Sports Editor
Peter Hockaday
peterhockaday@dailyemerald.com
Wednesday, April 23,2003
-Oregon Daily Emerald
Sports
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Coaches struggle with new NCAA meet
With the addition of a regional
meet system this year, college
track athletes and coaches try
to figure out the new system
Track and field
Peter Hockaday
Sports Editor
For the first time ever, track and field
athletes across the country don’t give a
hoot about the NCAA Championships
during their meets in April.
Well, they always care about the NCAA
Championships. But this year, there’s a
road block on the road to
the national meet — a very big road block
in the form of the NCAA regional meets.
NCAA track now has a similar set-up
to its spring-sports brethren softball
and golf, where athletes must qualify
for a regional meet before heading to
the NCAA Championships. The quali
fying standards are lower for the re
gional meets, and the NCAA will deter
mine who goes to the national meet
based on the athletes’ performances at
the regionals.
And many track coaches still don’t
know how to prepare their athletes for
the coming change.
“We’re trying to figure out exactly the
best way to train for the regionals,” Ore
gon head coach Martin Smith said earlier
this season. “We don’t know if we’ll figure
it out this year or not.”
For Arizona head coach Fred Harvey,
the change is positive. Harvey was a long
time assistant at Arizona before taking
over as head coach this year, and he said
the Wildcats love the new NCAA format.
He said that instead of trying to hit big
marks, which is what they’re usually try
ing to do at this time of the year, most of
the team’s potential qualifiers are just
waiting for the NCAA regionals.
“Our training volume is different
now at this time of the year,” Harvey
said. “We can go to the Drake Relays
next week, for example, and just
have fun — just run a bunch of odd
relays. We don’t need to say ‘Oh, we
need to run the 4x1 because we need
that qualifying standard.”
So with regional qualifying times sim
ilar to conference-meet qualifying
times, does that de-emphasize confer
"We're trying to figure
out exactly the best way to
train for the regionals. We
don't know if we'll figure
it out this year or not."
Martin Smith
Oregon head coach
ence meets, which have previously
been last-chance meets for athletes des
perate to qualify for NGAAs? Harvey
doesn’t think so.
“We are definitely coming into the
Pac-10 Championships trying to do the
best we can, however, we’re going to
keep in mind regional championships
are the next week,” Harvey said. “But
the importance of the meet, in my
mind, is still there. I still want to be the
Pac-10 champion.”
Dr. Santi?
Star decathlete Santiago Lorenzo
will not compete in the Oregon Invita
tional decathlon Thursday and Friday.
Understandable, considering he’s al
ready qualified for the NCAA Champi
onships and doesn’t want to push him
self too hard.
But it’s also understandable consider
ing Lorenzo has a much bigger test Sat
urday than any small-college decathlete
could ever give him.
Turn to Track, page 6
Mark McCambridge Emerald
James March is one Duck who has already qualified for the NCAA West Regionals in the shot put and discus.
Kickers ‘kick it
at spring drills
The Oregon kicking game has been quiet so far, but
is picking up steam at the end of spring practices
Spring football
Hank Hager
Sports Reporter
For most of the spring, at least to this point, the focus on the
Oregon football team has primarily been the battle of the
quarterbacks.
Ryan Shaw, Chris Vincent and others have also garnered
the spotlight in their competition to take over the running
back spot from the departed Onterrio Smith. And then, of
course, is the defense and how it grows up after a tough lesson
most of last season.
With so much focus outside of the program centered else
where, the Oregon kicking game has gone unnoticed.
And why not? Jared Siegel had a solid season last year, con
necting on 20 of 24 field goals, including a career-high 59
yarder against UCLA.
The Oregon punting situation is not as set as walk-ons Drew
Larson and Chris Annis are holding down the fort now, but the
Ducks expect a highly celebrated punter to join the team in
the fall.
The spring is a time for the group to work on leg strength
and build up stamina for the regular season.
“This year there hasn’t been as much emphasis put on the
kicking game because there’s more uncertainty with our punt
ing situation,” Siegel said. “So it’s a time for me to work on
some of the small things I need to improve upon and an op
portunity for the team to improve on different special teams.”
For Annis and Larson, the opportunity to join the Ducks
Turn to Football, page 6
Mark McCambridge Emerald
Senior Lynsey Haij hit her first home run of the season on Wednesday.
Ducks secure
winning season
with two wins
Amy Harris pitches 61 /3 innings
of a perfect game as the Ducks sweep
Nevada in Wednesday’s doubleheader
Softball
Mindi Rice
Sports Reporter
Outstanding pitching, perfect defense and five home runs
combined to give No. 20 Oregon the edge in two games against
Nevada on Wednesday.
Freshman pitcher Amy Harris took a perfect game into the
top of the seventh inning in the first game, eventually giving up
three hits and one run in the Ducks’ 6-1 win.
In the second game, freshman shortstop Breanne Sabol hit
her first home run of the season — a two-run shot to center
field in the bottom of the second — to give Oregon (26-14 over
all, 4-8 Pacific-10 Conference) the early 2-0 lead. The Ducks
won the game, 4-0.
“We accomplished our first goal of the year in that first game
by getting that 25th win,” head coach Kathy Arendsen said. “It
assures us of a winning record and now puts us in line for the
postseason. Getting the second win now puts us at one game
even better than that. I’m really pleased. I thought it was great
effort and good team wins.”
Senior third baseman Lynsey Haij scored the first run of the
opening game. After hitting a double, Haij advanced to third base
on junior catcher Jenn Poore’s sacrifice fly. The ball went out of
play as Nevada (20-29 overall) tried to throw out Haij, giving her
Turn to Softball, page 8