Davis
continued from page 9
she is missing, according to
Smith, is a better understand
ing of the collegiate game.
“I think Brandi is one of our
most athletic guards, and very
talented in terms of her offensive
weapons,” Smith said. “She will
play a role in our up-tempo
game. I think once she under
stands the game, she’ll be an in
tricate part of our success.”
Flashing back to Saturday’s
game, Davis entered the contest
around the 16-minute mark of
the first half. She admitted to be
ing nervous, although that wasn’t
new as she always was excited
before games at Sonora High
School as well.
Yet, this nervous was special.
This nervous meant playing in
front of a big-time college atmos
phere, at a school that she knew
she wanted to attend since the
beginning of her recruiting
process at Sonora.
‘“Oh my gosh, she’s putting
me in.’ That’s the first thing that
came into my head,” Davis said.
“I was so scared, so nervous, and
then once I went in there and
the crowd was rooting for me, it
was exciting.”
Contact the sports reporter
at hankhager@dailyemerald.com.
Adam Amato Emerald
Sophomore Brandi Davis (21) has meshed with the Ducks despite having to sit out
last season because of academic reasons. She should be an offensive force this year.
Cross country
continued from page 9
first season in Eugene, then low
ered the school record in the stee
plechase during the 2001 track
and field season.
During the 2001 cross country
season, Zografos paced the
Ducks in the Pacific-10 Confer
ence Championship, finishing
35th. She led the squad in three
of the other four meets she raced
in, and finished fifth for Oregon
in the other despite an illness.
Zografos redshirted the 2002
track season.
After regionals on Saturday,
Zografos may run in the NCAA
Championships if either she or
her team qualifies. After that,
track and field starts its indoor
season in mid-January.
Playing the Polls
In the weekly national cross
country poll, the Oregon men
have been ranked fifth for the
past five polls. The only Pac-10 or
West region team ranked ahead
of the Ducks is Stanford, who has
been ranked No. 1 nationally for
the entire season.
The Oregon women have been
pushing the edges of the rankings
all season, after an improved fin
ish at the Sept. 28 Roy Griak In
vitational. In the last poll, re
leased Nov. 4, the Ducks received
four votes, putting them at 37th
nationally.
Season scorecard
If a team doesn’t finish as one
of the top two at their regional
championship, they can still be
one of the 13 teams to qualify for
an at-large berth into the nation
al meet.
The 13 teams are selected
based on their regional finish and
regular season wins against
teams that did qualify.
Between three meets, the Ore
gon women have finished above
17 different teams that are poten
tial automatic qualifiers.
On the men’s side, the Ducks
have placed above 21 potential
qualifiers in two meets, including
No. 4 Wisconsin at the Griak
Invitational.
Young Blood
Redshirt freshman Will Viviani
finished as the seventh runner for
the Oregon men at the Griak In
vitational, as he and freshman
Nicole Feest were the only fresh
men runners to make the trek to
Minn, for the meet.
Viviani also finished seventh
for the Ducks at the Pac-10
Championships.
Feest and freshman Eleanor
Gordon have run close to each
other in their past two meets. The
pair finished first and second over
all at the Beaver Classic, and sixth
and seventh for the Ducks at the
Pac-10 Championship.
With these three, plus the
many other freshmen runners
waiting in the wings, Oregon’s
strong running tradition will stay
in the national fray — at least for
the near future.
Mindi Rice is a freelance writer
for the Emerald.
<$fiare fiJliracle
Become H>qg 'Donor
qo
1 he Fertility Center of Oregon has
J helped many couples achieve
pregnancy since 1978. We are in need
of Egg Donors to help infertile women.
Procedures are done in a pleasant local
environment over a period of only six
weeks, and donors are compensated
$2500 for their time. If you are a
healthy woman age 21-31 and are
interested, call 683-1559 or visit our
website at www.WomensCare.com.
EDLD410:
Expressive Arts
for Leadership
& Social Change
2:00-4:50 U CRN: 22509
Six week series will use tools of
drawing, movement and journal
writing to explore issues important
in leadership and social change.
