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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 2, 2002)
Sports Editor: Adam Jude adamjude@dailyemerald.com Oregon Daily Emerald f ' * « r < V» MLB: Seattle at Chicago 5p.m., FSN Thursday, May 2,2002 UO softball fights for .500 with five games left ■ After splitting a doubleheader with Hawaii on Tuesday, the Oregon Ducks’ overall-record stands at 23-25 By Chris Cabot Oregon Daily Emerald Oregon head coach Brent Rincon said that the implications of the loss to Hawaii in Game 1 of Tuesday’s doubleheader were “enormous.” If the Ducks (23-25 overall, 1-14 Pacific-10 Conference) had swept the two-game set with the Rainbow Wahine, they could have entered the upcoming weekend with UCLA and Wash ington with a 24-24 record. With five games remaining on their regu lar season schedule, all against Pac-10 teams, it seems unlikely that Oregon will reach its goal of a .500 season — and likely miss out on a postseason bid for the second straight year. One factor that contributed to Oregon’s loss — and near loss in the second game — in the doubleheader against Hawaii was poor baserunning. Along with the runner interference call that changed Janell Bergstrom’s game-winning home run into a controversial over-the-fence single, Oregon ran into another out in the fifth inning of Game 1. With two outs, Jenn Poore on second and Alyssa Laux on first, Andrea Vidlund roped a single. From the third base coach’s box, Rincon held Poore at third on the sharply hit ball, but Laux and Vidlund continued on, trapping three Ore gon runners between second and third. Poore broke for home but was tagged out to end the inning. “I’m pleased with the big-time hitting by Janell and the fact that we were able to keep battling when we were down,” Rincon said. “But there’s no excuse for poor baserunning, and we’ve got to pay attention to every detail no matter what the situation is.” SOFTBALL Around the Pac-10 The latest USA Today/NFCA Division I top-25 poll came out on Monday and the Pac-10 still reigns. UCLA, who Oregon faces this weekend, is a unanimous selec tion for the No. 1 spot in the nation. Rounding out the top-5 are No. 2 Arizona, No. 3 LSU, No. 4 Arizona State and No. 5 Califor nia. Oregon remains the only Pac-10 team without a ranking as Washington — Oregon’s other upcoming weekend opponent — jumps up two spots to No. 6. That bumps Stanford down one slot to No. 8, and Oregon State remains steady at No. 16. No. 1 UCLA’s Stacey Nuveman and Keira Goerl swept the Pac-lO’s Pitcher and Player of the Week awards for April 29. Goerl threw her fifth no-hitter of the season, and Nuveman hit .667 for the week, while connecting for her 85th career home run to tie the NCAA record. E-mail sports reporter Chris Cabot at chriscabot@dailyemerald.com. Adam Amato Emerald Lindsey Kontra (left) and catcher Jenn Poore talk during Game 1 of the doubleheader against Hawaii on Tuesday. The Ducks have five games remaining in a season in which they have compiled a 23-25 record (1-14 Pacific-10 Conference). UO’s Kent will stay with USA Basketball ■ Ernie Kent, who spent last summer coaching a youth team, will announce his next position today By Peter Hockaday Oregon Daily Emerald Oregon head coach Ernie Kent will be part of a decision in volving USA Basketball today. Kent, who was an assistant coach on the USA Basketball World Championship for Young Men Team last summer, will be named to a head coaching position within the USA Bas ketball program, according to an Oregon news release. Kent will hold a press conference at 1 p.m. today to re spond to questions about the announcement. It is likely Kent will not coach the USA Basketball World Championship Team, which is composed of professional bas ketball players and already has its coaching staff set. Last season, the USA Basketball World Championship for Young Men Team won the 2001 FIB A World Championships for Young Men and was named the 2001 USA Basketball Team of the Year. That team, which was coached by Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim, included players age 21 and under. Several famous college players, including UCLA’s Jason Kapono, Kansas’ Nick Collison and Boston College’s Troy Bell, played for the squad. E-mail sports reporter Peter Hockaday at peterhockaday@dailyemerald.com. Recruits add depth to men’s track unit ■ Four new Ducks could atone for losses to the Oregon sprinting team in the 2003 spring season By Peter Hockaday Oregon Daily Emerald Oregon’s formidable sprinting corps will only get stronger next season. The Ducks announced the signing of four recruits, bringing the current incoming class to eight members. The most recent signees, featuring two ath letes with local ties, will beef up the sprints considerably. “I’m really pleased with this group,” Oregon head coach Martin Smith said. “They should all come in and contribute immediately and boost (sprints coach Steve) Silvey’s areas, which graduate several key athletes.” The Ducks are graduating several runners, including hurdler Micah Harris and middle-distance runners Simon Kimata and Ross Krempley. Smith plugged Harris’ hole with Michael Mitchum, a hurdler from Chicago who can run both the 110 and 400-meter hurdles. A local athlete should add to the middle distances in the absence of Kimata and Krempley. Jan Olszowy, a native of Jarfalla, Sweden, who competed at South Eugene High School in 2001, is a fleet 800 runner. He has a personal best of 1:50.15, which is less than one second slower than Krempley’s personal best. Ol szowy won the 800 at last season’s Oregon high school state meet and finished the season ranked seventh in the nation. In the sprints, Smith added McMinville native Marcus Benton and Arvada, Colo., native Travis Anderson. Benton took second at the state meet in the 200 with a per sonal best of 21.64 but can also run the 100 and 400. He currently ranks third in the state in both the 200 and 400. Anderson took the Colorado state 400 championship in 2000 but missed last season’s state meet. He still finished fifth in the nation last spring with a personal best of 47.09 in the 400. “By the end of the outdoor season, three from the entire recruiting class could end up in the 46-second range in the 400,” Smith said. “That helps us immensely, both sprint-wise and in the relays.” The mix of local and national talent in this season’s recruiting class means some current team members are get ting excited. “Next year, the recruiting class is probably better than the one I came in on, which was considered a No. 1,” pole vaulter Trevor Woods said. Multi-meet madness If you’re trying to build a postcard collection, you might want to befriend some track and field athletes. In another weekend of insan’>r. a handful of Ducks will be at dift nt venues competing in a varie of events. Some athletes will he, to Stanford, Calif., for the Cardinal In vite, while others will head to Coium bus, Ohio, for the Ohio State-hosted Jesse Owens Track Classic. Hold on to your plane tickets Who’s got the power? The track gurus at www.i power.org haven’t caught on at Turn to Track, page 14
