Sports Editor
Peter Hockaday
peterhockaday@dailyemerald.com
Friday, April 11,2003
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Huskies, Bruins
open UO home
Pac-10 season
Oregon hosts Washington and UCLA for three
games at Howe Field, where the Ducks are 2-11
against the two schools in the last five seasons
Softball
Mindi Rice
Sports Reporter
The Ducks face their most difficult weekend of the season as
No. 3 Washington and No. 2 UCLA open No. 20 Oregon’s home
conference season.
The Ducks battle the Huskies at 2 p.m. today. UCLA and Ore
gon play at 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.
“These are big games,” head coach Kathy Arendsen said.
“Both are well-rounded teams and excellent in every area.”
Both teams lost to No. 1 Arizona over the weekend — Wash
ington, 3-0, and UCLA, 3-0 and 5-1.
The Huskies (34-5-1 overall, 3-3 Pacific-10 Conference) re
bounded, taking two games from No. 12 Arizona State — 2-1
and 1-0 — after losing their home opener. The wins were low
scoring for normally offense-heavy Washington.
Washington was scheduled to play a doubleheader at Port
land State on Thursday, but the games were canceled because
of rain.
UCLA and Washington have dominated the Ducks over the
past four years. The two schools have a combined record of 24
2 against Oregon from 1999 to 2002.
The Bruins (32-4,4-2) took a win from Arizona State *— a 6-0
shutout on Friday — before losing to the Wildcats.
Three UCLA players are in the running for the Amateur Soft
ball Association’s 2003 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the
Year. Senior Natasha Watley and junior Keira Goerl were in
cluded in the 25 finalists for the 2002 award. Senior Tairia Mims
is a finalist for the first time.
The three Bruins are joined by Husky sophomore Kristen
Rivera on the finalist list. The award will be announced May 21.
Oregon (20-11,2-5) hosted a doubleheader against Portland
State on Wednesday, sweeping the Vikings, 7-2 and 3-2.
The Ducks’ offense came out in the sun during the first game,
as Oregon posted five runs in the bottom of the first inning.
Sophomore Ashley Richards drove in sophomore Erin Good
ell with a single for the first run. Two batters later, senior Alyssa
Laux hit a sacrifice fly to score freshman Beth Boskovich.
Junior Jenn Poore followed with her third home run of the
Turn to Softball, page 6
Ducks set for scrimmage
The Oregon secondary and wide
receivers are ready to duke it out at
the first scheduled scrimmage Saturday
Spring football
Hank Hager
Sports Reporter
The scene of an opposing player sneaking past the
Oregon secondary was a familiar one last season.
So far, after an almost week-long schedule of
spring practices for the Ducks, that scene has not
changed much. But the group will have an oppor
tunity Saturday to make amends when Oregon
holds its first scheduled scrimmage.
“So far, the offense has been having its way with
us, but I think we’re going to be all right,” Keith
Lewis said. “I’m definitely looking forward to Sat
urday’s scrimmage. It’s another chance to go out
and play football.”
Head coach Mike Bellotti said the scrimmage is
expected to last anywhere from 45 to 60 plays and
won’t be a major portion of Saturday’s practice.
Still, he is looking for young players to step up
and last year’s backups to play for a starting spot.
“What I want to see is that backup last year that
may be a starter this year, the guy that didn’t play
last year that’s going to be a backup, or the guy
called on to really step in and play at certain
times,” he said. “See how they handle the oppor
tunities that they get.”
The secondary, much maligned last year dur
ing Oregon’s 7-6 season, will step into the spot
light at the scrimmage. With Lewis returning at a
safety spot and Steven Moore at cornerback, the
Ducks will have senior leadership in the defen
sive backfield.
But how that translates to the field is still to be
seen, especially against their teammates. Saturday,
the Duck receiving core — the secondary’s pri
mary opponents — will lack Sarnie Parker’s big
play capabilities when he runs at the Pepsi Team
Invitational at Hayward Field.
With Parker out, the Ducks will trot out a young
group of receivers. Juniors Keith Allen and Kellen
Taylor are expected to step up, as is sophomore
Demetrius Williams.
“We looked pretty good for the first day in pads,”
Taylor said regarding Oregon’s practice Tuesday.
Turn to Football, page 8
Danielle Hickey Emerald
Stevie Moore (4), Keith Lewis and the secondary will be a focus at the scrimmage.
Track teams ready for team-based Pepsi Invitational
MEN: Duck fans get their first glance at Jordan
Kent and Sarnie Parker in this weekend’s meet
Men’s track and field
Peter Hockaday
Sports Editor
Take an average dual meet, add a little corporate sponsor
ship, throw in two extra top-flight track teams and — voila! —
you have the recipe for a big-time track meet.
What was last year’s Washington Dual is now the Pepsi
Team Invitational, and for the Oregon men’s track and field
squad, the individual ingredients will be key Saturday against
Minnesota, Colorado and Washington. Saturday’s first event is
scheduled for noon at Hayward Field, while the first track
event is scheduled for 2:40 p.m.
With a pinch of Jordan Kent, a heaping of John Stiegeler,
a tablespoon of Adam Kriz and a smidgen of Sarnie Parker,
Oregon head coach (and head chef?) Martin Smith is trying
to brew a Pacific-10 Conference champion in Eugene. Sat
urday’s meet is the first outdoor chance the Ducks will get
to score as a team, like they will at the Pac-lOs and NCAA
Championships.
“One of the things we’re looking for from the team this
weekend is being energized about the home meet and the
head-on competition,” Smith said. “How we handle that will
give us a sense of where we’re at right now.”
The athletes also see Saturday’s meet as a chance to solidify
as a team and send a message to the rest of the conference.
“We want to show the Pac-10 what we’re made of this
year,” triple jumper Derek Strubel said. “We return a lot of
points; we want to win the whole thing. We want to have fun
Turn to Men's, page 6
GeoffThumer Oregon Media Services
The men will be led by Adam Kriz and other stars this weekend at Hayward Field.
WOMEN: Oregon will face steep
head-to-head battle this weekend
as Colorado, Minnesota and
Washington come to town
Women’s track and field
Jesse Thomas
Sports Reporter
Hayward Field, the site of nine NCAA
Championships and three Olympic Tri
als, will again host a list of top-caliber
athletes from around the country Satur
day in the Pepsi Team Invitational.
In the 14th edition of the invitational,
but first since 1999, the Oregon women’s
track team will compete in team scoring
as it goes head to head with Colorado,
Minnesota and Washington.
“This is a chance for the team to do
something that’s inherently important,”
Oregon head coach Tom Heinonen said.
“All you’ve got to do is add points and it
just changes everything completely from
‘I’m doing it for me’ to ‘I’m doing it for the
team.’”
In the last edition of the Pepsi Invita
tional in 1999, Nebraska took home both
the men’s and women’s crowns, followed
by the Huskies. Oregon finished in third.
Four years later, Heinonen will be tak
en back in history, as his alma mater
Turn to Women's, page 8