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About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (May 21, 2008)
Clackamas Print Wednesday, May 21, 2008 Sports 7 Cougars’ catcher finds her focus CpFK ■ behind the plate Track and Field This week, track I not compete at a et, instead prepar- ; for the Northwest ileticEssociation of mmuBty Colleges impio|ships. Tead Coach Keoni Honelsays that the ietes to watch on the nen’st side are long- anceltunner Andria ieese, the women’s 00 and 4x400 relay n and Sierra Hess the discus. Hess was for a few weeks due i twisted ankle. It is still a little teiv , but it didn’t seem iffect her last week- i,” McHone said, jfeth« men’s com etion, both of the n’s relays are pre- tt^^Hdo well, and tt’Tweedy is one to tch in tge 400 meter. *Joe (Ebel will most sly score the most nts for the team,” Hone said. “He’s ered t-in multiple -nts and looks to re well.” Cai Ojala is expected io well in the men’s h jump;as well. rheW NWAACC mpionships will 3 place May 22 and at Siokane Falls nmunityi College in ikane, Wash. Softball Clackamas softball zn made* it to fifth :e in the Northwest letic Association of nmunity Colleges VAACtf) champi- hips before being -eked out of the com- Tion Saturday. May by Lower Columbia i .Walla Walla. hese defeats mean .. for the first time ix years Clackamas’ ball team, made jf mostly freshman yers, Md not make nto the NWAACC »■ipionship. , .oftballlfinishes the ton with 26 wins 23 los|es. MegaiuKoler Lisa Sellars The Clackamas Print “Winning” is all in the name for freshman catcher Susan Winningham. “I’d never change my last name,” Winningham laughed. “I’m going to be kind of bummed when I get married and have to change it.” Winningham, who graduated from Crater High School last year, helped her team win its softball title before coming to Clackamas to explore possible career options and continue playing the sport. With barely a year of college under her belt, she has stood out as one of the most dedicated and talented athletes in Clackamas athlet ics. “Susaji is one of the hard est-working around,” said Softball Coach Jessica Buel. “She is fun to watch play.” “She has been one of the most consistent players we’ve ever had,” said Assistant Coach Denise Nasuta. “Her attitude and her deter mination add a lot to our team,” said teammate Brianne Rowley. “She is always trying to .be up, and she is always hard on herself.” Winningham wasn’t always the most focused, hardworking player — in fact, that’s how she became a catcher in the first place. Catching “is the only position I could be put at because every other posi tion, you don’t really have to pay attention a lot, and I was spacey then,” she said. “I’d look into other people’s dugouts and stuff, so they had to put me there so I’d pay attention.” Since little league, soft- ball has become an inte gral part of her life. “If I didn’t have soft- ball ... I don’t know what I would be doing,” she said. “I like just being a part of something, being a part of a team.” Even though she revels in the team atmosphere, joining the lady Cougars this season has had its share of difficulties. “In high school, we’d been playing together for seven or eight years. You Left: Freshman Susan Winningham gets ready to take a swing. Although she is a catcher, Winningham’s self-pro- claimed forte is batting. knew everybody,” she said. “It’s just a challenge coming up here and getting to know everybody and knowing how they play.” Winningham isn’t the only new indi vidual to the group - nearly 90 percent of the 25 softball players at Clackamas are freshman. Last weekend, at the Northwest Athletic Association of Community College (NWAACC) championships, the Cougars placed fifth out of the 16 com munity college teams from Oregon and Washington. The team feels that a lot of its suc cess is due to Winningham’s attitude and drive. Even though she is technically a catcher, she admits that batting is her favorite part of the game. “Batting’s kind of my forte,” she said. “It’s something I just really enjoy working on and getting better at and just doing.” Her most precious commodity might simply be her unshakable attitude and strong sense of belief in her abilities, which she feels is a necessary attri bute for any competitor. As her team mate, freshman Kayla Vedaa, says, “She knows she’s good.” “I go through hard times — everyone does,” Winningham said. “You have to be confident or you’re not going to be successful.” “I’m confident, but not cocky,” she added. Robert Crawford Clackamas Prtnt Baseball 'he Cougars failed to ;e it into Northwest letic Aisociation of j|munity Colleges AACC) post-sea- te team wrapped up m on a high note a double victory Mt. Hood on May first game .ng in a score of 3-2 in game two, 1-0. team ended the ,pn with a record of yins ld 17 losses' New! Courses start Fall 2008 Sustainable Urban Development Minor offered by PSU at Clackamas Harmony Center • USP 399 Introduction to Sustainable Urban Development—fully online • USP 425 Community and the Built Environment—at Clackamas Harmony campus Contact Bee Jai Repp, PhD, 503-315-4587 or reppb@pdx.edu. Portland UNIVERSITY State
