Denes Given Clean Bill Of Health

NORMAN, Okla. One of the biggest stories surrounding the Oklahoma softball team last season has come to a positive conclusion. Junior pitcher Nicole Denes had successful heart surgery on June 11 and was given a clean bill of health by OU Cardiologist Dr. Phil Adamson.

Denes was diagnosed with a heart arrhythmia (clinically termed Supra Ventricular Tachy-Cardia) on March 5 and restricted from all physical activity for the remainder of the season. The arrhythmia appeared randomly and was not a genetic condition, nor was it something that had developed over the course of her youth. She was put on medication until early June when she was scheduled for surgery.

“Nicole has been cleared to exercise and train with no limitations,” said Adamson. “Nicole will still be monitored, but not to the thorough extent that we watched her prior to surgery. About 20 percent of the time patients will develop another arrhythmia following this procedure.”

Adamson also noted the severity of Denes' former condition. He explained that an arrhythmia can shut down the heart and cause immediate death.

The corrective surgery, known as Radio Frequency Catheter Ablation, was invented by Dr. Sonny Jackson, who is on staff at the University of Oklahoma. His revolutionary procedure was published in health journals in 1991 and has drawn patients from around the world to Oklahoma for the corrective procedure.

“It is a feather in the university's hat,” said Adamson. “This a procedure that has become the standard around the world and we have the inventor and expert on staff.”

Denes was the ace of the Sooner staff for the first month of the 2004 season when Kami Keiter was sidelined with a strained biceps. Denes finished the 2004 campaign with a 16-6 record, 1.77 ERA, five shutouts, 12 complete games and 128 strikeouts in 142.1 innings of work. The junior hurler garnered Academic All-Big 12 honors and was also named the Big 12 Player of the Week on March 2.

“We're overjoyed,” said OU head coach Patty Gasso. “It's a blessing for her to recover from a condition that was so extreme. It happened in a matter of hours and Nicole could have been facing the end of her career.”

Gasso continued, “I know the new opportunity will make her a stronger person and player. She has gained a renewed respect for the game and everything involved in the experience of being a student-athlete. She will be a different player, I have no doubt. My hope is that her enlightened approach will also spill into her teammates.”

Denes has returned to her parent's home in Coppell, Texas, where she is preparing herself for the fall softball season.

Denes and Keiter are expected to anchor OU's staff in 2005, along with the addition of freshmen standouts Stacy Braddock (Garland, Texas) and Jadyn Smith (Newcastle, Okla.).

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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