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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 12, 1999)
Monday April 12,1999 Best Bet Major League Baseball Oakland vs. Seattle 7 p.m., FoxSports Northwest Hayward Relays “it felt really easy. But you never know until you cross the finish line because you don’t know how easy it feels to the other runners. ^ Richard Girvan UO runner Matthew Davis edged Colorado’s Brock Tess man and Stanford’s Jon Weldon to win the dis tance medley relay. Catherine KendalVEmerald Relays fair well for men Oregon stirs up fans excitement with victories in two events By Allison Ross Oregon Daily Emerald Saturday started out as a typi cal Oregon day — gray, wet and cold. But at the Hayward Relays, a not-so-typical track meet, the sun did later emerge, and with it came some pretty exciting mo ments for the 4,689 fans who braved the early morning drizzle. As the men’s 4x800-meter re lay — a rare event for Oregon track — got under way, the clouds began to disperse, and the relay turned out to be one of the brightest points in the meet. Five different teams led in the event, but on the final leg Oregon senior Richard Girvan edged Colorado and Stanford to give the Ducks their first relay victory of the day with a time of seven minutes, 25.62 seconds. “It felt really easy,” Girvan said. “But you never know un til you cross the finish line be cause you don’t know how easy it feels to the other runners.” It was a rare event in a rare track meet, one that first year head coach Martin Smith said was a chance for each team to focus on individual perfor mances and see where they are early on in the season. Perhaps most importantly, the fans — the most at a regular season meet at Hayward Field since 1988 — seemed to have gotten what they wanted. “I want to try and do every thing I can to meet the interests of our track fans,” Smith said. “It’s obviously challenging, but I felt it was a positive first step, and hopefully they got a good feeling.” As it turned out, there were quite a few things for the fans to feel good about. All-American pole vaulter Piotr Buciarski got revenge on Stanford’s Toby Stevenson. After placing second behind Stevenson two weeks ago at the Stanford Invitational, Buciarski edged Stevenson and took first place with a jump of 17 feet, 61/2 inches. Buciarski attempted three jumps at 18-4 1/2, barely miss ing on the fi nal attempt. Had he com pleted the jump, Bucia rski would have moved to second in the Oregon record books and also would have automatically qualified for the NCAAs. “I’m really happy,” Buciarski said. “I was in bed (for four days] with a virus and I felt pretty weak. I think I can defi nitely clear [18-4 1/2]. I could have maybe had it today. I had the height, it was just a matter of adjusting.” In other field events, Oregon senior Chris Thomas continued to chip away at an NCAA provi sional mark (219-10) in the javelin. Thomas took first Satur day with a personal best throw of 216-10. Sophomore Ryan Keith finished third behind Washington State’s Ryan Nichols with a throw of 209-08. On the track, Howard Moore Turn to MEN, Page16A Hemonen pleased as Ducks recover at home After a disappointing performance last week, Oregon shines at Hayward Field By Scott Pesznecker Oregon Daily Emerald The crowd of 4,689 people who gathered in the stands of Hayward Field on Saturday to watch the Hayward Relays was rewarded with a sunny afternoon finish. However, more rewarding to the crowd of Tracktown fans was a rare track meet that highlighted the teams — not the individu als — of track and field. The Oregon women’s track and field team showed its strength and depth in the mid dle-distances by winning the 4x800 relay and the 4x400 relay and by finishing second in the distance medley relay. “We got good marks, but more important ly, I thought we competed really hard and really well,” head coach Tom Heinonen said. “I liked the way we attacked this meet.” Top competitors at the meet included teams from Stanford, Colorado and Wash ington State. The Ducks have found success with re lays in recent years. Last season, Oregon beat Michigan in the distance medley relay before Michigan won the NCAA Indoor meet. Heinonen said the Ducks’ strong relay perfor mance could help Oregon at the upcoming Mt. Sac Relays, which take place April 16-18. “I like being able to put three-mile teams out there and run 12 peo ple, and at the end of the race, there are 12 people with the heart to go out and compete with a couple people waiting in the wings to step in,” Heinonen said. “I think that speaks well for the team.” In Oregon’s first relay of the day, the Ducks finished third in the 4x100 with a time of 46.87 seconds, behind Washington Turn to WOMEN, Page 16A 1111 || i ' : . : ' ?• .. Catherine KendaU/EmenUd MfinHaw Anril 10 1000 ^ I like being able to put three mile teawms out ther e and run 12people, and at the end of the race, there are 12 people waiting in the wings to step in. ^ Tom Heinonen UO head coach Oregon senior Hilary Hol ly finished second in the long jump, improving her personal record by five inches.