EDLD 409:
Approaches to
a
Conflict Resolution
February 21-22 CRN: 22497
Two-day intensive experience that
will provide the opportunity to
explore concepts and skills related
to effective communication and
conflict resolution.
using the arts,
your mind,
your body...
IN RELATION.
Lisa Foisy
541.346.0640
lfoisy@oregon.uoregon.edu
http://leadership.uoregon.edu
RECREATING
LEAPERSHIP
Luke Ridnour
and the Ducks will
face the EA Sports
All-Stars tonight at
McArthur Court.
Adam Amato Emerald
Basketball
continued from page 9
No. 1 Arizona, 115-92 on Tuesday.
“This team’s better than the (Aus
tralians),” Ridnour said. “They’re go
ing to try to run with us. We just gotta
focus on the defense and the offense
will take care of itself. ”
“People should not come and ex
pect to see another Australian team,”
Oregon head coach Ernie Kent said.
Two 7-footers named to
recruiting class
Aaron Brooks, a point guard from
Seattle, highlighted Kent’s recruit
ing class, which became official
Wednesday.
Kent also signed two 7-footers —
Mitch Platt of Henderson, Nev., and
Ray Schafer of Wasilla, Alaska. Ore
gon’s recruiting class was rated the
15th-best in the country by
ESPN.com.
Brooks was a member of Kent’s
USA Basketball Junior National
Team this summer, which the coach
said gave him “a great leg up in re
cruiting him.”
“He’s a pure point guard who total
ly understands the game,” Kent said
of Brooks, who averaged 18.7 points
and 7.5 assists as a junior at Franklin
High School. “He’s the point guard
for the future.”
Platt averaged 12.5 points and 8
rebounds as a junior at Green Valley
High School, leading the Gators to a
25-8 record.
Schafer is rated one of the top
three centers on the West Coast by
most recruiting services.
Kent said those post players, along
with redshirt freshmen Ian Gross
white and Matt Short, will make Ore
gon one of the biggest teams in the
Pac-10 in years to come.
“We feel very good about what’s
coming in,” Kent said. “We feel like
we’ve gotten the program to a level
now where we can be selective
(about recruits).”
Zahn, Kent to sit
out season
Adam Zahn, a 6-foot-8-inch fresh
man from Redondo Beach, Calif., and
Kent’s son, Jordan, a 6-foot-4-inch
guard, will redshirt this season.
“Unless something out of the ordi
nary happens, both of those guys will
be redshirting,” Kent said Wednesday.
That leaves Oregon with 11 active
players for the season, including
walk-on guard Tyler York.
Contact the senior sports reporter
at adamjude@dailyemerald.com.
Sports briefs
Smith Camp-ing out
Oregon running back Onterrio
Smith was one of 10 players named
as a finalist Wednesday for the 2002
Walter Gamp Award, given annually
to the nation’s best player.
The award will be given out at a
banquet on Feb. 8.
Smith was one of five running
backs included among the finalists.
The other five finalists were quarter
backs, including the Pac-lO’s Jason
Gesser and Carson Palmer.
—Peter Hockaday
Women sign two
Oregon women’s basketball head
coach Bev Smith announced the
signing of two high school players
Wednesday.
Jessica Shetters, a 6-foot-6-inch cen
ter from Wilson High School in Port
land, and Ashley Allen, a 5-foot-10
inch guard from Clovis West in Fresno,
Calif., signed letters of intent to join the
Ducks for the 2003-04 season.
Shetters is set to become the sec
ond-tallest Duck in program history,
while Allen follows former Oregon
player Lindsey Dion in coming to the
Ducks from Clovis West.
“These two women are tremendous
young women,” Smith said. “They’re
both very good students. They are very
outgoing and have a great personality
and they can play the game of basket
ball. They fit into our team.”
Smith added that the Ducks are
looking to sign another high school
player—a point guard who will be vis
iting Oregon during the weekend —
but due to NCAA regulations, she
could not discuss any further details
about the player.
—Hank Hager