowley was aboard with no out. Driggers hit a bases loaded double Driggers then sacrificed Rowley to Farnsworth continued her hot per off the fence to lead Clackamas. formance at the plate as she went 3- On Friday, Misty Velke and the second. Farnsworth then earned a walk for-4 and scored twice with one RBI. Red Devils traveled from Lower Co to put two on for die Cougars. Next, Kirsten Richards hit a slow Borde retired 21 of 27 batters as lumbia as the #1 team in the North Clackamas won file nightcap 8-2. Her west and the #4 Cougars went head roller to the shortstop that then flipped to third to try and tag out an ERA is now at 1.94. to head. Sue Johnson led a balanced offen In the first game, Velke pitched a advancing Rowley from second. “Jessica made a really aggressive sive attack going 4-for-4 with an RBI. no-hitter as the Devils won 5-0 in move,” said Fiskum. “She just took The Cougars, who captured the eight innings. second spot in the Southwestern “She’s an amazing pitcher,” said off and slid under the tag.” With runners at each comer with Region, are guaranteed a berth into Clackamas Head Coach Paul Fiskum. “I didn’t realize that she had only one out, the Devils called a the May 20-21 championship tour nament in Spokane. thrown a no-hitter until I looked at timeout, then decided to intention While Fiskum's squad is idle over the scoresheets after the game, ft ally walk Jessica Farnsworth. Melissa Cedillo then stepped to the next week and a half, the third didn’t feel like she dominated as through sixth place squads will play much as she has in the past. We were the plate. On the firts pitch, Cedillo laid down off for the final two berths into the taking a lot of good cuts at the plate.” tournament. Velke was one walk off of a per a bunt that rolled to the pitcher. "Melissa did exactly what we The last time the Cougars played fect game. a tournament in Spokane, they won Warthen, on the mound for the needed her to do," said Fiskum. When the ball went off of Cedillo's an NWAACC title. Cougars, pitched seven shutout in JOHN THORBURN out Clackamas.
