UO softball looks for new beginning ■With a new coach, Oregon softball starts its season today in hopes of rebounding from a tumultuous 2001 season By Chris Cabot Oregon Daily Emerald After a dismal 2001, which fea tured a 1-20 Pacific-10 Confer ence record and the resignation of the head coach, the Oregon soft ball team will begin the 2002 sea son today in Texas. First-year head coach Brent Rincon leads the Ducks to the B&G Properties Tournament host ed by Southwest Texas State in San Marcos, Texas. Oregon will face Houston and Texas Tech on Friday, Texas A&M Corpus Christi and No. 17 Southwest Texas State on Saturday and Texas Tech again on Sunday. Rincon took over the job as in terim head coach after Rick Gamez resigned in October after an audit revealed discrepancies of more than $5,700 in the team’s travel budget. Last season’s team (28-40 over all) was marked with poor team chemistry, and midway through the year, senior catcher Kelly Planche quit for personal reasons. This year, the team will be with out three starters who were ex pected to return. Juniors Missy Coe and Lisa Wangler, last year’s Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year, and sophomore Kate Peterson all have decided not to play this year for the Ducks. Oregon is returning 11 letter winners and five starters, includ ing pitcher Connie McMurren, who pitched 160.1 innings last year, and junior infielder Alyssa Laux, who hit .353 last season and was named to the all-region team. Laux’s batting average was second only to Wangler’s .367. Rincon is beginning his first year of collegiate coaching after working as the athletic director at Tempe High in Arizona. He also coached Corona Del Sol and Mc Clintock high schools. Rincon will have the aid of first-year as sistants Jennifer Jaime, who won a Big 12 Championship as a play er at Oklahoma, and Holly Smith, who played three years at Arizona State (1998-2000). E-mail sports reporter Chris Cabot at chriscabot@dailyemerald.com. Wrestling continued from page 9 Davis. Then on Dec. 12, Oregon traveled to Corvallis to face Oregon State and lost the match 16-16 by way of criteria “g,” which awards the win to the team with the most near-fall points. In the latest polls, Oregon is fighting to crack the top-25, listed as one of the teams receiving votes. Arizona State is ranked No. 10 by both Intermat and the coaches’ poll. The Ducks’ other opponent this weekend, Boise State, did not make the coaches poll, but holds the No. 24 slot on Intermat’s rankings. Last season, Arizona State and Boise State topped the Pac-10 standings while Oregon placed fourth, and in the latest Pac-10 rankings, the Sun Devils sit on top of the conference above Oregon State, Oregon and Boise State, re spectively. In tonight’s meet, the Broncos of Boise State (6-3 overall, 3-1 Pac-10) will feature No. 4 Ben VomBaur (16-3) in the 125-pound weight class. Boise State’s two other ranked wrestlers are No. 14 Gabe Vigil (18-9) at 141-pounds and No. 10 Collin Robertson, who has won 12 matches in a row and is 18-3 at 149 pounds. VomBaur and Oregon’s Shaun Williams, who is now ranked No. 12, met three times last season, with Williams winning twice. Along with the Broncos’ excel lent 125-pounder, Williams will have to face Arizona State’s No. 11 freshman Mike Simpson, who leads the team with 22 victories and five major decisions. Oregon’s 141-pounder, No. 19 Brian Watson, who has jumped into the national rankings this week, will also have top competi tion. After taking on Vigil at Boise State, Watson will face the No. 1 wrestler in the country in his weight class, the Sun Devils’ Eric Larkin (21-2). Including Larkin and Simpson, Arizona State has seven ranked wrestlers in its starting lineup. Two of the other key matchups during Sunday’s meet will be at 165 pound and heavyweight classes. Oregon’s senior captain, Eugene Harris, is now ranked No. 5 and will face No. 18 Nick Frost (13-2). No. 19 Eric Webb, who sat out of the Ducks’ last two meets against Pacific and Central Washington due to his lingering toe injury, is paired against No. 9 Kellan Fluck iger (20-6). Webb’s toe will proba bly still be a factor in the match. E-mail