Monday
May 3,1999
Best Bet
Exhibition Baseball
Cuban national team vs, Baltimore
6:30 p.m., ESPN
“ I’m very
happy with
our defensive
performance
today and, for
the most part,
pretty much
all spring. ”
Mike Bellotti
DO head coach
Sophomore tailback Her
man Ho-Ching searches
for a way to avoid de
fender T.J. Tomlin during
Saturday’s spring scrim
mage at Autzen Stadium.
Scott tiametvKmerak
Another injury
stains spring game
oy miijdm awdiisun
Oregon Daily Emerald
There was no grand epiphany
for the 7,500 Oregon fans who
gathered to watch the football
team’s annual spring game Sat
urday.
Nor where there many sur
prises at all, in a scrimmage that
accurately reflected the past
month of spring drills.
The Ducks’ defense was again
impressive — although it lost
another key player. The offense
showed continuing slow-but
steady improvement.
And as expected, the Green
team — comprised mostly of
probable fall starters — handily
outplayed the White team in the
31-0 shutout.
“I’m very happy with our de
fensive performance today and,
for the most part, pretty much
all spring,” head coach Mike
Bellotti said. “Offensively we’re
improving. 1 saw some tnings
[that I liked].”
The leading candidates for
the starting quarterback posi
tion, junior A.J. Feeley and
sophomore Joey Harrington,
took turns directing the Green
offense. But neither eminently
outshone his counterpart.
Feeley threw for 125 yards on
a 12-for-19 passing performance,
while Harrington competed six
of his 12 attempts for 105 yards,
including one touchdown.
For now, the quarterback race
is still too close to call, and it
will likely stay that way until
fall, Bellotti said.
“A.J. finished the scrimmage
very strongly,” Bellotti said,
“and Joey made some plays.
The quarterback situation is still
a work in progress; it’s to be
continued.”
With remaining uncertainty
Turn to FOOTBALL, Page 12
Linebacker
Wesly Mallard
suffers a torn
anterior
cruciate
ligament in
Saturday's
spring game to
join the
football team’s
growing list of
notable
absentees
Oregon Invitational
Despite obstacles, UO brines excitement to Havward
The men’s track team suffers
a few injuries, but generates
a bracing conclusion
By Allison Ross
Oregon Daily Emerald
The Kentucky Derby was well over,
and the excitement of the quickest two
minutes in sports was beginning to fade.
And then the 5,000-meter race started
at Hayward Field in the waning mo
ments of the Oregon Invitational on Sat
urday evening. It was the final competi
tion of the day, but it provided a photo
finish, a little blood and some bumping
between Oregon’s Matthew Davis and
•Wake Forest’s Nolan Swanson as the two
jroached the finish line.
Davis’ knees were
skinned and bleeding
after Nike athlete Nick
Rogers’ long legs per
petually nicked Davis
until the Oregon senior
got around Rogers and
away from his metal spikes.
“That’s what happens when you run
up too close to Rogers,” Davis said. “He
teaches you a lesson.”
With approximately 100 meters re
maining in the race, Davis had the lead
and it appeared as though his earlier al
tercations were having little affect on his
ability to finish strong.
But with 50 meters to go, Swanson
made his move, and he and Davis were
even as they crossed the finish line, mo
ments after bumping each other. Al
though both were given the same time
(13 minutes, 54.57 seconds), the win was
awarded to Swanson.
“You’ve got to give it everything you
have until you cross the line,” Davis said.
“It wasn’t malicious, we were both just
trying to lean. It was a great effort for
both of us, and I think that is the closest
race I’ve had at Hayward, so that makes it
Turn to MEN, Page 13
Nick MedleyHmerald
Before failing and injuring his knee, Oregon’s Micah Davis was in the thick of the steeplechase race.
Poor weather did not distract
the Oregon women from
competing fiercely Saturday
By Scott Pesznecker
Oregon Daily Emerald
It could have been a bad situation.
Returning to Hayward Field for the
first time in three weeks to compete at
the Oregon Invitational, the Oregon
women’s track and field team was look
ing forward to producing strong marks
Saturday.
And the key factors appeared to be in
the Ducks’ favor. The weather had been
nice at the-end of the week, and most of
theyneet’s events were stacked with sol
id competition.
Make no mistake,
the competition
showed up. But unfor
tunately, the good
weather did not. The
worst of the conditions
— wind strong enough
to make the pouring rain blow sideways
— came later in the afternoon session,
when several important events took
place.
However, the Ducks did not let the
weather rain on their parade. Oregon
capped a collection of impressive finish
es with four NCAA-provisional marks.
Head coach Tom Heinonen was proud
of the way his team competed despite
the weather.
“I like the way our athletes attacked
the meet,” Heinonen said. “A lot of them
didn’t ever have the chance for a good
mark because of the weather, but a few
people had times that were really pleas
ing, too.”
Marie Davis provisionally qualified for
the third straight season in the 5,000 me
ters with a time of 16 minutes, 22.98 sec
onds. She finished in second place be
hind New Balance’s Shelley Smathers
Turn to WOMEN, Pagel3