spoils__
Tokatee Invitational next meet
Garrison holds promise for harriers
The graduation of Jim Hill
from the men’s cross country
team left Oregon coach Bill
Dellinger with a void to fill.
Freshman Tracy Garrison may
not be an All-American like
Hill, but he has the ability to
become one in the future.
I
Garrison, a recruit from
Klamath Falls, is just starting to
realize his potential in the col
lege ranks. Garrison finished
fifth in the Willamette Invita
tional witha time of 24:4.4 in
the 8,000 meters race to give the
Ducks a needed boost.
Dellinger feels Garrison’s
potential is just being tapped.
"He is a very talented run
ner,” says Dellinger. "He has a
lot of adjustments to make from
high school to college.”
Those adjustments haven’t
been easy for Garrison.
“I’ve been training really
hard,” says Garrison who hopes
to help the . Oregon harrier
team moved up in the rankings.
The Ducks are currently ranked
7th in the nation in the latest
NCAA cross country poll.
Fatigue has been a major fac
I
“WHEN I HIT A DRY SPELLJHESE ARE
THE ONLY WORDS I CAN THINK OF.”
-MICKEY SPILLANE
FAMOUS MYSTERY WRITER
tor in Garrison’s start because of
increased workouts that have
doubled his mileage from 30 to
70 miles a week.
Garrison finishing in 26th
place in the non-scoring Garrie
Franklin Classic meet held late
September. Garrison had won
the classic last year for his high
school, but found college com
petition was a little tougher this
year.
Garrisons's goal of making
the Duck cross country team
was realized when he enrolled
this September.
“1 just always liked runn
ing,” Garrison says. ‘‘I’ve
wanted to come to Oregon for a
long time.”
Garrison had an impressive
career in high school at Klamath
Union. He ran times of 8:17 in
the 3,000 meters, 3:52.4 in the
1,500 meters, and 1:57 in the
800 meters which ranks with
some of the top marks in the
nation.
Garrison’s coach in high
school, Ken Coffman remarked
on the Oregon freshman’s
talent.
“I don’t think I knew how
good he was until we coached
him for the cross country
season,” says Coffman. “He is
probably the most talented
athlete I’ve ever coached.”
Coffman felt Garrison was the
best high school runner in the
nation his senior year.
Coffman watched Garrison
run in his first meet in a Duck
uniform. Garrison finished 10th
for the Ducks in the 10,000
meters with a time of 32:33.64.
“He (Garrison) wasn’t too
happy about how he ran,” says
Coffman. “But I tried telling
him, ‘Don’t try jumping in and
expect to be awesome the first
meet.’ He has to earn his way.”
Earning his way will come up
soon for Garrison as he and the
Ducks hope to improve on their
national ranking this week with
a meet at Tokatee Invitational
this Saturday in Blue River.
Dellinger feels letterman
Doug Benevento has been a sur
prise for the Ducks.
“Right now he’s our top im
prover,” says Dellinger.
Benevento had an impressive
performance in the Garrie meet
when he finished eighth overall
with a time of 31:00.34 for
10,000 meters.
Senior Chris Hamilton and
junior John Zishka should be
the be the top Oregon finishers
in Invitational this weekend.
Competition should come from
a host of Ducks who will be rac
ing for a position on the seven
man team Dellinger will send to
the Pac-10 cross country meet.
The meet will be held later this
month in Palo Alto, Calif.
“The next meet will deter
mine who will go to the
Pac-lOs,” says Dellinger
Correction
The photograph on Page 10 of
the kicker’s story in Tuesday’s
Oregon Daily Emerald was of
Kirk Dennis, not kicker Matt
MacLeod,
The Emerald aplogizes for
any inconvenience this error
may have caused.