UO women distance runner are
Starting another tradition
By JOHN HENDERSON
Of the Emerald
It's not easy to build one of the
nation's strongest women's
track teams when the program is
just three years old and there's
no scholarship money available.
But then again, not all track prog
rams begin in track-crazy towns
like Eugene.
"There’s an awful lot of talent
in Eugene," said Oregon
women's distance coach Tom
Heinonen whose runners will be
competing this weekend in the
Northwest College Women's
Sports Association Champion
ships in Boise, Idaho. "The fact
is, we offer a good program, are
well-organized and we draw a lot
of people."
The distance runners are
Heinonen's pride and joy. In its
second year of competition, this
year's cross-country team
finished fourth in the nation, the
highest place of any non
scholarship team.
This spring's distance corps
has also seen some success. In
last weekend’s southern reg
ional meet, the Ducks finished
1-3-4 in the mile, 1-3-5 in the
three-mile and 2-5 in the two
mile.
And with seven girls running
the 880 in 2:22 or better, the
Ducks have compiled one of the
best two-mile relay teams in the
country. Kim Conner, Dala
Ramsey, Nancy Alleman and
Sandy Trowbridge will make up
this weekend's team which will
challenge meet favorite Seattle
Pacific for the two-mile title.
When you have quality run
ners to begin with, a program is
bound to grow.
"When more people came
here, it mushroomed because
they've never trained with these
quality of runners before," said
the 30-year-old Heinonen who
was a distance star at Min
nesota. I hope this happens next
year when the word will spread
around."
Kim Conner, a junior from
Turner who holds a 4:59 mile
and 2:16 880, sees another
reason for the success.
"We have a coach who runs
and he knows how to handle
runners because he's been
through the same thing," she
said. "The problem with most
track programs is they aren't
track-oriented. It really helps
when you have someone who
knows what he's doing, and has
Conner doesn’t need a scholarship to succeed
the talent to work with us. "
Heinonen worked some of his
magic on Conner last year and
turned her running around.
"Kim has been the most sur
prising," said Heinonen. “Last
spring, she was 20 pounds
overweight. But she went home
and came back fit and became
the No. 1 runner. It's encourag
ing to others to see what can be
done."
Especially when there are no
scholarships to work with.
Heinonen concedes the disad
vantage, but tries to see the
good side of it.
"We can’t pull in the big time
people like Dellinger (men's
coach Bill)," said Heinonen.
"People who come to Oregon
pay their way for the combina
tion of school and program.
"We have adequate money
for traveling, and I'm not sure I
want scholarships. We don’t
want to get in the meat-market
situation. We want girls who
realize they're here because
they want to be here; not be
cause they have to."
In Boise this weekend, the
Ducks will be up against some
powers who offer scholarships.
Defending champion Seattle
Pacific, which is coached by
American distance ace Doris
Brown, and Washington will be
two funded teams among the 30
schools competing.
Oregon finished fourth last
year and ninth in the nationals
which the Ducks will compete in
the following weekend in ^Aan
hatten, Kansas.
“I’d like to improve on last
year,” said Heinonen, "But
women s athletics improve so
fast it’s hard to tell. There's so
little information out that we ll
just have to go in and give our
best shot."
With no scholarships, Heino
nen won’t take anything less.
Women netters host regional tourney
Eight Oregon schools will be
competing for the Northwest Col
lege Women s Sports Association
Southern Area title in women's
collegiate tennis today and Satur
day on the 15th Avenue courts.
Oregon is the defending team
champion and with No. 1 player
Debbie Borchers back in the line
up after a lengthy illness, the
Ducks are prepared to go after
another championship.
Duck coach Marti Schey ex
pects Oregon State, Southern
Oregon and Lewis & Clark to offer
the stiffest competition. Other
schools in the tournament include
Linfield, Willamette, Portland
State and Oregon College of Edu
cation.
If Borchers is healthy enough to
play No. 1 singles for Oregon
she'll likely face OSU's M.L. Gov
aars or Southern Oregon's Sally
Boyer. Oregon’s Patti Layton de
feated both Govaars and Boyer
earlier this season and would be
strong in No. 1 singles if she plays
there. Borchers and Layton will
team up for No. 1 doubles.
Linda Harling, Jeanette Florey,
Brenda Stroud and Julie Hutchin
son will all compete for Oregon in
the two-day tournament.
Play begins each day at 9 a.m.
and continues through the late af
ternoon. The final match
scheduled on Friday is at 4:30
p.m. Singles finals go at noon on
Saturday and doubles finals at 3
p.m. that day. The top two placers
in each event (six singles, three
doubles) advance to the NCWSA
Regional Championship May
13-15 at Washington State.
The Ducks will be entering the
tournament on the heels of a 6-3
loss to Lewis and Clark Wednes
day in Portland.
Oregon’s top two players —
Layton and Borchers—came up
empty-handed. Borchers was
beaten by Donna Roysom 7-5,6-2
while Layton lost to Virginia
Sharp, 6-2, 2-6, 6-4.
Borchers and Layton were
beaten in doubles 10-8 by Donna
Royson and Patty Brent.
