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Oregon to continue its climb with Bellotti
The coach who
led the Ducks
to their school
record 10-2
season
renews his
commitment
to Oregon
By Adam Jude
Oregon Daily Emerald
The Pacific-10 Conference’s win
ningest coach during the last six years
is going nowhere.
Oregon head football coach Mike Bel
lotti withdrew his name from consider
ation for the vacant coaching position at
Ohio State Tuesday, announcing a re
newed commitment to the Ducks and
the future of the program.
While gaining national respectability,
Bellotti, 50, has guided Oregon to its
most successful era in program history
since he took over the head coaching
job in 1995. The Ducks recorded their
first 10-win season in 2000, capped off
by a 35-30 win against Texas in the Hol
iday Bowl and a No. 7 ranking in the fi
nal Associated Press poll.
Overall, Bellotti is 49-22 as the head
coach.
Under Bellotti, the Ducks have won
two straight bowl games (three overall),
and made postseason appearances in
five of his six years at the helm. No oth
er Oregon coach has guided the team to
more than one bowl victory.
After five years as the head coach at
Chico State (Calif.), Bellotti became the
Ducks’ offensive coordinator in 1989.
That same year, Oregon snapped a 25
year drought and made a postseason ap
pearance in the Independence Bowl,
while setting single-season records for
school scoring marks.
Bellotti has also guided an Oregon of
fense that has averaged more than 400
yards per game in each of the last five
years.
“When you play a role in develop
ing something special such as we have
here, it becomes very difficult to ever
consider leaving,” Bellotti said Tues
day in a released statement. “It is be
cause of that feeling that I have con
tacted Ohio State to inform them that I
am withdrawing my name from con
sideration for their head coaching va
cancy.”
Bellotti and his family were in
Columbus, Ohio, on Monday, touring
the Ohio State campus with Buckeyes
athletic director Andy Geiger.
Several reports said that Bellotti was
the top candidate for the head coaching
position at Ohio State, and that the
Bellotti’s coaching
record at Oregon
Year Overall Pac-10
1995 9-3 6-2
1996 6-5 3-5
1997 7-5 3-5
1998 8-4 5-3
1999 9-3 6-2
2000 10-2 7-1
Buckeyes were willing to pay upward
of $2 million to their next coach. Last
month, Bellotti agreed to a seven-year
contract with Oregon that would keep
him in Eugene through 2007.
Numbers add up
for UO wrestling
The Oregon
wrestling team
has been
rewarded by
the national
and
conference
pollsters
WRESTLING
By Robbie McCallum
Oregon Daily Emerald
Quietly and confidently, the Oregon
wrestling team has risen to the next
level of competition.
After 10 weeks of competition, the
Duck wrestlers find themselves as the
second-highest ranked sport at Oregon,
second only to the No. 7 football team.
The Intermat national poll has the
Ducks at No. 14, and has ranked Ore
gon as high as 10th.
Oregon also has the highest-ranked
individual athlete at Oregon in junior
Shaun Williams. The 125-pound trans
fer is currently ranked sixth in two
polls and has been ranked as high as
fourth among lightweights.
Williams transferred from North Ida
ho Junior College this year and made
an immediate impact on the Ducks’
starting roster.
Oregon also has five other wrestlers
ranked in the top-20 nationwide. Se
nior Chael Sonnen and sophomore Eric
Webb are ranked sixth at 197 pounds
and heavyweight, respectively. Senior
All-American Doug Lee is seventh at
184 pounds and sophomore Brian Wat
son is ranked 10th at 133 pounds. Ju
nior Eugene Harris is ranked 19th at
157 pounds.
Add rankings
According to the Pacific-10 Confer
ence rankings, there should be a four
way battle for the conference title,
which will be held at McArthur
Court on Feb. 25-26. Oregon, Oregon
State, Boise State and Arizona State
have dominated the most recent
polls.
Oregon has already defeated Oregon
State 22-16 and takes on Boise State
this Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Mac Court.
The Ducks have a ranked wrestler in
all but three weight classes. Williams,
Watson, Lee and Sonnen all earned top
rankings.
Approaching records
With three convincing pins and
four victories last Friday at the Ore
gon Classic Duals, Sonnen moved to
second all-time on the school career
pins list. Sonnen has 13 pins this
season to bring his collegiate total to
45. Sonnen needs eight more pins to
Turn to Wrestling, page 9
Laura Smit Emerald
Senior forward Angelina Wolvert leads the Ducks in scoring with 13.7 points per game and hopes for an eventual third Pacific-10 Conference title
COMPETITIVE
Duck
teammates
admire
Angelina
Wo I vert’s
clutch play
and veteran
leadership
By Scott Pesznecker
Oregon Daily Emerald
Her eyes were void of emotion, her
hands folded on the long table in front
of her. She wanted to talk, but didn’t
know what to say.
It was a rare moment for Oregon for
ward Angelina Wolvert.
She’d been beaten.
For that reason, Wolvert will always
remember the first round of the 2000
NCAA Tournament at McArthur Court
last March. She’ll remember the mo
ment when her team lost to underdog
Alabama-Birmingham with seconds re
maining, and what she could have done
that might have changed the outcome.
“Jenny [Mowe] and I were on the post,
and whoever was guarding the ball got
beat,” Wolvert said. “Jenny went straight
up to help, and I should have stepped
over to take both my post and her post,
but I didn’t because I didn’t see it quick
enough. The ball went to Jenny’s player,
who went straight to the basket.
“It was devastating.”
But Wolvert isn’t on the losing team
often.
Usually, she’s the
one who beats peo
ple.
Ask LeAnn
Sheets, Washington
forward. Last sea
son in Seattle,
Sheets was stuck
guarding Wolvert,
man-to-man, when
the Huskies held a
one-point lead over
the Ducks with less than 15 seconds re
maining.
Guard Jamie Craighead saw the mis
match and passed the ball inside to
Wolvert. Pump, fake, and the shot —
Turn to Wolvert, page 10
EDGE