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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 14, 1999)
Friday May 14,1999 Best Bet NBA Playoffs Utah vs. Sacramento 7:30 p.m., TNT Ducks serve for first win in NCAAs The Oregon women’s tennis team plays in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday against South Florida By Mirjam Swanson Oregon Daily Emerald For 10 days following the end of its season, the Oregon women’s tennis team did all that any bubble team can do: it waited. As the NCAA selection committee de cided their fate, the Ducks (11-11 overall, 0-7 Pacific-10 Conference) could only hope until May 5, when the pairings were an nounced. Now, for the 9 days since Oregon was se lected as one of 35 at-large bids to the 64 team tournament, it has been busy prepar ing. The Ducks’ begin play Saturday at Stanford against No. 33 South Florida (16-8 overall, 1-3 Conference USA). “We’re kicking their butts,” head coach Jack Griffin said of his team’s recent prac tices. “We’re working hard, and attitudes have been very good. I couldn’t ask for any more in terms of preparation.” The Ducks’ No. 1 singles player, junior Alina Wygonowska, agrees. "We had one week off, but we’re playing hard, and we’re doing lots of running drills to get back in shape, “ she said. “Everybody’s playing re ally well.” It’s imperative that Ore gon continues to play that way to upset an unfamil iar Bulls team, Griffin said. “We’ve never faced them before,” Griffin said. “That’s what’s really exciting about the tournament: you play people from dif ferent regions around the country that you don’t get to normally see. “They’re a good team. They’ve had a good year also. But you had to have [one] in order to be going” to the tournament. South Florida lost its last match of the season against No. 40 Marquette on April 18, while the Ducks’ last team action was a close 5-4 win over Pacific on the same date. Oregon’s players competed individually in the Pac-10 Championships at the end of April, but none of the Ducks advanced past the second round. Griffin said he’s more concerned with how his team plays than how the Bulls do. “What really matters is what we do,” he said. “It’s how we play and the intensity that we have on the court, so I’m not overly worried about what they do. If we go out and each one of us plays smart and plays Turn to TENNIS, Page 12A GRIFFIN Oregon Twilight UO track teams say goodnight to the regular season mane uains ana Aaatrn Knudson make their Hayward Field finales in the 1,500 meters By Scott Pesznecker Oregon Daily Emerald The entire season has led to this moment. With the Pacific-10 Conference Champi onships a week away and the Pac-10 hep tathlon and decathlon kicking off today, the Oregon women’s track and field team stands on the brink of its postseason. And for many Duck athletes, Satur day’s Oregon Twilight meet at Hayward Field is the last chance to earn marks to make them worthy of inclusion in the Pac-lOs in Tempe, Ariz. Oregon head coach Tom Heinonen is do ing everything he can to help his Ducks. “There is a lot that we might yet accom plish ... with that seem ingly inevitable break in the weather,” Heinonen said. “This meet means a lot of different things to different people.” The meet could also be the last opportunity to notch NCAA marks, because postseason heats are of ten more tactical and slower. In the 1,500 meters, Heinonen put se nior All-Americans Marie Davis and Kaarin Knudson in the same race to quicken the pace and pull teammates Katie Crabb, Heather McMahon, Liz Howell and Annie Ebiner to fast times. “We made the decision on Monday to run Marie, Kaarin and Katie all in the 1,500 to get the pace going fast and see what happens,” Heinonen said. “Katie still needs an NCAA mark, so this could be a good opportunity for her. ” Knudson and Davis are also looking forward to the race. Although the two have already qualified for their NCAA events, Knudson feels they could close out their career at Hayward Field by set ting personal bests in the 1,500. “We’re just hoping we can make the 1,500 be a great race this weekend,” Knud son said. “We want to run fast times, and we’re hoping we can get the weather to co operate and the crowd to cooperate and have Marie’s and my last experience at the Twilight meet be a great one.” Oregon’s sprinting corps has yet to earn a Pac-10 qualifying mark, but Alexis Yeater has come close with season-best Turn to WOMEN, Page 12A Scott Bametl/Ememld Alexis Yeater’s season bests in the 100 and 200 meters fall short of the Pac-10 qualifying times. The Oregon Twilight is the last chance for the freshman sprinter to earn her first collegiate postseason berth. Members of the men’s track and field team seek qualifying marks for the nearing Pac-lOs By Allison Ross Oregon Daily Emerald The Oregon Twilight is designed to help Oregon runners have an advantage by helping them beat the wind and the heat of May. When the men’s track and field team finishes the regular season at Hayward Field on Saturday, the 5 p.m. start will most likely be anything but an advantage. "It’s better because the wind calms down, and it’s not as hot,” said Todd Hum cke, who will run the 800 meters. “But with the way the weather has been, it’s just going to get colder and more windy.” No matter what the conditions are, the meet is the last chance for qualifying for the Pacific-10 Conference meet. The Pac-10 low ered the qualifying standards this week in several events includ ing the 800, long jump, high jump and shot put. Currently, the men have 20 ath letes qualified for the conference meet on May 21-22 in Tempe, Ariz. For athletes such as Humcke who have already qualified, Saturday’s meet serves as a primer for the Pac-lOs. “I’m going to run the 800 like a real race,” Humcke said. “I need some confi dencegoing into the Pac-10 race.” Oregon freshman John Bello, who has also qualified for the Pac-10 meet, is free from his commitments as an offensive lineman on the Oregon football team and is competing in both the discus and the shot put. Bello has qualified in both events, but he has yet to reach the goal he set at the beginning of the season. “I don’t set little goals,” Bello said. “I just try to throw [the disc] 180 feet. Since football has ended, I’ve had more time to practice and my technique has improved. I’ve just got to have it all come together. ” In other field events, Piotr Buciarski is ex pected to continue his tradition of winning the pole vault. And Oregon’s javelin trio— Ryan Keith, Chris Thomas and Shawn Ras mor, all of whom have qualified for the Pac 10s—lead the way in that event. All-American Micah Davis, who hit his Turn to MEN, Page 9A
