Sports Editor:
Adam Jude
adamjude@dailyemerald.com
Assistant Sports Editor:
Jeff Smith
jeffsmith@dailyemenild.com
Thursday, April 18,2002
Best Bet
NHL Playoffs:
L.A. at Colorado
7 p.m., ESPN2
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Dividends
In just two weeks, freshman Daria Panova
has had a significant impact on the
Oregon women’s tennis team
By Peter Martini
for the Emerald
Entering spring break, the Oregon women’s tennis team
was 7-9 overall and had lost six straight matches. The
team is now 12-9 and riding a five-match winning
streak.
What happened?
Daria Panova happened.
The 19-year-old freshman joined the team at the end of
winter term and was immediately thrust into the No. 1
singles spot.
Originally from Moscow, Panova competed at Sopot
Academy in Poland with Oregon junior Monika Gieczys a
few years ago, which is the main reason she chose to join
the Ducks.
"I knew Monika from before and I knew she chose to
come here because of the coaches,” said Panova, who is 3-2
for the Ducks this season. “I also knew that I would feel
more comfortable here at the school and on the team be
cause she was here.”
Besides tennis, Panova's favorite sport is figure skating.
Because of frequent injuries and her dedication to tennis,
she no longer figure skates competitively. But she still en
joys watching her favorite figure skater, Olympic gold
medalist Alexei Yagudin of Russia.
I don t have enough time to figure skate anymore,” she
said. “But it’s still my favorite sport to watch.”
Panova, Dasza (pronounced Da-SHA) to her friends and
teammates, has spent much time traveling around the world
and competing in tournaments. Living away from home is
n’t anything new to her, but she still finds it difficult to
adapt to the new culture.
“I still have lots of problems with English,” she said. “I’m
nervous about language. I fear people won’t understand
me.”
She said her teammates are making the adjustment easier
for her and she is starting to feel more at home.
I m spending a lot of time with my teammates off the
court, Panova said. “We go to dinner, the movies and just
hangout.”
Gieczys said that Panova’s personality fits right in with
the team’s chemistry.
“She’s a very fun and outgoing person. She wasn’t shy at
all, Gieczys said. “It was nice to have a spring break for her
Turn to Panova, page 16
Freshman Daria Panova joined the Ducks during spring break and has taken over the No. 1 spot.
Options
limited
for NFL
hopefuls
■Joey Harrington was once
the projected No. 1 pick, but it’s
anyone’s guess as to where the
Oregon quarterback will end up
By Adam Jude
Oregon Daily Emerald
It’s late in the game and Joey Har
rington is down once again.
But this time, he’s not getting the
ball. He will not get the chance to di
rect an impressive 11th come-from-be
hind victory before entering the profes
sional ranks. This time, the outcome is
out of his control.
All he can do is wait, wait, wait ...
and perhaps wait some more.
At one point, Harrington was the po
tential top pick in the NFL Draft,
which begins Saturday (9 a.m. ESPN).
While many prog
nosticators still
have him as a top
10 pick in Satur
day’s NFL Draft,
some have specu
lated that “Joe Col
lege” may fall all
the way to the sec
ond round.
“I’m not assum
ing anything. ... No
matter what hap
pens, I am going to end up far away
from home in a new situation with a
new offense,” Harrington said recently.
“It’s all going to be a new, fun experi
ence for me. I’m not getting my hopes
set on anywhere or getting too picky be
cause I have no choice in the matter.”
With the No. 1 pick, the expansion
Houston Texans officially committed
Wednesday to Fresno State’s David
Carr, as he agreed to a seven-year deal
Turn to NFL, page 16
HARRINGTON
National rankings suffice as Oregon prepares for Mt. SAC
■ I he Oregon women place
a bevy of athletes on national
collegiate lists as they head
to California this weekend
By Hank Hager
Oregon Daily Emerald
All season long, the Oregon women’s
track and field team has put up impres
sive numbers.
Sophomore Sarah Malone has
thrown the javelin 179-feet-2 inches.
Her teammate Roslyn Lundeen, a fresh
man from Victoria, British Columbia,
has thrown at 166-11. Last year, Malone
ended the collegiate season ranked
third in the nation with a throw of 174.
Mary Etter has even impressed in two
different events. The junior has put the
shot 49-9.25, and countered that in the
discus with a mark of 173-6.
Most of these marks represent per
sonal bests for the respective athletes.
However, the most important numbers
associated with each is the placement it
puts each in the collegiate national
rankings.
Malone’s top throw is the third
longest in the nation, with Lundeen’s
four spots behind at No. 7, according to
trackandfieldnews.com.
Continuing the national javelin dom
ination, the Ducks also field athletes at
the No. 9 and No. 22 positions. Fresh
man Elisa Crumley’s top mark of 166-1
rounds out the top for Oregon, while
junior Charyl Weingarten is in the top
25 with a throw of 155-2.
Etter’s two marks place her 32nd and
eighth, respectively. Last weekend at
the Washington Dual, Etter did not
come close to equaling her high marks,
but looks to this weekend at the Mt.
SAC Invitational.
“Next week, we’re going to Mt. SAC,”
she said after taking first and two second
place finishes at last weekend’s Wash
ington Dual meet. “I am really looking
forward to that in thinking of PRs.”
Turn to Track, page 14
Adam Amato Emerald
Sophomore Kirsten
Riley has impressed
so far this season,
hitting a high mark of
12-feet-5.5 inches in
the pole vault. The
feat is good enough to
warrant an NCAA
provisional mark.
I