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■ FANFARE
• • Th« Red end Bleck » Wedneedey, May 2, 1990
SPORTS
The University of Georgia women's golf team moved up two
notches to No. 8 In the Golf Coaches Association of America poll
released Tuesday. Senior Anne Cain moved up to No. 15 fol-
lowlng her one-stroke victory In the WSIC Sunday.
In pursuit of excellence
Diver doesn’t have time for pain
■y TREVOR PADGETT
Sports Editor
Lnst year It was a rtrcurring
knee injury, this year it was fooa
poisoning Through both, Georgia
diver Lee Ann Fletcher perse
vered More than that, she ex
celled.
“Maybe God is trying to make
me a tougher diver," the Athens
native said of her physical tra
vails. “It seems like everything's
been going ngainet me, but no
matter what, I know 111 continue
to dive."
And continue to dive, she did.
Although Fletcher claimed 1989-
90 woe "the worst season of her
life individually," the junior
made her second straight appear-
once in both the NCAA
Championships and the U.S. In
door Championships. She also is
scheduled to compete in the U.S.
Outdoor Championships ngain
this August.
But with her luck over the past
two seasons, Fletcher better not
make plane reservations for
Dallas just yet,
Actually, Fletcher’s knee trou
bles began in sevonth grade when
she roller-sknted into a brick
wall, injuring her loft knee. A
yoar Inter, aha hnd arthroscopic
surgery to remove bone chips and
to re attach a tendon that had be
come too constricting.
The knee held up pretty well
through her four years at Cedar
Shoals High, Fletcher said, but
the rigorous six-day practices
r.i.
Lee Ann Fletcher: Diver
beats the bad luck odds
that accompanied her diving
echolarshlp to Georgia took their
toil.
“My left leg became noticeably
weaker than my right during the
latter part of my (Veehmnn year,"
she said, ‘My (Injured) knee just
wasn't accustomed to the exten
sive use that came with college
diving.'
Fletcher’s sophomore year was
marked with outstanding nchiev-
ments and continued rehabilita
tion of her knee.
An All-America honorable
mention on the three-meter
board topped Fletcher's 1988-89
accomplishments. Fletcher
placed In the top six on the one-
meter, three-meter and tower In
the 1989 SEC meet, while fin
ishing ninth In the NCAAs on the
one-meter,
These accomplishments and
several months to rest the knee
buffeted Fletcher’s hopes of a
more outstanding junior year.
And all seemed to be going well
through the year, as Fletcher
completed the dual swimming
diving season undefeated on the
one-meter.
Then came the ill-fated trip to
a local restaurant, where
Fletcher got a hold of a bad piece
of chicken and wound up
spending two nights in the hos-
pita! with salmonella food poi
soning.
“It was on awftil experience,"
Fletcher said. "I was throwing up
for eight hours and they hnd IVs
pumping food into me."
Despite this "awftil experi
ence," Fletcher was out on the
board the day she was released
from the hospital practicing for
NCAA qualifying, her coach said.
“Lee Ann stayed with (diving)
and fought through the illness,"
Dan Lank said. ‘She never used
her illness as an excuse.”
Three days after her release,
Fletcher was in Lexington for the
NCAA qualifying meet. She qual
ified for three-meter, but missed
making the one-meter by one
spot.
"I was really disheartened
when I didn't qualify for the one-
meter," Fletcher said. "When the
rankings came out for nationals,
I was ranked sixth on the one-
meter. It made me sick."
Although she was embnrnssed
to say, Fletcher finished 20th in
Mtsr Frty/'he Red dtxl Black
Arc of the diver: Fletcher
has grace under pressure
the nationals on the three-meter.
Fletcher also placed 16th on the
platform, an event she admitted
was not her best.
Whot mnkes her NCAA perfor
mance more impressive is the
fnct that Fletcher whs rendmitted
to the hospital upon returning
from the NCAAs in Austin,
Texas.
"It was nothing major,"
Fletcher snid of her second hos
pital stay. "I was still weak from
the food poisoning nnd I just
hadn’t hnd time to recuperate."
