Tuesday
Best Bet
NHL Playoffs: Pittsburgh at Washington
4 p.m., ESPN
SPORTS EDITOR: JEFF SMITH Smittside@aol.com
R. Ashley Smith Emerald
Senior Jerilyn White, currently in fourth at the Pac-10s, is coming off the first win of her career.
■ Senior Jerilyn White
has carried the Oregon
women’s golf team in her
final season as a Duck
By Peter Hockaday
Oregon Daily Emerald
Seventy-seven.
That’s .the number that has
haunted, motivated and eaten at
Jerilyn White since last year’s
NCAA Championships.
White, in her fourth year at
Oregon and now the undisputed
leader of the Ducks, took 77
strokes — five over par — in the
final round of the 2000 NCAAs at
Sunriver as her team plummeted
from third to 11th overall on that
final day.
“It goes through my mind day
after day about that final
round,” White said. “More than
anything, that gives me a reason
to get back to nationals.”
White is on the verge of mak
ing it back to the NCAA Cham
pionships in Howey-on-the
Hills, Fla., this season. If she
and the rest of the Oregon
golfers can
perform
well at this
week’s Pacif
ic-10 Confer
ence Cham
pionships
and the
NCAA Re
gionals in two weeks, White
will get another shot on college
golf’s biggest stage.
This year, White will enter the
postseason with a winning
streak. The Salem native was hot
ter than she’s ever been this win
ter, and she won medalist honors
for the first time in her career at
the Peg Barnard Invitational in
Palo Alto, Calif., on April 14. In
five tournaments this winter,
White has placed seventh, third,
16th, 12th and first.
“She’s going in on a high,”
Oregon head coach Shannon
Rouillard said.
In the fall, the only things
high for White were her scores.
The senior entered 2000-01
with lofty expectations of be
coming the second-ever All
American women’s golfer at
Oregon, but averaged a 77 —
there’s that number again — or
above at each tournament of the
fall season. She placed in a tour
nament’s top 20 only once, at
the Hawaii Fall Classic, where
she ended up in 14th.
White came back from winter
break with something to prove.
She started off the 2001 season
Turn to White, page 8
Pac-10 race close, UO ninth
■ The Oregon women’s
golf team is second-to
last after one round at
the Pac-10s
By Peter Hockaday
Oregon Daily Emerald
The Oregon women’s golf
team can’t catch Jerilyn
White.
After one round at the Pa
cific-10 Conference Champi
onships in Tempe, Ariz., Ore
gon senior White is in fourth
place and within striking dis
tance of the individual crown.
Unfortunately, the rest of
the Oregon team didn’t do as
well, and the Ducks stand in
ninth overall.
California, ranked 41st na
tionally, is the surprise leader
at the Pac-lOs. The Golden
Bears were led by Sarah
Huarte’s 3-under-par 69 over
the first round at the Karsten
Golf Course.
“It’s a good time for every
thing to come together,” Cal
coach Nancy McDaniel said.
“The last two tournaments
we’ve been closing the gap on
teams ahead of us.”
Cal is beating out national
powerhouses such as No. 2
Arizona, No. 21 Arizona State
and No. 4 Southern Califor
nia. The Wildcats are six
strokes behind the Bears,
while the Sun Devils, Trojans
and Cardinal of Stanford are
knotted in third place, seven
strokes out of first.
The Ducks’ highlight Mon
day was the play of White,
Turn to Women, page 8
Six more Oregon football players get chance at NFL
Despite not
being
drafted, a few
Ducks have an
opportunity to
make
a pro team as
free agents
U
Obviously, I
would have
liked to get
drafted—
everyone
does—
but it did n't
workout
Matt Smith
linebacker
By Jeff Smith
Oregon Daily Emerald
After a long weekend of waiting by
the phone and watching the tube to no
avail, six former Oregon football play
ers not taken in the
NFL Draft signed
free agent contracts
Monday.
Linebacker Matt
Smith, who was
one of the more
surprising names
on the Ducks’ non-draftee list, was
picked up by Indianapolis. Smith will
be. joined on the Colts by teammate
Enyi Nwamuo, a 6-foot-4, 248-pound
tight end.
Defensive end Saul Patu signed a con
tract with the New York Jets and wide
receiver Marshaun Tucker was picked
up by the Tennessee Titans. Oregon’s fi
nal two NFL free agents were defensive
end Jason Nikolao with Jacksonville and
punter Kurds Doerr with Seattle.
“I’m very pleased and proud for our
young men to sign pro contracts and
get that opportunity,” Oregon head
coach Mike Bellotti said at Monday’s
practice. “Certainly, you’d like to see
more of them get drafted like I think
they truly deserved.”
The only Duck to be selected in the
National Football League Draft was
back-up quarterback A.J. Feeley, who
went to the Philadelphia Eagles with
the 155th overall selection in the fifth
round.
Smith had been projected to be draft
ed between the fourth and seventh
rounds and admitted that he was
somewhat surprised he didn’t hear his
name.
“Obviously, I would have liked to get
drafted — everyone does — but it did
n’t work out,” said Smith, who led Ore
gon in tackles last season with 90. “I’ve
heard through people that sometimes
it’s better to have an opportunity to
pick your own team and your own sit
uation and hopefully this is the case
here.”
Smith said that he hopes to make the
Colts as a special teams player and a
reserve linebacker. He also noted that
his fiancd is from Michigan, and she
liked Indianapolis because it was a
close drive.
“But I’d have to make the team first,”
Smith said. “I have school throughout
this term and then this summer I’ll give
it all I got.”
Smith was working out in the
Turn to Football, page 12
Tom Patterson Emerald
Defensive ends Saul Patu (48) and Jason Nikolao (98) will bring their intensity to their NFL camps.