The 2011-’12 academic year is winding down, but the Red and Black still are going strong in several sports, so much so that it is difficult to give individual attention to each athletic endeavor in which University of Georgia undergraduates are engaged. Consequently, it is necessary for us to address some competitions with greater concision than that for which I ordinarily am known in a segment we like to call the Sunday summary:
Seven Georgia Bulldogs were drafted by professional football teams over the weekend, as Cordy Glenn was taken by the Buffalo Bills in the second round; Ben Jones was taken by the Houston Texans, Orson Charles was taken by the Cincinnati Bengals, and Brandon Boykin was taken by the Philadelphia Eagles, all in the fourth round; Blair Walsh was taken by the Minnesota Vikings in the sixth round; and Justin Anderson was taken by the Indianapolis Colts and DeAngelo Tyson was taken by the Baltimore Ravens, both in the seventh round (making Bean the first Bulldog drafted in an odd-numbered round). Naturally, we wish all these damn good ‘Dawgs well as they begin their post-collegiate careers, and we likewise send our regards to undrafted NFL hopefuls (some of whom already have signed as free agents) Brandon Bogotay, Drew Butler, Bruce Figgins, Israel Troupe, and Aron White.
On Wednesday night, the Georgia women’s softball team tuned up for its weekend SEC set by skunking Kennesaw State, 9-1, in six stanzas. Tess Sito made the weeknight date with the Owls her personal one-woman show, going four for five at the plate with a first-inning leadoff home run, a game-ending run-scoring double, and two RBI while fanning seven, conceding three hits, and improving to 8-1 in the circle. The Bulldogs went up 5-0 in the first frame and never looked back, out-hitting KSU, 11-3.
Erin Arevalo was Friday night’s heroine, pitching a complete-game, one-hit shutout in which she fanned a career-high 15 batters in No. 12 Georgia’s 1-0 win over No. 23 LSU in a 15-inning marathon. The game was the longest in Bulldog history, and Arevalo carried a no-hitter into the bottom of the tenth canto. Only one of the senior hurler’s pitches was sent into the outfield in fair territory, while Kristyn Sandberg drew the leadoff walk in the final frame that allowed her to reach base safely for the sixth time in seven appearances in the game. A groundout and an error brought her the rest of the way around to score the winning run.
Sandberg went three for four the following day as the Bulldogs built up a 5-0 lead en route to a 6-1 victory on Saturday. Sito gave up one run on two hits to card the win, and she managed one of the Red and Black’s four hits today in Georgia’s 1-0 loss in Sunday’s series finale.
At the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, Luke Baker posted a 30:00.64 time in Thursday’s 10,000-meter run to claim a top ten spot in the Red and Black record book, but no Bulldog finished higher than third in any event on a blustery and chilly Friday. Saturday was a much better day for the Classic City Canines, as Morgann Leleux broke her own school record with a 14’5.25” pole vault and the sprint medley relay team of Aaron Evans, Chris Foster, Torrin Lawrence, and Waymon Storey finished the race in a national-best 3:16.46 time.
The field for the Stadion Classic, which begins at the UGA Golf Course tomorrow, will feature Georgia men’s golfers Brian Carter and Nicholas Reach, both of whom earned sponsor’s exemptions for the Nationwide Tour event. At the other set of tee markers, meanwhile, the Georgia women’s golf team has signed 2011 South American amateur champion Manuela Carbajo Re of Argentina.
In tennis, the latest ITA rankings have the Bulldog men ranked second in the country heading into Tuesday’s announcement of the NCAA field, while the Georgia women placed six netters on the All-SEC squad, including SEC Freshman of the Year Lauren Herring. Five Red and Black tennis gents were tapped for All-SEC acknowledgment, among them All-Freshman team member Nathan Pasha, who was the conference rookie of the week four times in his inaugural collegiate campaign.
Also earning honors were eight Gym Dogs, who between them garnered 13 All-American certificates, led by Kat Ding with first-team recognition on bars, floor, vault, and all-around. Finally, 36 Bulldogs have made the latest SEC academic honor roll.
Go ‘Dawgs!