SINGLES—Donna Roysom. LC. d Debbie Bor
chare, UO. 7-5, 6-2 Virgma Sharp. LC. d Patti
Layton. UO. 6-2. 2-6. 6-4 Linda Hartting. UO. d
Patty Brant, LC. 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 Bonnie MacKinnon.
LC, d Jeanette Florey. UO. 6-3,7-6 Brenda Stroud.
UO. d Molly Shera. LC. 7-3,6-3 Julie Hutchinson.
UO. d Patty Cleary, LC, 26. 6-4. 6-1.
DOUBLES — Donne Roysom-Patty Brent. LC. d
Debbie Borchers - Patti Layton. UO. 10-8 Virginia
Sharp - Bonnie MacKinnon. LC, d Linda Hartting
Jeanette Florey. UO. 8-5. Molly Shera Patty
Cleary. LC. d Brenda Stroud - Laurie Butte. UO.
3-6, 6-4, 7-5.
TEAM — Lewis and Clarti 6. Oregon 3
Oregon tunes up
with relay meet
Oregon's track team, which finished its dual meet season last
weekend with a 106-57 triumph over Oregon State, will try and keep
momentum going Saturday as the Ducks compete in Corvallis at the
Northern Division Relays.
Because of injuries, or because they’ve already qualified for
Pacific-8 and NCAA competition, several Oregon athletes will not be
entered in the meet.
Others, however, including squads from Oregon, Oregon State,
Washington and Washington State, will be honing up their skills in
preparation for the Pac-8 finals May 14-15 in Berkeley.
The Ducks have several athletes who will be trying for conference
qualifying times. These include Dale Warren, Robert Curry and Gary
Carew in the 100-meter dash, Steve McChesney in the 5,000 and Tom
McChesney in the steeplechase.
Oregon won’t be fielding a full squad, but that doesn’t mean the
Ducks are taking a lackadaisical attitude toward the meet. Head coach
Bill Dellinger is quick to point out that fact.
“We’re certainly not overlooking the meet," he said. “Most of the
teams there are preparing for the Pac-8’s and we re going to go up,
compete, and possibly win it.”
Competition will be fierce in several events, in the hammer,
Washington’s Scott Nielson will be entering with a season best of 219-6,
currently leading the conference, while Oregon’s Rich Perkins is sec
ond with a 206-3 best.
Washington’s Rod Ewaliko (258-0), Oregon’s Jeff Carter (254-8)
and WSU’s Gene Lorenzen (245-3), meanwhile, should provide some
excitement in the javelin.
The meet will start at 9:30 a.m. on Oregon’s State’s Wayne Valley
Field.
Ducks’ challenge in Seattle
Six games in 3 days
Oregon’s baseball team travels to Seattle this weekend — but you
can bet the Ducks won’t be touring Pioneer Square or riding the Space
Needle.
They’re scheduled to play no less than six games in three days
because of a three-game series that was rained out in Eugene two
weeks ago.
The Ducks, now 13-11 overall, are hoping to notch their first North
ern Division win after dropping their first six games.
The Ducks go into the contests fresh from a 16-4 win over Lewis
and Clark.
-^portfolio
Smith qualifies for Pac-8 decathlon
Only 11 days after attempting his first decathlon, Oregon
freshman Jim Smith set four lifetime bests en route to a personal
record 6,847 which qualifies him for the Pacific-8 Championships
May 14-15 in Berkeley, Calif.
The Pac-8 qualifying mark in the decathlon is 6,800 points
and Smith was in good shape after the first day with 3,318. He
tossed the shot 38-0% and high jumped 6-0 for personal decath
lon bests on the first day of competition.
Smith came back on the second day to record decathlon PRs
in the 110-meter hurdles (15.9) and pole vault (14-3). He also
threw the javelin 213-10 (well below his open PR of 230-0) to aid
his cause.
Smith (5-10,160) becomes only the third decathlete in the
Pac-8 to qualify for the conference championships. Oregon’s
Craig Brigham, ranked No. 9 in the world last year after his PR
8,027, qualified by winning the Florida Relays decathlon with
7,898.
Ken Moore giving talk
“Running from a personal and cultural perspective” is the
title of an address to be delivered by Ken Moore, Olympic
marathon runner and local journalist, on Saturday, in Eugene.
Moore’s address will be the main feature of the founder’s day
banquet of Phi Epsilon Kappa, physical education honorary at the
University of Oregon.
The public may attend the 7:30 p.m., buffet dinner at North’s
Chuck Wagon, 2864 Willamette St.
Tickets, $4 each, may be purchased from the dean’s office of
the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation
(686-4102) in 102 Esslinger Hall at the UO, or from any member
of the honorary.
Lonnie files $12 million suit
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Former Oregon State basketball star
Lonnie Shelton has filed a $12 million suit against the Spirits of St.
Louis, two of their owners, the American Basketball Association
and a Cincinnati attorney.
The suit, filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court, alleged
Shelton was unduly pressured into signing a $1.2 million, six-year
contract with the Spirits in June 1975 after his sophomore year at
Oregon State.
Crew teams head for Seattle
The Oregon club sports men's and women’s crew teams will
travel to Seattle Saturday to compete in the Stewards Cup Re
gatta. The Ducks will enter shells in five races.