Injury-plagued Gymnasts meet Huskies
By JAMES RUSSELL
Of the Emerald
“Whenever you have three of your top
four all-around men either injured or not
competing at all you’ve got to be worried,
even pessimistic,” Oregon Coach Bill
Ballester said Thursday. “But we’re not;
we still have a good chance to win.”
Although tired, injured and mentally if
not physically ready, the Flying Duck
gymnasts are scheduled to meet the
University of Washington tonight at 8 p.m.
in Mac Court.
Ballester relates that, “Tom Phillips,
our freshman all-around performer behind
Roskam, will not be competing in the meet
because of a bad sinus condition which
developed into a blood clot and he just
underwent surgery. Obviously, he is in so
condition to compete, and he’s more im
portant to us than the meet.
“Because of our injuries,” Ballester
says, “this has to be one of the key meets
for us, in almost every way, and un
doubtedly the winner will be the team who
hits its routines and performs to its
ultimate capabilities. It has to be an In
teresting meet. Washington has never
been beaten by any team in the Northwest
and this was the year we were supposed to
do it.”
Senior co-captain Greg Maxwell says
“the problem and effect of injuries is a
difficult question to assess, it might (Hay
heavily and then it may not also. If we put
it all together and have a good meet we
definitely can still win over the
Washington squad.”
Talking about the Washington team,
Ballester says that “they’ve really got a
good team that should be very highly
competitive.’
The Huskies have defending Pac-8
champion Norm Ewald in the rings and
back him up with Swedish import Bjorn
Hermansson to go against Kevin Cor
nelius. Vaulting promises to be interesting
as Greg Maxwell, Oregon’s senior co
captain, takes on Rich Gay lor, the third
place finisher in the NCAA championships
last year.
“The parallel bars might be one of the
determining events in the meet,” says
Ballester. “Neither of us are that strong in
the event, and it could make a difference in
the score if one or the other does ex
ceptionally well.”
Maxwell and Warren Weiseth, the other
senior and co-captain, go against Bill
Carpenter, who scored for the Huskies in
the Pac-8 meet last year.
The Huskies are 6-2 on the year after
losing by .75 of a point Friday night against
top-ranked Southern Illinois in Seattle,
158.25-157.50. Their other loss came earlier
in the season against San Fernando Valley
State, a small-college powerhouse. Like
\
the Ducks, they have beaten San Jose
State.
The Washington State meet saw the
Ducks come up with what Ba lies ter
thought was their best performance all
year against a fired-up team of Cougars.
The Ducks got by with a 152.40-149.10
victory.
“Washington State was ready,” says
Ballester, “They came out and did a good
job against us. We had our best per
formance all year, but the judging was a
little conservative, so it didn’t show in the
score.”
“The University of British Columbia,”
says Ballester, (who the Ducks meet on
Saturday night) “also has a fair squad that
is highlighted by a kid named Maki and an
all-around balanced team.
“But looking more importantly at
Washington I still think we’re healthy
enough to beat them and despite the
pressure we’ve still got a very good chance
to win even if they never have been beaten
by a Northwest team.”
Relating back to last year’s squad,
Maxwell remembers that “the team we
have now is a lot more inexperienced,
although they may be more talented, and
being young has helped us. We weren’t
expected to perform as well as we have,
initially, so when we do hit on a really good
routine we surprise those around us and
sometimes we even surprise ourselves.”
Realistically Bailester says, “we’ve
been setback a bit and we don’t have
Phillips, Lehmann and McDowell to
compete, but this still shouldn’t stop us.
We are a very capable team and if we can
put it all together for just one set of good
routines then we will beat Washington and
we can perform well.”
“To say the least,” Bailester projects,
“it’s going to be one outstanding type of
gymnastic meet.” All things considered,
the clash between Oregon’s Flying Duck
gymnasts and Washington’s Huskies is
scheduled to begin at 8:00 in Mac Court
with an explosion of high competition and
collegiate talent soon to follow.
Season's bests:
ALL-AROUND: Steve Roskam, 51.35; Tom Phillips.
48.95; John Lehmann, 47.30; Sob Rikli, 24.35 (does not
Include all events); Mike Blumenstein, 23.50 (does not
Include all events). FREE EXERCISE: Bob Rlkll, 9.25;
Don Lester, 8.95; John Lehmann, 8.95; Steve Roskam,
8.95; Jim Lester, 8.55; Tom Phillips, 8.35; Randy Lary,
7.80; Mike Blumenstein 8.75; Mike Luzny, 7.40; Bryan
Lea, 7.50 POMMEL HORSE: Joe Percival. 9.20, Jim
Lester, 9.00; Mike Luzny, 8.45; Tom Phillips, 8.15; Steve
Roskam, 7.25; John Lehmann, 5.70. RINGS: Kevin
Cornelius, 9.25; Steve Roskam, 8.45; Bryan Lea, 8.55;
Tom Phillips, 8.30; John Lehmann, 7.45. VAULTING:
Greg Maxwell, 9.20; Bob Rikli, 9.05; Mike Blumenstein,
8.95; Steve Roskam, 8.90; Randy Lary, 8.90; Tom
Phillips, 8.80; John Lehmann. 8.40. PARALLEL BARS:
Tom Phillips, 9.00; Steve Roskam, 9.00; John Lehmann,
8.90; Steve Swaydrak, 8.45; Mike Blumenstein, 8.50; Bob
Rikli, 8.35. HIGH BAR: Warren Weiseth, 9.20, Greg
Maxwell, 9.20; Steve Roskam. 9.10; Tom Phillips, 8.55;
Trey McDowell, 7.75; Randy Lary, 7.40; John Lehmann,
7.50.
