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The ODE Ctoifieil section... mucii mar eta i piece for tlie fraoril
Duck tennis opens up play
■ The men’s tennis team
kicks off the 2000-01 season
against a familiar foe
By Robbie McCalium
Oregon Daily Emerald
The 1999-2000 season saw 13 of
15 Oregon athletic teams reach
postseason play. One of those teams
was the men’s tennis team.
Head coach Chris Russell hopes
to bring this year’s team back to the
NCAA tournament after a first
round exit last May.
The countdown begins for this
year’s tournament on Friday, when
the Ducks kick off the 2000-01 sea
son in Fresno, Calif., at the Bulldog
Classic. The tournament will take
place at the Spalding G. Wathen
outdoor tennis facility on the Fres
no State campus.
This season, Oregon hopes to im
prove upon last season’s 12-9
record and third-place finish at the
Pacific-10 tournament.
The Ducks’ spirits are high after
a month of practice in their new
$2.1 million, 48,000-square-foot fa
cility. The newly finished on-cam
pus building offers Oregon a
chance to practice indoors in a cli
mate-controlled facility. The Ducks
can also work out on the outdoor
courts on East 15th Street. The lux
ury to choose between two venues
was not available to them last year.
“Now, there are no excuses,”
Russell said. “We've been competi
tive before, but this is the next step
toward getting to that next level of
play.”
Oregon is expected to bring a
small contingent to the Classic,
which is a three-day individual
tournament with no team scoring.
The tournament will be a re
match between Oregon and the
team that eliminated the Ducks
from the NCAAs last season —
Fresno State. Four players return
from each team that played in that
game. The Bulldogs romped on
{ { Now; there are no
excuses. We've been
competitive before, but
this is the next step toward
getting to that next level of
play. We’re really looking
forward to getting out
there and seeing how our
young guys measure up
with everyone. It’s a
chance to get exposure,
which is what we’re
seeking from all this.
Chris Russell
Oregon tennis coach
Oregon, 4-0, on May 13.“We’re re
ally looking forward to getting out
there and seeing how our young
guys measure up with everyone,”
Russell said. “It’s a chance to get ex
posure, which is what we’re seek
ing from this.”
Seniors David Mullins and Peter
Luczak lead the Bulldog attack.
Luczak is ranked No. 14 in the pre
season ITA polls while Mullins has
the best record of any Fresno State
player.
Also at hand for the Classic will
be Pacific-10 Conference rival
Washington. Sophomores Ari
Strasberg and Matt Hanlin return
after outstanding freshman years.
Hanlin is ranked 50th in the presea
son polls, while Strasberg is No. 85.
Junior Thomas Schneiter is the
top returning Duck. The Worb,
Switzerland native played in the
No. 2 spot last year behind All
American Guillermo Carter and
helped lead Oregon to its second
NCAA team appearance in three
years.
Also expected to play are sopho
mores Oded Teig, Leslie Eisinga
and Jason Menke.
“Jason is one of those guys that
I’m looking forward to getting out
there and seeing him blossom and
grow,” Russel said.
Teig was the 2000 Newcomer of
the Year after breaking the fresh
man record for single season wins
with 22. Eisinga became the first
freshman to qualify for the NCAA
doubles tournament along with
Carter.
It is unknown whether highly
touted recruit Paul “Buck” Mink
will begin his Oregon career on Fri
day or whether Russell will keep
him out of competition until later
in the season.
The Classic will give the Ducks a
good chance to warm up and get
back in the swing of things before
the ITA Preseason Regionals take
place in Berkeley, Calif., from Oct.
28-31.“When you practice and
practice, it’s nice to have something
to gear up for,” Russell said.
Smedstad
continued from page 7 A
“I had read about her and how
well she did in Sweden and I tried
to get a hold of her but found out
she had graduated and had moved
away,” Acosta said, adding she had
tried twice a month for about a year
to get a hold of Smedstad to see if
she wanted to come to Oklahoma
State and run for the Cowgirls.
“When we finally got to talk with
each other, it was at the right time,”
{ C I would have gone
to the university in Eng
land, but I would never
have been able to run on
their cross country teams
• because they don’t provide
scholarships for runners
like the US. colleges do.
Hanna Smedstad
Oregon senior
Smedstad said. “I would have gone
to the university in England, but I
would have never been able to run
on their cross country teams be
cause they don't provide scholar
ships for runners like the U.S. col
leges do. I would have had to run
with a club.”
Smedstad had an extremely suc
cessful three years in Stillwater,
Okla. She reached the National
Cross Country meet twice, finishing
28th in 1998 and 18th last year. The
two-time All-American also
reached the NCAA outdoor track
meet in the 5,000 meters and the
3,000 meters. She picked up anoth
er honor as All-American as a
member of Oklahoma State’s
eighth-place indoor distance med
ley team in 1998.
Last year, Smedstad completed
her degree in psychology at Okla
homa State. The next logical step
for Smedstad was to go graduate
school and get a Ph.D. in neuro
science. She decided to transfer to
Oregon with two seasons of eligibil
ity left.
The decision “was mostly aca
demic,” Smedstad said. “But I did
want to run here.”
Despite this being her fifth home
in as many years, Eugene is a nice
fit for Smedstad. She said that she
has adapted well to the new cli
mate.
“So far so good,” Smedstad said.
“It’s a lot like Sweden — except for
the rain. It’s a lot easier to train here
where it’s not so hot. In Oklahoma
we would have to train in the
morning. It’s better here.”
Living in Oregon will give Smed
stad a chance to do some things she
hasn’t done since living in Sweden:
activities such as cross country ski
ing, orienteering (a sport which
uses maps and compasses) and see
ing the ocean.
Smedstad was almost a complete
surprise to Oregon coach Tom
Heinonen.
“She has just dropped out of the
sky for us,” Heinonen said. “We’re
real lucky to have her. She’s added
so much depth to our team.”
She has just
dropped out of the sky for
us. We're really lucky to
have her. She's added so
much depth to our team.
Tom Heinonen
Oregon track coach
In addition to depth, Smedstad
takes over the No. 1 spot for the
Ducks, which was vacated during
the summer when sophomore Amy
Nickerson left the team.
Smedstad has fit in well with the
Oregon team. In her first meet in a
Duck uniform, she finished sixth
overall at the Roy Griak Invitational
in St. Paul, Minn.
“Our {team] goal is to just do bet
ter than we did at nationals the year
before,” Smedstad said.
Whatever the future holds for
this nomadic distance runner, for
now she has found a home with the
Oregon cross country team.