Steffen nabs talented class
Oregon signs five new players
for the 2003-04 season to fill
avoid left by the five seniors
Soccer
Jesse Thomas
Sports Reporter
The Oregon women’s soccer
team is adding some new spices for
the 2003-04 season with the addi
tion of two transfers and three in
coming freshmen.
Oregon announced its new addi
tions Thursday, and all have signed
letters of intent.
“The group of newcomers are all
fine athletes with good skills and
pace,” Oregon head coach Bill Stef
fen said in a release. “They’re proba
bly more specialized than previous
classes, which is great, because they
can complement the players that are
coming back.”
The Ducks will welcome redshirt
juniors Erin Engelhardt and Sabrina
DeMonte, who will transfer in from
their respective schools.
Engelhardt previously attended
Virginia, where she started 18 of
the 43 games she played for the
Cavaliers. The New Jersey native
scored three goals and has six as
sists in her sophomore season, as a
midfielder, to help lead the Cavs to
the NCAA Tournament.
DeMonte is currently enrolled
at Oregon as a freshman, after
attending Harbor Junior College
last fall. The Torrance, Calif.,
native played on club teams that
won the Surf Cup, League Cup
and Premier League.
“We’re excited to have them
both here,” Steffen said. “Erin
owns a really strong background.
She has tremendous athleticism
with solid learning experiences.
“Sabrina comes from a very
strong club background. She has a
great go-for-it attitude, and since
she hasn’t played organized soccer
for very long, she has tremendous
upside potential.”
There are also some baby Ducks
arriving. Oregon will welcome
freshman Dana Richardson.
Richardson, a 5-foot-5-inch mid
fielder from Vancouver, B.C., is one
of Canada’s star juniors as she has
played on Canadian National Teams
since the age of 15.
Oregon also acquired a new pro
tector of the net, in goalkeeper
Emily Marrer from Cactus High in
Glendale, Ariz. Marrer had a 77-5
3 career record with 54 shutouts,
one shy of the state record.
The Ducks’ final freshman is for
ward Kaily Winther, a local coming
from Churchill High School. As a four
year letter-winner, Winther earned
first-team all-league honors in her jun
ior and senior seasons along with
league MVP in her senior season.
“Kaily brings tremendous pace
and has a knack for always being
involved,” Steffen said. “Dana
comes from a strong playing back
ground with the Canadian National
U-19 Team.”
“Emily is a very strong and deter
mined player with good quickness, de
sire and a great work rate-great ingre
dients for a successful goalkeeper.”
Oregon’s recruits will try and fill the
void of the seniors lost. Starting goal
keeper Sarah Peters, starting defend
ers Lindsey Peterson and Robi Thayer
and starting forwards Amanda Orand
and Sarah Denner all finished their
Oregon careers in the fall.
Contact the sports reporter
at jessethomas@daiIyemerald.com.
Wrestling
continued from page 11
As one of three seniors at the begin
ning of the season, Overstake is one of
the leaders for the Oregon squad.
“If he sees something that needs
to be done, he does it,” Kearney
said. “Tony sincerely cares about
the people in the program.”
“This has taught me a lot about
leadership,” Overstake said. “The
team is an awesome group of guys
who go hard every day.”
Born in Medford, Overstake says
his father got him started in
wrestling when he was young.
Overstake attended nearby
Grater High School in Central Point,
which has become an Oregon
wrestling powerhouse under head
coach GregHaga. Since 1993, when
Grater won its first state title, Haga
has led his team to five state 4A
championships, including one dur
ing Overstake’s senior year.
“It was a good night,” Overstake
said. He helped Grater take the state
title in 1998 by earning the champi
onship at 125 that day. He went 41-3
during his senior season as a Comet.
Overstake improved steadily over
his high school years — finishing
fifth in state as a sophomore and
third as a junior before taking the ti
tle as a senior. He won the district ti
tle all three years and chose to at
tend Oregon upon graduation.
“I knew I wanted to go Division I,”
Overstake said, “Oregon was the
best D-I (school).”
Overstake joined former Grater
teammate Doug Lee, who was one
year ahead of him in school, to
start the pattern from Central
Point to Eugene.
These days, Overstake leads
Grater graduates turning Duck.
Sophomore Shane Webster and red
shirt freshman Bob Pool have con
tinued the Comets trend.
As Overstake has grappled during
the past four years, he has changed
as a force on the team and against
opponents. But one thing has not
changed — his determination.
“When I first got here it was
kind of a struggle,” Overstake said.
“It’s a sport that teaches you how
to work hard.”
He spent his first year as a red
shirt, scrimmaging with the squad
and increasing his size. After com
peting at 125 in high school, Over
stake wrestled at 149 in his first ap
pearance during his freshman year.
“When he first got here, you knew
Jeremy Forrest Emerald
Overstake (top) won an Oregon state championship with Crater High his senior year.
he could be successful because he
wanted to be,” Kearney said.
In the Southern Oregon Open
on Nov. 20, 1999, Overstake fin
ished second at 149. Teammate
Derek Smith beat Overstake 4-2
for the 149 title.
The redshirt freshman became
Oregon’s starter at 149 during the
next month, going 22-11 during the
season before finishing fifth in the
Pac-10 tournament.
Overstake earned 32 team points
during the season, with six of his 22
wins coming by major decision,
three by pinning his opponent and
two by technical fall.
During his second year of competi
tion, Overstake earned his first trip to
the NCAA Championships with a
fourth-place Pac-10 finish. He won the
Southern Oregon Open, and finished
the season 18-16. A late-season knee
injury caught up with him at the na
tional tournament, where he went 0-2.
Overstake jumped to 157 for his
junior year, and the extra eight
pounds didn’t slow him down. He
made a return trip to the NCAA
Championships after winning the
Pac-10 Championship at 157. Over
stake went 1-2 at the national tourna
ment, finishing the season with a 27-9
record — second-best on the team.
After shoulder surgery over the
summer, Overstake made the de
cision to move back to 149. He at
tributed the move to three things:
his surgery, helping the team and
the opportunity to compete better
at the conference and national
tournaments.
This season, Overstake is 18-8.
He has been ranked on and off in
the top 20 by Intermat, The
Wrestling Mall, Amateur Wrestling
News and W.I.N. Magazine.
“He’s had a good year,” Kearney
said. “His training and preparation
have been geared to Pac-lO’s and
nationals.”
“I love the sport,” Overstake said,
mentioning the possibility of coach
ing after graduation. “I’m not ready
to be done with it.”
Overstake has two tournaments
left in his collegiate career—the Pac
10 Championships and the NCAA
Championships that begin March 20.
“He’s leaving the program better
than when he got here,” Kearney
said. “That’s a goal.”
Mindi Rice is a freelance writer
for the Emerald.
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