Photo by Steve Twedt
WES HINES ON TOP OF THINGS AGAINST PSU
Wes Hines defends against single-leg takedown attempt by Portland State’s Kelly Bledsoe.
Hines went on to score an npset 5-3 decision, helping Oregon on to its 24-1# victory.
Ducks upset PSU matmen
Freshman Larry Ermini turned out for
wrestling this year almost as an after-thought. He
came to Oregon on a football scholarship, and
decided to wrestle.
But you’ll never catch Coach Ron Finley
complaining.
It was Ermini’s upset pin in the heavyweight
match over Portland State’s A1 Tuttle Thursday
night that ga ve Oregon a surprise 24-19 win over the
Vikings.
The last time the Ducks met Portland State,
early in January, Oregon lost 30-10, and Ermini lost
to Tuttle 8-2. The upset last night in Mac Court
handed Finley his first winning season in three tries
as Oregon’s boss.
And he did it wrestling considerably weaker
than he would like. Finley sent six freshmen and
three sophomores to the mat last night to capture
the upset with many of Oregon’s usual starters
flattened with injuries.
Settling the stage for Ermini's heroics were
upsets by sophomores Wes Hines and Duane
Stutzman as Oregon overcame a 19-12 deficit.
Stutzman, usually wrestling at 158 pounds, was
moved up to 177 pounds — up two weights over his
normal — and managed a 4-2 victory over Marty
Roberts. A late takedown with but nine seconds left
in the match gave Stutzman the win.
In the following match Hines, wrestling at 190,
was facing Bledsoe, who beat Hines in their match
at Portland last month. Hines broke a 2-2 knot going
into the final period with an escape, and followed it
with a takedown grabbing a 5-2 advantage. Bledsoe
escaped, then the two battled on their feet scoreless
for the final 1:32 of the match.
Earlier in the match Dean Dixon picked up
another surprising pin at 150. He pinned PSU’s Bob
Hulin with only 31 seconds remaining. The score at
the time was tied 6-6 between the two wrestlers.
Senior Dave Luke collared a 12-2 victory at 134
pounds in his final appearance at Mac Court. The
Ducks are now 11-8 with one dual match remaining
Saturday at Oregon State. Next week the Dicks
travel to Corvallis for the Pacific-8 wre? -ling
championships.
-Women’s sports—
Racette earns trip
to bowling nationals
Three University students won first or second {daces in last
weekend’s Association of College Unions International (ACUI)
regional tournament in their respective sport and as a result
earned trips to national competition.
Senior Carol Racette will represent the University and
ACUI Region 14 in the national women’s collegiate bowling
championships in Las Vegas April 7. She won first place at the
tourney in Pullman.
Another senior, Terry Edwards, placed second in men’s
bowling at the regional tournament and will go to Syracuse,
New York also in April.
Ed Ng defeated teammate Jim Tong in the finals in table
tennis to win his trip to Peoria, 111.
Twenty-six students from the University went to the three
day toumment in Pullman and competed in bridge, chess and
other games as well as bowling and table tennis.
Racette finished first of some 70 women with a nine-game
score of 1635. She is the first Oregon woman bowler to ever win
the national competition spot.
In addition Racette and teammate Chris Erickson placed
second in doubles competition. Senior Dee Ward was fifth in all
around women’s competition with 1530 for nine games. Ward
and Racette both placed in the top ten in Singles competition.
The Oregon women’s team finished third behind teams from
Oregon State and Boise State.
Edwards will bowl on the ABC tournament lanes when he
completes in the men’s collegiate bowling championships in
Syracuse. He had a nine-game tournament score of 1792, only a
few pins behind the first place winner who bowled 1805.
Olson wins all-around
as gymnasts top PSU
Once again freshman Ann Olson topped all-around com
petition as the Oregon women gymnasts defeated Portland State
81.70 to 74.50 in the final dual meet of the year Wednesday.
Saturday Oregon hosts the Pac-8 gymnastics cham
pionships. The five-way meet with Oregon, Oregon State,
University of Washington, Washington State and UCLA com
peting, begins at 1 p.m. in Gerlinger Hall. Admission is free to
Oregon students with ID cards.
Olson won the vaulting, uneven parallel bars, balance beam
and all-around events in Wednesday’s meet. She was second in
floor exercise.
Teammate Linda Stuber, also a freshman, earned second
place all-around honors.
Top three places for each event:
Vaulting: 1. Ann Olson, UO 7.55. 2. Ann Gerber, PSU, 7.50. 3.
Elise Crittendon, PSU, 7.10. Uneven parallel bars; 1. Ann Olson,
UO, 7.75. 2. Elise Crittenden, PSU, 6.25. 3. Ann Iff, PSU, 5.80.
Balance Beam: 1. Ann Olson, UO, 7.05.2. Linda Isaacs, UO, 5.95.
3. Patty McCarthy, UO, 5.75. Floor Exercise: 1. Gayle H., PSU,
8.0. 2. Ann Olson, UO, 7.80. 3. Patty McCarthy, UO, 7.66. All
around: 1. Ann Olson, UO, 30.15.2. Linda Stuber, UO, 25.06. FIIm»
Crittenden, PSU, 23.75.
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