One month after the overnight
stay, Fletcher wns out on the
board competing again. At the
U.S. Indoors, she finished 16th
nnd 17th on the three- and one-
meter, respectively. Both scores
Qualified her for the U.S. Out
doors.
The illness was still lingering
with her at the indoors, but
Fletcher feels almost 100 percent
now.
"Being sick has definitely
made me want to dive more,"
Fletcher said. "1 feel like the
worst is behind me."
No matter if it is or not,
Fletcher will persevere and, no
doubt, she will excel.
Diamond Dogs down Jackets
By ERIC GARBER
Sporta Writer
Tho fifth-rnnked Georgia bnae-
bnll tenm did nomethlng Tuesday
ngninnt the No. 23 Georgia Teen
Yellow Jackets that it hadn’t done
all season: The team played under
the lights at Foley Field.
For n while It seemed like the
Tech hitters were more excited
about Foley Field's new addition
than the Dogs were and led 6-5
going into the bottom of the eighth.
But ns the Dogs have done ail
season, they found n way to win 8-6
late to improve their record to 42-
10. The team's 42 wins nre one
away from being the most ever in n
season by a Georgia squad.
Georgia managed to tie the
game at six in the bottom of the
eighth on a sacrifice fiy by Ray Su-
plee. Then came the big hit. With
two outs in the inning, Joey Al
fonso, who hnd struck out his three
previous nt bats, turned a Mike
Hostetler fnsthnli into a two-run
triple to right center to give
Georgia a 8-6 lend.
Mntt Holtsmn, who replnced
starter Stan Pnyne in the seventh,
retired the Jackets in order in the
ninth to earn his fifth win ngninst
no losses.
“Conch Webber hnd confidence
in me nnd didn’t replnce me with a
inch hitter," Alfonso snid about
is gnme winning nt bnt. “I hnd
gone down on strikes all night nnd
wns just waiting for my pitch. The
fastball came nnd I just tried to hit
it hard."
Tech built a dominating 6-1 lend
going into the bottom of the sixth
In-hind three homers to increase
the tenm total to 76, second in the
ACC. But the Diamond Dogs knew
thnt a bnsebnll gnme Insts nine in
nings nnd they still hnd n chance.
With two outs in the bottom of
the sixth nnd McKny Smith nt first
nfler he reached on n Tech error,
J.K. Shownlter pounded n home
run over the wall in left center to
pull the Dogs within three. Hos
tetler, the game's loser, then pre
ceded to hit Jester on the shoulder,
prompting the Georgia DH into
giving Tech's lender in wins (10) n
few words to absorb,
Jester's antics apparently
spnrked his tenm ns Georgin scored
two more runs on an RBI double
from Bruce Chick nnd nn RBI
single fVnm Doug Rndziewicz to
mnke the score 6-5.
“When I got hit, my first reaction
wns to take a step forward because
that’s just humnn nature," Jester
snid.“I really wanted to pump the
tenm up. We needed something to
get us going nnd I thought thnt
might do it.”
Tech jumped to a 1-0 lend off
Pnyne in the first inning when An
thony Mnisnno hit a shot to left to
score freshman Carlton Fleming
from third. However, center fielder
McKny Smith mnnnged to gun
down Mnisnno nt second ns the
Tech DH tried to stretch his hit
into a double.
The Jackets (39-15) continued to
bother Pnyne in the second. With
nobody out and after Andy Bruce
reached first on a single to center,
first baseman Doug Kenney
cracked his sixth homer over the
right field wall to mnke the scare 3-
0.
“Even though we struggled
enrly, i think we bounced back
well," Webber snid.
Jester’s bat is no joke
Diamond Dog Brian Jester leads Georgia against Georgia Tech to
night in Atlanta. The senior designated hitter is leading the No. 5
Georgia baseball team and the SEC with 15 home runs. Game time is
7 p.m. at Chandler Field.
naNiMiinrRtiiij
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