sports reporter Chris Cabot at chriscabot@dailyemerald.com. Duo continued from page 9 think there’s anybody better in the country.” Christoffersen’s effort came most ly on the glass, where he dominat ed UCLA big man Dan Gadzuric and other Bruins, and ended with a career-high 15 boards. He added 14 points for his second career double double. “When Chris is controlling the boards like that, it just adds another dimension to our offense,” Jackson said. “He just rises to the challenge.” Christoffersen continued to shoot well Thursday night, as he went 7 for-9 from the floor. The “Great Dane” ranks first among the Ducks and ninth in the Pacific-10 Confer ence in field goal percentage, hitting 53 percent of his shots. Jones is right behind him, and is ranked 10th in the Pac-10 at 52 percent. Jones and Christoffersen picked a good night to explode together. NBA “Superscout” Marty Blake was in attendance, and countless people around the country were watching on national Fox Sports Net television. Blake is the Director of Scouting for the NBA, and is a longtime pro scout. For the two Ore gon seniors, the step to the next lev el could have started Thursday night in Eugene. Until that next level, there is still a lot of basketball to be played, in cluding the real senior night, against Washington on Feb. 23. But if nei ther plays well on that night, they can reach back to a late January bat tle when both played like profes sionals. Oregon will face Southern Cali fornia in a battle for the conference’s * top spot on Saturday. E-mail sports reporter Peter Hockaday atpeterhockaday@dailyemerald.com. Classifieds: Room 300, Erb Memorial Union P.O. Box 3159, Eugene, OR 97403 E-mail: classads@dailyemerald.com Online Edition: www.dailyemerald.com To place an ad, call (541)346-4343 or stop by Room 300 Erb Memorial Union 090 BIRTHDAYS JIMMY JO ALLEN Happy 22nd Birthday! I love you! Love, Mary 105 TYPING/RESUME SERVICES At 344-0759, ROBIN is GRAD SCHOOL APPROVED. 30-year the sis/dissertation background. Term papers. Full resume service. Editing. Laser pr ON CAMPUS! I 'ok ft ^ february 6th+7th 7pm | emu ballroom free for all students must pick up free ticket in advance at UO Ticket Office $5.00 faculty & staff $10.00 general admission HorOSCOpC by Linda C. Black TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (Feb 1). Have you thought about publishing a book? Traveling the world? Making wonderful scientific discoveries? All ot this and more can be yours this year. Expand your horizons. To get the advantage, check the day's rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging. ARIES (March 21 -April 19) - Today is an 8 - Even with Mercury retrograde, you're clicking right along. You're pushing a big project through. Others benefit more than you do from this, ex cept in terms of satisfaction. That's your reward, and it'll be generous. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) - Today is a 6 - You could do well financially now, but it's not easy. Getting into work mode is your first challenge. You'd rather play, but that doesn't appear to be a viable option. You're supremely practical. Do what needs to be done. GEMINI (May 21 -June 21) - Today is a 10 - They say a journey of a thousand miles begins with just one step, but it actually begins before that. It begins with a fantasy that turns into a plan. Af ter that comes the step. Get going. CANCER (June 22-July 22) - Today is a 5 - Can cer is the sign of the millionaire. You have a nat ural talent for doing business, but it also takes a lot of work. You'll have patience for details in volving other people's money, so hide out some where and study. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) - Today is an 8 - Hand over the reins to a smart person who can take care of you right now. Don't argue or try to main tain control. You'll become much stronger if you accept the coaching. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) - Today is a 5 - There's too much work, but luckily it could ejrn you lots of money this time. Your full attention is required, but perfection is always your goal. Keep at it. LIBRA (Sept. 23-0ct. 23) - Today is a 9 - Are you in love? Are you and your special mate going somewhere special this weekend? Doesn't look like there's much in your way - except for your job. Do it fasti then get outta there! SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) - Today is a 5 - There's plenty to keep you busy at home the first part of this month. Are you moving or doing a major renovation? Setting up an office or labo ratory in your basement? Any or all of the above would be perfect. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) - Today is an 8 - You're pretty smart, and you have some very intelligent friends. One of them seems to be try ing to teach you something. It's complex, but you're learning. If this friend is also your partner, so much the better. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) - Today is a 5 - You can make a lot of money now. The paper work is somewhat of a problem, but a creative idea could actually work. Provide what an older person wants. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) - Today is a 10 - Do you have plans to travel this weekend? How long would It take you to make plans? Grab your toothbrush, a credit card and a fascinating com panion, and then get going right away! PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) - Today is a 5 - You could borrow more to get what you want, but is that really wise? The better plan is to save up for it and pay cash. You can negotiate a discount in stead of paying interest. 120 MISCELLANEOUS FOR SALE Emerald City Comics Your store for comics, games, Anime. 770 E. 13th 345-2568. "Give Me Five!* Run your “FOR SALE” ad (items under $1,000) for 5 days. If the item(s) doesn’t sell, call us at 346-4343 and we’ll run your ad again for another 5 days FREE! Student/Private Party Ads Only«No Refunds 130 CARS/TRUCKS/CYCLES “97 Corolla, 5 spd, air, 92.000K $5695. Ask about student repurch ase program, ww.auto 607-0404. uo BICYCLES Brand New Madwagon Bicycle For Sale! 2001 Edition, Assembly re quired. $90.00 OBO. Call Melissa at 685-1179. When: Feb. 9, 2002 5:30 PM Dinner starts 7:30 PM 5how starts Where: Eugene Chinese Church 2520 Harris 5t. Eugene (25th Si Harris 5t.) nI^w Y&dK ?a^4y Presented by Chinese Students fit Scholars Association 145 COMPUTERS/ELECTRONICS Blueberry iMac, Epson printer, Blue berry floppy drive, extra ink carts. 128 KB, DVD, CD, 56k modem, MacOS 9.0. $850/obo. 341-1452. 178 CHILD CARE Affordable, high quality pre-school/ child care. Devetopmental/educa tional. UO grad. Cynthia. 683-3459. 205 HELP WANTED The Emerald is currently accepting applications for an open features reporting position. We are looking for energetic, enthusiastic individu als who are creative, persistent, re sourceful, dependable and passion ate about journalism. Qualified ap plicants will have a knowledge of AP style and will have taken at least a basic reporting class or have sig nificant outside reporting experi ence. Applicants must be enrolled in classes at the University and be available to work about 25 hours a week through the end of the school year. Applications can be picked up at the Emerald office in Suite 300 of the EMU on the third floor. Applica tions will be due 5 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 6. Be sure to include a resume and five clips. The Oregon Daily Emerald is an equal opportunity em ployer committed to a culturally di verse workplace. Is Aries due for, a pay raise? HOROSCOPE. ODE CLASSIFIEDS. . Collegiate Christian Fellowship Sunday Mornings @ 11:00 a.m. in the gym at First Baptist Church 868 High Street 345-0341 (Shuttle service also available) Campus Unitarian Universalists Group Meeting each (f-44 Sunday 6:30-8:00pm Koinonia Center Campus Ministry at Central Lutheran Church (ELCA) Welcomes you ! Holy Communion: Sundays 8:15 & 10:45am; 6:30pm Bible Study, Food & Conversation Mondays at 8pm in the Christus House Lounge 18th & Potter * 345-0395 CATHOLIC CAMPUS MINISTRY St. Thomas More Newman Center Daily Mass Mon-Fri, 5:15PM Wed. Mass 9:00PM Sat. Mass 5:00PM Sun. Mass 9:00,11:00AM. 7:30PM (Student Mass) 1850 Emerald St. • 346-4468 Call 346-4343 to list your services here. www.newnianctr-uoregon ore -— - ■