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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (March 16, 2001)
Emerald Sophomore Mary Etter won two events at last year’s Oregon Preview. She will try to repeat that performance on Saturday. Ducks to Preview season ■The Oregon women’s track team opens its home season at the Oregon Preview on Saturday By Peter Hockaday Oregon Daily Emerald Life couldn’t be easier for the Ore gon women’s track and field team this week. Looser-than usual practices, nice weather and light train ing lead up to Saturday’s sea son-opening meet, the Oregon Preview at Hay ward Field. “It’s pretty much just a warm-up, distance runner Hanna Smedstad said about the meet. “We’re all excit ed that the season is starting, though. ” Oregon runners, jumpers and throwers should dominate the colle giate competition at the meet, but they might tangle with several com peting professional athletes. Portland and Portland State will be the only Division I schools besides Oregon competing at the Preview, while Seattle Pacific, Whitman Col lege and four acommunity colleges will also send teams to the meet. Still, Saturday’s meet is the second chance of the young season for the Ducks to score NCAA provisional or qualifying marks, and the first time they will be able to qualify on their own track. This year’s NCAA Cham pionships will be held at Hayward Field from May 30 to June 2. “It is a tune-up, because it’s the be ginning [of the season ] for a lot of ath letes,” Oregon head coach Tom Heinonen said of the Oregon Pre view. “But it’s the first meet at home, it’s the first good opportunity to get a Pac-10 qualifying mark and maybe even get onto the NCAA qualifying list.” Heinonen said that Saturday’s meet may help him make decisions on which athletes to take to the Stan ford Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif., during spring break. Junior All-American pole vaulter Nikki Reed, coming off a disappoint ing finish to the 2000 season marred by injuries, is one of those athletes who will compete for the first time in 2001 on Saturday. “I’m excited for the meet this Sat urday,” Reed said. “I’m hoping to jump my PR or higher.” Reed may have to compete with some collegiate athletes, but the Ducks running in the distance events may face the toughest competition. Three featured non-collegiate ath letes will compete in the 3,000, while one will enter the field in the 1,500. Annette Peters, with Asics, as well as Mindy Leffler and Carrie Morales, will run the 3,000. Lisa Nye, with Nike Portland, will compete in the 1,500. Also, former Duck standout Marie Davis will race in the 3,000 Sat urday. If last season’s Oregon Preview is a guide, the Ducks should cruise past the competition this year. Oregon won 11 events last year and even scored one NCAA provisional mark in the process. That mark belonged to Karis Howell in the javelin. Other re turners who won their events last year are Mary Etter (shot put and dis cus), Maureen Morrison (hammer throw) and Endia Abrante (sprints). Fans attending the Oregon Pre view this weekend will see some thing never seen before for the women: the steeplechase. Although no Oregon athletes are entered, oth ers will compete in the event. The 5,000 steeplechase will appear at the women’s NCAA Championships for the first time this year. The Oregon Preview will run al most all day Saturday, starting at 11:20 a.m. with the women’s ham mer and concluding with the 4x400 relay at 4:15 p.m. Emerali Junior sprinter Endia Abrante will compete in the Oregon Preview Saturday. «eHe] 343-4480 OAffiAY fnotTcOU/; Sp*3 484-1927 942-8730 GOLF 9 HOLES $10 Students Only. Must show ID. (Monday - Friday) 8771/2 East 13th Street Eugene 541-344-2263 Council l Travel ^ worldwide vacations tor 1 e to 35 year oids counci L travel . com >free of hassles >free of rip offs >free for you with 10 friends! 10 friends to go and you’ll go free! Experience Contlki with a group of friends booked on the same trip at the same time and the 11th person travels free or everyone in your group gets 10% off. Prices are land only and do not include airfare. >European Discovery from $975 14 days including Amsterdam, Paris, and Rome >Beaches and Reefs from $90514 day tour of Australia's East coast from Sydney to the Barrier Reef □ 9 Award-Winning Micro-Brews □ Sonps, Salads □ Ribs □ Fresh Pizza □ Sandwiches n Pastas n Burgers □ Spirits n Home-Made Rootbeer TAKE A BREW HOME IN STEELHEAD'S BOX O' BEER Steelhead Brewing Company 199 East 5th Avenue Eugene, OR Phone 686-2739 Eugene, OR - Burlingame, CA - Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco, CA - Irvine, CA 2 www.dailvtunerald.ca
